University of Minnesota Athletics
WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAM HOSTS NORTHWESTERN AND ILLINOIS
4/11/2001 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
About The Golden Gophers
Minnesota went 1-1 on the weekend after losing at Indiana 6-1 and then defeating Purdue 4-3. Against Indiana, Amy Thomas (Orchard Park, N.Y., Orchard Park) was Minnesota's lone scorer after winnning her singles match over Amanda Field 6-2, 6-2 in the No. 2 spot.
Against Purdue, Minnesota won the doubles point after Valerie Vladea (Kitchener, Ontario, Burlington Central) and Michaela Havelkova (Liberec, Czech Republic, Gymnazium F.X. Saldy) defeated Missy Wright and Melissa Woods 9-8 at the No. 1 spot. Also, the No. 3 pair of Brandi Watts (Monument, Colo., Lewis-Palmer) and Thomas defeated Erika Quebe and Gretchen Haynor 9-7. On the singles side, Vladea, Havelkova, and Wang all won their matches at the No. 1, No. 3, and No. 4 positions, respectively.
About The Opponents
Northwestern is 15-4 overall and 6-0 in the Big Ten. The Wildcats lead the conference and are coming off a 7-0 win over No. 28 Iowa last Sunday. Against Northwestern, the Gophers are 4-22 all-time.
Illinois is 11-6 overall and 5-1 in the Big Ten. Illinois is also coming off a win against Iowa this past Saturday. The Gophers are looking to even their all-time record against the Illini this weekend. Currently, the series stands at 14-15 with Illinois leading.
The National Ranking
The Golden Gophers are currently No. 66 in the latest national ranking, released April 4. Minnesota is one of seven Big Ten Conference teams listed among the nation's top 75 teams. Northwestern leads the way at No. 10, followed by Ohio State at No. 27 and Iowa at No. 28. Rounding out the conference teams: Illinois (36), Indiana (41), Penn State (56), Minnesota (66).
Up Next
Minnesota finishes out its regular season play on the road. On April 20, Minnesota travels to Wisconsin to take on the Big Ten rival. On April 21, Minnesota ends at Iowa, that being a conference match also.
