ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 29 Wisconsin (14-4, 5-2) struggled against top-tier No. 15 Michigan (16-4, 6-1) on Sunday afternoon, but as head coach Danny Westerman put it, "the mountain gets steep near the top and the margin for error is very small when playing a top-tier program." The Badgers were retired 4-0 by the Maize and Blue.
 
"I think we did a great job competing today but when you play the best, that's the standard."
 
The Badgers lost the doubles point for only the second time this season against Michigan.
 
At the No. 1 doubles spot, juniors Chema Carranza and Josef Dodridge played one of the nation's top duos. Dodridge and Carranza were retired by the 10th-ranked doubles duo of Jathin Malik and Connor Johnston, 6-3.
 
Junior Lamar Remy and freshman Chase Colton were handed a rare loss at the No. 2 doubles spot. The Badger duo lost to Michigan's Runhao Hua and Alex Knight, 6-3. Remy and Colton hold an impressive 15-3 mark in the spring season despite Sunday's setback.
 
The Badgers dropped the first three matches in the singles category to give Michigan the 4-0 clinch. But the matches that were abandoned showed just how close the Badgers are to the nation's most elite playing field.
 
Remy battled at the No. 1 singles spot against No. 92-ranked Jathan Malik and split sets, 6-4, 5-7 before abandoning after the clinch.
 
At the No. 3 singles spot, Carranza was head-to-head with No. 90-ranked Myles Schalet. The match ended in a complete tie, 4-6, 6-4, 1-1, before abandoning. Carranza remains an impressive 24-6 on the year.
 
Freshman Daniel Soyfer wouldn't go down without a fight and played Carter Lin to a tight match before the match was ended prematurely. The freshman phenom finished his match at a 4-6, 6-3, 2-1 mark. Soyfer is 21-8 in the dual season.
 
"We are improving and getting better," Westerman iterated. "Now we have been in these situations against top teams in recent matches and have to make the necessary adjustments in practice both mentally and physically. I know our guys are up for it."
 
Wisconsin heads east again next weekend for matches against Penn State and No. 2 Ohio State. The Badgers will play the Nittany Lions at 3 p.m. on Friday and the Buckeyes at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
 
 
Singles
No. 1 -- #92 Jathan Malik (UM) vs. Lamar Remy (UW) 6-4, 5-7 (abandoned)
No. 2 -- Alex Knight (UM) def. Joe Dodridge (UW) 6-1, 6-0
No. 3 -- #90 Myles Schalet (UM) vs. Chema Carranza (UW) 4-6, 6-4, 1-1 (abandoned)
No. 4 -- Runhao Hua (UM) def. Osgar O'Hoisin (UW) 7-5, 6-3
No. 5 -- Kevin Wong (UM) def. Chase Colton (UW) 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 -- Carter Lin (UM) vs. Daniel Soyfer (UW) 4-6, 6-3, 2-1 (abandoned)
 
Doubles
No. 1 -- #10 Jathan Malik/Connor Johnston (UM) def. Chema Carranza/Josef Dodridge (UW) 6-3
No. 2 -- Runhao Hua/Alex Knight (UM) def. Lamar Remy/Chase Colton (UW) 6-3
No. 3 -- Myles Schalet/Kevin Wong (UM) vs. John Zordani/Osgar O'Hoisin (UW) 5-5 (abandoned)
 
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1, Singles 2-5