University of Minnesota Athletics
Northwestern, Illinois Visit Baseline
4/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Live Scoring
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 61-ranked Minnesota women's tennis team continues a five-match Big Ten homestand this weekend as its hosts No. 23 Northwestern and No. 58 Illinois. The Gophers, who enter the week 15-6 with a 5-2 conference record, play the Wildcats Saturday at noon and the Fighting Illini Sunday at 11 a.m.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Tied with the Gophers for third place in the Big Ten, 23rd-ranked Northwestern comes into Saturday's match with a 10-6 record. Winners of 15 of the last 16 Big Ten championships, the Wildcats are led in singles by Alicia Barnett, who is 5-10 at the top position. Alex Chatt is 13-3 at position Nos. 3-5. In doubles, Barnett and Erin Larner are ranked 39th and are 5-1 at the top position. No. 70 Brooke Rischbieth and Rheeya Doshi are 5-0 at No. 2.
ABOUT THE ILLINI
At 10-9 overall and 2-5 in the Big Ten, 58th-ranked Illinois starts the weekend with a Friday night match at Wisconsin. The Illini are riding a three-match win streak and will look to improve on a 1-6 road record. Alexis Casati has been the team's primary No. 1 singles player, posting a 7-7 record at the position. Melissa Kopinski and Louise Kwong are Illinois' top doubles tandem, standing at 10-4 in the top flight.
AGAINST THE OPPONENTS
After home losses to both teams on the final weekend of the 2014 season, Minnesota is 17-27 against Illinois all-time and is 5-37 against Northwestern.
ON A ROLL
Minnesota has won four consecutive matches for the second time this season with wins over Rutgers, Maryland, Iowa and Nebraska. The Gophers had a six-match win streak from Feb. 22 to March 16 and have won 10 of their last 12 contests overall. The Maroon and Gold has also won eight of its nine home matches this year.
LAMBERT HEATING UP, MOVING UP
Senior Aria Lambert has won 13 of her last 15 singles matches and is 16-4 on the spring at four different positions. The Deephaven, Minn. native now has 78-career singles wins to her credit, the 10th-most in program history. She also hit the 20-win plateau for the third time with a straight-set defeat of Nebraska's Katerina Matysova last Sunday.
A GOOD PARTNER
Redshirt junior Julia Courter has stood out in doubles this season. She is 20-7 on the season with a 15-4 mark in the spring, playing alongside classmates Paula Rincon-Otero and Jessika Mozia. With a 6-3 win over South Dakota's Tacy Haws-Lay and Beatriz Souza alongside Mozia earlier in the year, Courter hit the 50-career win plateau in doubles. Now at 58-career singles wins, she is ranked 54th nationally with Rincon-Otero.
POSITIVE FIRST IMPRESSION
Freshman Caroline Ryba has been one of the top players on Minnesota's team this season. A recent six-match winning streak and wins against opponents from Rutgers, Maryland and Iowa at the No. 2 position helped push the Glenview, Ill. native's spring record to 13-4.
UP AND COMING
The 2015 edition of the Gopher women's tennis team has been building upon a successful 2014 campaign. Last year, the Gophers posted their highest win total since 2003 at 17. After beginning last season unranked, the Maroon and Gold climbed as high at 55th en route to a seven-win improvement from the previous season. This season, the Maroon and Gold began the year at No. 71 and is now 61st after a 15-6 start.
HOW THE SCORING WORKS
For Big Ten play, three doubles matches will be played to begin the dual. Each match is a one-game pro set to eight, with a tiebreak at seven-all. The first team to earn two doubles wins earns one team point. Doubles play will followed by six singles matches (best two of three sets--tie-breaks at six-all). Each singles match is worth one team point. Traditional (ad) scoring is in effect for conference play.
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Players Mentioned
