University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
North Dakota
Gophers Use Sweeps to Start 2-0
1/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 71 Minnesota women's tennis team won twice Sunday to get off to its fifth-consecutive 2-0 start. The Gophers started their season by topping Milwaukee before finishing the day with a triumph against North Dakota. Both matches were decided by 7-0 scores.
As it did a year ago on opening day, the Gophers swept through two doubles competitions.
Ranked seventh in the ITA Central Region, Minnesota's No. 1 doubles pairing of Tereza Brichacova and Mehvish Safdar battled its way to a 7-6 (4) win against the Panthers and doubled up the UND duo of Callie Ronkowski and Lacey Sprinkel, 6-3. At No. 2, juniors Paula Rincon-Otero and Julia Courter won by 6-0 and 6-1 scores, while Aria Lambert and Jessika Mozia won twice by 6-1 scores at No. 3.
Courter, a redshirt junior, was dominant in both of her singles matches. The Lawrenceville, Ga. native did not drop a game all day and pushed the Maroon and Gold's lead to 2-0 in each match. The singles victories were the 50th and 51st of her collegiate career.
Against Milwaukee, it was Lambert and Vujic winning at the Nos. 3 and 4 singles positions, respectively, that sealed the victory. Caroline Ryba, Rincon-Otero and Mozia then completed the shutout.
Following Courter's second win of the day, Ryba and Rincon-Otero sealed the victory before Lambert, Vujic and Mozia made it 7-0.
Ryba, who won both of her matches at the No. 1 position, became the first Gopher freshman to win a singles match in the top spot against a Division I opponent since Natallia Pintusava accomplished the feat on April 3, 2011.
The Gophers resume competition at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C. They will play 2014 NCAA Tournament runner up and fourth-ranked North Carolina next Saturday and either No. 38 LSU or No. 49 Boston College Sunday.
No. 71 Minnesota 7, Milwaukee 0
Minneapolis, Minn. (Baseline Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Alysa Straub (MIL) 6-0, 6-1
2. Jessika Mozia (MINN) def. Chelsea Bailey (MIL) 7-5, 6-1
3. Aria Lambert (MINN) def. Dana Shannon (MIL) 6-1, 6-0
4. Maja Vujic (MINN) def. Laura Kovacs (MIL) 6-0, 6-1
5. Paula Rincon Otero (MINN) def. Christina Colarossi (MIL) 6-4, 6-1
6. Julia Courter (MINN) def. Hayley Marshall (MIL) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Tereza Brichacova/Mehvish Safdar (MINN) def. Christina Colarossi/Alysa Straub (MIL) 7-6 (4)
2. Paula Rincon Otero/Julia Courter (MINN) def. Laura Kovacs/Dana Shannon (MIL) 6-0
3. Jessika Mozia/Aria Lambert (MINN) def. Hayley Marshall/Mardee Merar (MIL) 6-1
Match Notes
Milwaukee 0-1 (0-0 Horizon)
Minnesota 1-0 (0-0 Big Ten); National ranking #71
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,4,3,1,5,2)
No. 71 Minnesota 7, North Dakota 0
Minneapolis, Minn. (Baseline Tennis Center)
Singles competition
1. Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Callie Ronkowski (UND) 6-1, 6-0
2. Jessika Mozia (MINN) def. Lacey Sprinkel (UND) 7-5, 6-3
3. Aria Lambert (MINN) def. Sophie Allen-Fisher (UND) 6-2, 6-2
4. Maja Vujic (MINN) def. Mimi Yunker (UND) 6-2, 6-3
5. Paula Rincon Otero (MINN) def. Faith Lee (UND) 6-1, 6-2
6. Julia Courter (MINN) def. Kathleen Preston (UND) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Tereza Brichacova/Mehvish Safdar (MINN) def. Callie Ronkowski/Lacey Sprinkel (UND) 6-3
2. Paula Rincon Otero/Julia Courter (MINN) def. Sophie Allen-Fisher/Mimi Yunker (UND) 6-1
3. Aria Lambert/Jessika Mozia (MINN) def. Faith Lee/Kathleen Preston (UND) 6-1
Match Notes
North Dakota 0-1 (0-0 Big Sky)
Minnesota 2-0 (0-0 Big Ten); National ranking #71
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (6,1,5,3,4,2)
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Players Mentioned
