Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Gear Up for Senior Weekend
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State (11-13, 2-5) will host Wisconsin (6-14, 2-5) and No. 32 Minnesota (15-6, 6-1) for its last two home games of the 2014-2015 season.
"It's our final weekend at home, and it's senior weekend," head coach Gene Orlando said. "It's going to be a celebration, but we have to be ready for these teams." The Badgers are 4-6 since March 1, with all of those losses coming to ranked opponents except for Green Bay.
The Badgers are currently tied with Michigan State for eighth place in the Big Ten conference standings at 2-5.
Conversely, the Golden Gophers are 8-2 over their last 10 matches, with wins over No. 31 Drake, No. 41 Indiana, No. 49 Penn State, No. 62 Washington, and No. 72 Iowa. Minnesota is currently tied for second in the Big Ten standings with No. 11 Ohio State at 6-1.
The Spartans still have two more road games after this weekend; at Purdue and at No. 41 Indiana.
"The seniors this year have done a great job leading this program," Orlando said. "I'm looking for the younger guys to do what they can so we can all send the seniors off right."
Spartans in the Rankings
Harry Jadun and John Patrick Mullane are ranked No. 21 in the nation in doubles.
Last Time Out
The Spartans fell to Michigan at home, 4-3. MSU came out swinging, winning the doubles point and capturing two of the first four singles matches.
The Wolverines were able to closeout the win with two wins in two tiebreakers.
What to Expect from the Wisconsin Badgers
The Badgers own wins over Marquette, Nebraska, Nebraska-Omaha, Purdue, Seattle and SIUE.
Wisconsin has losses from No. 10 TCU, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 31 Drake, No. 32 Minnesota, No. 34 N.C. State, No. 38 Notre Dame, No. 39 Tulane, No. 41 Indiana, No. 44 SMU, No. 49 Penn State, No. 62 Washington, No. 72 Iowa, ETSU, and Green Bay
Jose Carranza and Josef Dodridge form the No. 71 doubles pair in the nation for Wisconsin.
What to Expect from the Minnesota Golden Gophers
The Golden Gophers own wins over No. 25 Oklahoma State, No. 31 Drake, No. 41 Indiana, No. 49 Penn State, No. 54 Dartmouth, No. 62 Washington, No. 72 Iowa, The Citadel, Green Bay, Marquette, Michigan, Nebraska, Purdue, South Dakota State and Wisconsin.
Minnesota has losses to No. 9 Texas, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 16 North Carolina, No. 19 South Florida, No. 21 Vanderbilt and No. 35 Harvard.
No. 23 Leandro Toledo and No. 97 Matic Spec are the ranked singles players for the Golden Gophers. In doubles, Minnesota has No. 53 Mahieu Froment and Jack Hamburg, and No. 57 Leandro Toledo and Felix Corwin.
