Despite having two players in the semifinals Monday at the Big Ten Singles Championships in Madison, Wis., Minnesota’s men’s tennis team will not bring home its second-consecutive conference singles champion.

Senior Avery Ticer and sophomore Nic Edlefsen both lost in the semifinals – Ticer 6-1, 4-7 (5), 6-3 to Penn State 12th-seed Mark Barry; and Edlefsen 6-1, 6-0 to Ohio State second-seed Joey Atas.

Last year, former Gophers player Chris Wettengel stormed through the tournament without losing a set.

But strong performances from a pair of his current players were encouraging to coach David Geatz.

“I thought one of our guys could win it, but the guys they played against played very well (Monday),” Geatz said. “Both those guys for us had a good tournament.”

The tournament wraps up the Gophers’ fall season, and Geatz said he is impressed by the depth his squad demonstrated the last few months.

“Edlefsen’s had a very good fall, and we’ve had guys that have played on and off in the past that have picked up their games,” he said. “This season showed me that we’re deeper than we’ve been in a long time.”

Wrestling signs three

Minnesota’s wrestling team announced the signing of three top prospects Monday, and the group includes the nation’s No. 1 recruit for the fourth time in nine years.

Dustin Schlatter – brother of Minnesota redshirt freshman 149-pounder C.P. Schlatter – highlights the class as the top-ranked recruit in the country. Dustin Schlatter is a three-time Ohio state champion and will likely wrestle at either 149 or 157.

Nate Matousek comes from Glencoe, Minn., and is a two-time state champion at 152 pounds. This season, he could challenge the state record for wins, which stands at 233 and is held by Gophers redshirt freshman 157-pounder Mitch Kuhlman.

Jayson Ness will come to Minnesota from Kennedy High School in Bloomington, Minn., and was a 2004 junior national champion in Greco-Roman and a runner-up in freestyle. He will likely wrestle for the Gophers at 125 or 133.

Volleyball stays No. 5

Minnesota’s volleyball team (24-4, 13-3) retained its No. 5 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Poll after a weekend sweep of Michigan and Michigan State. The top four remained the same.