University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Back on the Road for Big Ten Matches
4/1/2009 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Minnesota heads back on the road for a pair of Big Ten matches against nationally-ranked foes this weekend as the Gophers travel to Illinois and Indiana.
The Gophers are ranked 65th in the country and own a 9-7 overall record and 2-3 Big Ten mark. They start the weekend in Illniois with a showdown against the 40th-ranked Illini on Saturday before traveling to Bloomington on Sunday to take on the 41st-ranked Hoosiers. Minnesota split a pair of home matches last weekend, beating Penn State and losing to Ohio State by 5-2 scores.
Karina Chiarelli had a strong weekend for the Gophers at the No. 1 singles and doubles positions with two wins in singles and a pair of wins in doubles along with Alex Seaton. Chiarelli now has a 17-6 doubles record for the season with five different partners. She is 14-10 in singles, including 4-1 in Big Ten play. The Gophers were hampered by injuries to two of their top three singles players last weekend as Alessandra Ferrazzi and Niltooli Wilkins missed both matches, forcing the rest of the lineup to move up two spots. An added bonus was the return of Seaton from an injury as she won the two doubles matches with Chiarelli and split two No. 3 singles matches.
Minnesota has been especially tough in doubles this season, having won the doubles point in eight straight matches. The Gophers are 32-13 in doubles matches in dual meets and 12-2 in Big Ten matches. Chiarelli and Ferrazzi rank 52nd nationally in doubles as the pair is 6-0 in doubles with all the wins coming at No. 1.
Illinois is coming back from a trip to Hawaii last weekend and owns a 12-4 overall record and 3-1 conference mark. Indiana is 10-7 overall and 2-2 in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have beaten the Gophers six straight times since Minnesota’s last win in 2003.
