University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Tennis 2009-10: Season in Review
5/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Playing one nationally-ranked opponent after another, Minnesota used its quality schedule to earn another trip to the NCAA tournament and a second straight appearance in the second round.
The Gophers finished 14-11 for the season and played 20 of their 25 matches against ranked opponents. They ended the regular season ranked 35th in the national rankings. All 11 of Minnesota's losses came against teams ranked in the top 30 of the national rankings and the Gophers also had four victories over teams in the NCAA field, beating Arizona, Nebraska, Pepperdine and Western Michigan.
The Gophers' biggest win came in the opening round of the NCAA tournament where they posted a 4-1 victory over Arizona in Austin, Texas. It was the 15th NCAA tournament appearance in the last 17 years for Minnesota, which lost to third-ranked Texas in the second round.
Not only did the Gophers face national opponents on a regular basis, they also did much of it away from home, playing their entire fall schedule and 16 of their 25 dual matches on the road. Minnesota was 8-3 when facing opponents on their home courts.
Juniors Sebastian Gallego and Tobias Wernet each had 20 wins to share the team lead in victories. Gallego was named the team's Most Valuable Player for the second straight year and earned all-Big Ten honors while posting five wins over ranked opponents. Wernet had four victories over ranked foes and reached the semifinals of the ITA regional championships.
Minnesota had a successful season off the court as well with the school's highest grade point average for a small men's sport. Senior Dino Bilankov received the Outstanding Achievement Award presented to the top male student-athlete in any sport.
