MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin men's tennis returns from near month-long hiatus to compete at the ITA Midwest Regionals this weekend in South Bend, Indiana.
 

1. Westerman's wing: The Badgers have enjoyed time off competitive play since September 23rd. Wisconsin has used the time to build chemistry, train, and prepare for the ITA Regional Tournament that will showcase some of this season's most talented teams.

 
            "It has been a huge training period for us. We've been working hard lifting and conditioning so that our strategy and technique doesn't break down in long matches. We've been trying to lay a solid physical base. Lately, we've been focused on match play to prepare for the situational stuff we are going to see this                weekend."
 

2. What happened last year: It was a bed of roses last season at the ITA Regional Championship for the senior partners Chema Carranza and Josef Dodridge. The pair became the first tandem in Wisconsin history to win the ITA Regional Championship. It wasn't an easy road and it certainly wasn't a short one. Carranza and Dodridge won six matches to advance from the round of 64 to the championship match but no one could stop them. The seniors came from down a set to beat a Michigan duo in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 12-10 in the doubles championship to claim the title.

 

3. About the ITA Regional: Play at the ITA Regional Championships will begin with pre-qualifying matches on Wednesday and will run into Monday's championship matches. Twenty teams will face off in South Bend, Indiana, including some Big Ten foes such as Michigan State, Illinois, Ohio State, Michigan and Northwestern. Wisconsin will send its entire roster to Notre Dame to compete in the Regional championships.

 

4. Fall recap: Wisconsin has played in two tournaments in the fall, splitting up the roster to travel on the same weekend to the Ivy Plus tournament and the Milwaukee Tennis Classic. The Badgers posted a strong team showing that highlighted wins in both the singles and doubles category, providing a strong start to the fall season campaign.

 

5. Need to know: Keep up with all things Wisconsin men's tennis on Twitter (@BadgerMTennis), on Instagram (WisconsinTennis), and on UWBadgers.com.