Five things to know: Wisconsin back in action

Friday, April 5

Columbus, OH

5 p.m.

Wisconsin Badgers

Ohio State

Photo by: David Stluka

Five things to know: Wisconsin back in action

April 01, 2019 | Women's Tennis

UW hits the road, takes on Ohio State and Penn State

MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin women's tennis has been free from competition for the past week, but that didn't stop the team from making headlines. Now ranked No. 45 by the ITA, the Badgers are ready to hit the courts, this weekend against Ohio State on Friday at 5 p.m. and Penn State on Sunday at 11 a.m.

1. MOST RECENT ACTION: The Badgers' last two matches took place against Big Ten Conference opponents Michigan State and Purdue. Wisconsin took on the Spartans in East Lansing, Michigan and left with a 4-0 victory on March 23. On Sunday, March 25, Wisconsin returned home to host Purdue and sent the Boilermakers home with a 5-2 loss. Wisconsin remains undefeated in conference play.

2. SCOUTING OHIO STATE: The Buckeyes sit at 15-3 this season, with a 4-1 conference record. The team's most recent match took place against Michigan on the road and ended in a 4-1 loss. Before the loss at Michigan, Ohio State was riding a 12-match winning streak. Ohio State is ranked No. 19 by the ITA as a team and has three women ranked in the top 80 for singles play. Isabelle Boulais is ranked 55, Kolie Allen is 61 and Shiori Fukuda is ranked 78. Fukuda and Boulais are also ranked No. 35 as a doubles pair.

3. SCOUTING PENN STATE: The Nittany Lions currently hold a 10-6 overall record this season, including 2-3 in Big Ten action. They will play Minnesota before taking on Wisconsin on Sunday. Penn State has suffered conference losses to Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State and has beaten Iowa and Nebraska. Penn State opened the season with four straight wins before suffering its first loss in early February.

4. HISTORY LESSON: Wisconsin is familiar with both programs, meeting them both over 25 times throughout the team's history. The Badgers hold a 30-17 all-time series advantage over the Buckeyes and a 19-9 all-time record over Penn State. The last time Wisconsin competed against Ohio State came last season at home, Wisconsin suffered a 5-2 defeat. Wisconsin also took on Penn State at home last season and was beaten 4-3.

5. RANKINGS UPDATE: Posting a 13-2 overall record, including 5-0 in conference play, Wisconsin found itself ranked among the top-50 teams by the ITA last week. Sandwiched between Loyola Marymount and Rice, Wisconsin is one of four Big Ten teams ranked in the top 50, joining Ohio State, Northwestern and Michigan.