University of Minnesota Athletics
Regular Season Concludes With Senior Day
4/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Minnesota concludes its regular season and looks to snap a four-match losing streak when the Gophers host Purdue on Sunday at noon at the Baseline Tennis Center.
Minnesota may be playing for a chance to nab at least the seventh seed in the upcoming Big Ten tournament, which takes place April 29-May 2 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Gophers also need Iowa to beat Purdue on Friday to catch the Boilermakers for the seventh spot. Sunday's match will be the final home match for seniors Tijana Koprivica and Jackie Sperling.
The Gophers dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker to Wisconsin and a 6-1 decision to ninth-ranked Northwestern last weekend to fall to 10-12 overall and 3-6 in the Big Ten. Minnesota has now played nine one-point matches this year, but has lost four straight 4-3 decisions after winning four of its first five. The Gophers dropped six spots to No. 66 in this week's national rankings.
Magdalena Wiecha had Minnesota's lone win against Northwestern on Sunday and battled to a tough loss against Wisconsin, dropping both sets in tiebreakers. She is now 16-15 for the season. Alessandra Ferrazzi and Alexa Palen teamed for wins at No. 1 doubles in both matches and are 7-2 in Big Ten play this season.
Koprivica enters her final home match tied for fourth in school history with 92 career wins. She can tie Nora Sauska (1996-2000) for third place with one victory and can move into a tie for second place with Jenelle Johnson (1978-82) with two wins. She also has a 54-49 career doubles mark and has teamed with Sperling for a 12-13 record this season as the Gophers' No. 2 doubles team. Koprivica has won at least 22 singles matches in each of her four seasons at Minnesota.
Sperling, a walk-on for four years, has won 45 singles matches at Minnesota and has been a regular in the lineup for each of her final three seasons. She has 48 career victories in doubles.
Purdue got off to a hot start this season with a 13-1 start, including nine straight wins to start the spring. The 52nd-ranked Boilermakers have lost three of their last five matches to bring a 15-4 overall record and 4-4 Big Ten mark into the weekend. Jennifer Rabot is 25-8 in singles this season and ranked 111th in the nation. She and Michelle Sammons combine for No. 1 doubles and are 24-9 this season, tying a Purdue single-season record for doubles victories. Sammons is also the reigning Big Ten Athlete of the Week.
Admission to Sunday's match is free and it will be played outside, weather permitting.
Players Mentioned
