University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Back Home to Face Iowa, Nebraska
4/3/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
Live Scoring
The No. 59-ranked Minnesota women's tennis team opens a five-match Big Ten homestand this weekend as its hosts Iowa and Nebraska. The Gophers, who enter the week 13-6 with a 3-2 conference record, play the Hawkeyes Saturday and the Cornhuskers Sunday. Both matches begin at 11 a.m.
ABOUT IOWA
Iowa will go into Friday's match with the Gophers sporting an 8-7 record with a 2-3 conference mark after toppling Nebraska in its last match. The Hawkeyes are 1-3 in road matches this season. Shelby Talcott holds a 10-3 record at the No. 1 singles position for the team, while Anastasia Reimchen and Morven McCulloch have combined to win six matches at No. 2. Talcott and Reimchen are 3-4 at No. 1 doubles. Talcott is 2-3 at that spot with Annette Dohanics.
ABOUT NEBRASKA
Winless in five Big Ten contests entering the week--the Cornhuskers play at Wisconsin Friday--Nebraska is 12-6 on the season. Maggy Lehmicke and Izabella Zgierska lead the Huskers in singles with records of 9-8 at position Nos. 1 and 2, respectively. In doubles a Zgierska and Mary Hanna are 12-3 together at No. 1, while Lehmicke and Lisa Andersson are 10-3 at No. 2, heading into the week with a seven-match winning streak.
AGAINST THE OPPONENTS
A 6-1 home victory over Iowa last season gave Minnesota a 37-22 all-time mark against the Hawkeyes. The Gophers go into Sunday with a 13-5 record against Nebraska after downing the Cornhuskers, 4-2, on the road in 2014.
B1G MATCHES AHEAD
The Gophers' non-conference schedule ended with a 6-1 road win over Florida Gulf Coast March 16. Minnesota, fresh off its winningest conference season since 2003, immersed itself back into Big Ten play with losses at Michigan and Michigan State, but are now 3-2 after defeating Rutgers and Maryland away from home.
LAMBERT HEATING UP, MOVING UP
Senior Aria Lambert has won 11 of her last 14 singles matches and is 14-4 on the spring at four different positions. The Deephaven, Minn. native now has 76-career singles wins to her credit, tying her with Alessandra Ferrazzi for 10th in program history.
A GOOD PARTNER
Redshirt junior Julia Courter has stood out in doubles this season. She is 18-7 on the season with a 13-4 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 56-career singles wins, she is ranked 48th nationally with Rincon-Otero.
A GOOD 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 and Maryland at the No. 2 position helped push the Glenview, Ill. native's spring record to 12-3.
UP AND COMING
Minnesota is looking to build 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 59th after a 13-6 start. They are 8-1 at home and have won eight of their last 10 matches.
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.
Players Mentioned
