University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Enjoy Reversal of Fortunes in 2008-09
5/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
The best one-year turnaround in Minnesota men’s tennis history resulted in another NCAA tournament berth and a third place finish in the Big Ten standings for a Gophers’ squad that featured just one senior.
Minnesota posted a 19-8 overall record and 7-3 Big Ten mark, which came just one year after a 7-17 overall record and 4-6 Big Ten ledger in 2008. The Gophers were ranked 30th in the final rankings and made their 14th trip to the NCAA tournament in the past 16 years and their 20th overall, beating New Mexico in the opening round before falling to eighth-ranked Southern California.
For just the seventh time in school history, the Gophers had six different players post 20 singles wins and two players, Ishay Hadash and Sebastian Gallego, also claimed 20 doubles victories. Hadash achieved his success while playing only during the spring season and qualified for the NCAA individual championships. Hadash won his opening match to advance to the second round of the NCAA meet and finished the season ranked 60th in the country. Tobias Wernet led the Gophers with 25 victories and was ranked 82nd in the final ITA rankings. Wernet and Michael Sicora finished the year ranked 75th in doubles.
The Gophers got off to their best start since 1993 with a 10-1 mark through 11 matches and their eight-match winning streak early in the season was their best since 2003. Minnesota was especially tough at home with a 14-1 record at the Baseline Tennis Center as the Gophers combined for a 75-15 singles record on their home courts.
The Gophers had 11 wins over ranked opponents and posted their biggest win on Feb. 20 with a 5-2 win over 21st-ranked Wake Forest. Minnesota also battled 12th-ranked Illinois to a 4-3 loss in its only home defeat of the season and earned the third seed for the Big Ten tournament.
Players Mentioned
