University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Illinois
Gophers Win Doubles, Fall 5-2 to Illini
4/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS -- The No. 61 Minnesota women's tennis team dropped its second match of the weekend Sunday, falling 5-2 to No. 58 Illinois at the Baseline Tennis Center. The Gophers' 2015 record dropped to 15-8. They are now 5-4 in Big Ten play.
Minnesota got off to an auspicious start after it overcame a loss at No. 1 doubles to win the first team point. Mehvish Safdar and Caroline Ryba evened the competition with an 8-0 shutout of Grace Tapak and Alexis Casati at No. 3 before Julia Courter and Jessika Mozia gave the Gophers a 1-0 lead with an 8-5 triumph at No. 2.
Illinois came back in singles with five-straight wins to earn the victory.
Louise Kwong won at No. 3 and Casati won at No. 2 to put the Illini in front, 2-1. To clinch the match, Madie Baillon and Melissa Kopinski won in three sets at the fifth and first spots. Jerricka Boone rallied for a win at No. 4 to make it 5-1.
To conclude the contest, Paula Rincon-Otero thwarted a Jade Hilton comeback attempt at No. 6. Hilton forced a third set after Rincon-Otero won the first set, 6-1, but the Madrid, Spain native pulled out a 10-8 decision in a back-and-forth third-set tiebreaker.
The Gophers conclude their regular season with a home match Friday against Purdue at 2:15 p.m. and a Sunday morning road match versus Indiana.
No. 58 Illinois 5, No. 61 Minnesota 2
Baseline Tennis Center (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Singles competition
1. Melissa Kopinski (ILL) def. Tereza Brichacova (MINN) 6-1, 6-7 (5), 6-3
2. Alexis Casati (ILL) def. Caroline Ryba (MINN) 7-5, 6-1
3. Louise Kwong (ILL) def. Jessika Mozia (MINN) 7-6 (2), 6-4
4. Jerricka Boone (ILL) def. Aria Lambert (MINN) 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
5. Madie Baillon (ILL) def. Julia Courter (MINN) 2-6, 6-3, 7-5
6. Paula Rincon-Otero (MINN) def. Jade Hilton (ILL) 6-1, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (8)
Doubles competition
1. Louise Kwong/Melissa Kopinski (ILL) def. Tereza Brichacova/Paula Rincon-Otero (MINN) 8-2
2. Julia Courter/Jessika Mozia (MINN) def. Madie Baillon/Jerricka Boone (ILL) 8-5
3. Mehvish Safdar/Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Grace Tapak/Alexis Casati (ILL) 8-0
Match Notes
Illinois 12-9 (4-5 Big Ten)
Minnesota 15-8 (5-4 Big Ten)
Order of finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (3,2,5,1,4,6)
Players Mentioned
