University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Iowa
Gophers Win Third Straight, Drop Iowa
4/4/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
The University of Minnesota women's tennis team improved to 15-6 overall and 5-2 in the Big Ten after a 6-1 thumping of border rival Iowa on Saturday afternoon at Baseline Tennis Center.
The No. 59 Gophers jumped out to a 1-0 lead after earning victories at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles. Caroline Ryba and Mehvish Safdar got Minnesota on the board with an 8-4 victory against Aimee Tarun and Anastasia Reimchen at third doubles. The Gopher duo is now 8-2 in their last 10 matches and 10-2 overall.
The Gophers went up 1-0 in the match after Julia Courter and Jessika Mozia triumphed 8-6 at the second position against Iowa's Katie Zordani and Zoe Douglas to claim the doubles point.
In singles, Mozia won her 18th match of the season and her third consecutive when she gave the Gophers a 2-0 lead after a 6-4, 6-2 victory at third singles against Annette Dohanics. Courter, who has now won eight of her last 10 matches, extended Minnesota's lead to 3-0 after a dominating 6-4, 6-0 win against Ellen Silver at fifth singles.
The Gophers clinched the match when Aria Lambert dropped Zordani 6-3, 6-3 at the third position. The win was the 77th singles win of Lambert's career, which moved her past Alessandra Ferrazzi and into ninth in program history in career singles wins.
With the match already decided, Iowa got on the board when Douglas edged Paula Rincon-Otero 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (5) at six singles.
Brichacova and Ryba closed out the scoring for the surging Gophers, who won their third straight conference match. Brichacova defeated Morven McCulloch 2-6, 6-1, 1-0 (9) at first singles to earn her first Big Ten win of the season. Ryba bested Reimchen 6-4, 6-2 at the second position to improve to 19-8 overall and 13-3 in the spring.
Minnesota's next four matches are at home, and the Gophers return to the courts at 11 a.m. on Sunday, April 5, against Nebraska.
No. 59 Minnesota 6, Iowa 1
Baseline Tennis Center (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Singles competition
1. Tereza Brichacova (MINN) def. Morven McCulloch (IOWA) 2-6, 6-1, 1-0 (11-9)
2. Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Anastasia Reimchen (IOWA) 6-4, 6-2
3. Jessika Mozia (MINN) def. Annette Dohanics (IOWA) 6-4, 6-2
4. Aria Lambert (MINN) def. Katie Zordani (IOWA) 6-3, 6-3
5. Julia Courter (MINN) def. Ellen Silver (IOWA) 6-4, 6-0
6. Zoe Douglas (IOWA) def. Paula Rincon Otero (MINN) 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5)
Doubles competition
1. Tereza Brichacova / Paula Rincon-Otero (MINN) vs. Morven McCulloch/Annette Dohanics (IOWA) 7-7, unfinished
2. Julia Courter / Jessika Mozia (MINN) def. Zoe Douglas/Katie Zordani (IOWA) 8-6
3. Mehvish Safdar / Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Aimee Tarun/Anastasia Reimchen (IOWA) 8-4
Match Notes
Iowa 8-8 (2-4 Big Ten)
Minnesota 14-6 (4-2 Big Ten)
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (3,5,4,6,1,2)
Players Mentioned
