University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Looks to Continue Solid Big Ten Start
3/31/2010 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Off to a 2-1 start in Big Ten play, Minnesota looks to remain near the top of the conference standings following an upcoming weekend trip to Ohio State and Penn State.
The Gophers, who are 9-7 overall and ranked 56th in the country, take on 25th-ranked Ohio State on Friday in Columbus before traveling to face Penn State on Sunday.
Minnesota beat Iowa earlier this season and defeated Michigan State last weekend to open the Big Ten season with a 2-0 record. The Gophers suffered their first Big Ten setback on Sunday with a 7-0 loss to sixth-ranked Michigan. Friday's match with Ohio State will mark the Gophers' seventh match against a team ranked in the top 40 of this week's national rankings.
The Gophers have had a solid season in doubles play this spring, winning the doubles point in 11 of their 16 matches. They lost the point against Michigan, snapping a string of four straight matches having taken the first team point.
Tijana Koprivica and Alessandra Ferrazzi have not played together since the fall season, but are ranked 80th in this week's national doubles rankings. Ferrazzi has teamed with Alexa Palen for a 6-4 record at No. 1 doubles this spring, while Koprivica and Jackie Sperling are 7-3 at No. 2 doubles.
Ferrazzi is 21-10 for the season and 10-4 during the spring, while Magdalena Wiecha had a four-match winning streak snapped in the loss to Michigan. Wiecha has won 10 of her last 13 singles matches.
Ohio State is 14-4 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten with a win over Penn State and a loss to Purdue. The loss to Purdue is the Buckeyes' only setback in their last six outings as they are coming off wins over Rice and nationally-ranked Long Beach State. Kirsten Flower is 14-4 at No. 1 singles this spring and ranked 66th nationally.
Penn State is 4-10 overall and dropped both of its Big Ten matches to Ohio State and Purdue. The Nittany Lions were off last weekend after losing 7-0 to 28th-ranked Princeton the previous week. Freshman Petra Januskova has taken over the No. 1 singles spot and is ranked 77th in the country.
Minnesota leads the all-time series over Ohio State 24-14, though the Buckeyes have won six straight meetings, including a 5-2 decision last season. The Gophers are 16-5 all-time against Penn State and have beaten the Nittany Lions four straight times, including twice last season with a win in the first round of the Big Ten tournament.
Players Mentioned
