University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Wichita State
Gophers Fall 4-1 to Open ITA Kick-Off
1/23/2016 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
The No. 61 University of Minnesota Gophers (2-1) fell to the No. 37 Wichita State University Shockers (4-1) 4-1 at the ITA Kick-Off in College Station, Texas late this afternoon.
The day proved to be a tough battle from the start with the teams trading wins in the doubles matches. Jessika Mozia and Caitlyn Merzbacher fell at the No. 2 spot 6-2 to Rebecca Pedrazzi and Aleksandra Trifunovic but the Gophers stayed strong pulling out two close wins in the other two spots.
Paula Rincon-Otero teamed up with Annemarie Emme for just the second time this year at the No. 1 spot. They took on Gabreila Porubin and Julia Schiller who came in 10-4 together on the year and were able to come away with a 7-5 victory. Sealing the point in the No. 3 spot was Caroline Ryba and Julia Courter who were also playing together for just the second time this season. They won 7-6 (3) to put the Gophers up 1-0 heading into singles play.
"I am proud of the team effort. We got the doubles point and just needed to find a way to get in a few of those other singles matches. When the match was stopped both Julia (Courter) and Caroline (Ryba) were in control of their matches," head coach Chuck Merzbacher said.
The Shockers showed their talent ripping off three wins in singles play to go up 3-1. The first win of the day came when Rebecca Pedrazzi knocked off Rincon-Otero (6-1, 6-1) to tie the match at 1-1. Giulia Guidetti gave WSU the lead with a (6-0, 6-3) win over Vargas Gomez. It was a tough draw for Vargas Gomez as Guidetti came in 17-4 in singles already this season.
Aleks Trifunovic took a (6-3, 6-1) win over Mozia at the No. 5 spot to put Wichita State one win away from the taking the match.
It looked like the Maroon and Gold could make a comeback as Ryba took the second set in the No. 1 spot 6-3 after falling in the first 6-3. Courter had a lead after a first set win and was competing in a tiebreak in the second set. Emme was locked in a back and forth second set after falling in the first 6-4 but fell (6-4, 7-6 (6)) as Abby Stevens secured the victory for the Shockers.
This is the fourth ITA Kick-Off weekend the Gophers have been invited to compete in. They will take on No. 73 South Alabama tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the consolation match looking to grab their first ever victory in program history at the event.
Singles competition
1. Gabriela Porubin (WSU) vs. Caroline Ryba (MINN) 6-3, 3-6, 1-3, unfinished
2. Julia Schiller (WSU) vs. Julia Courter (MINN) 5-7, 6-6 (5-2), unfinished
3. Rebecca Pedrazzi (WSU) def. Paula Rincon-Otero (MINN) 6-1, 6-1
4. Abby Stevens (WSU) def. Annemarie Emme (MINN) 6-4, 7-6 (8-6)
5. Aleks Trifunovic (WSU) def. Jessika Mozia (MINN) 6-3, 6-1
6. Giulia Guidetti (WSU) def. Camila Vargas Gomez (MINN) 6-0, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Paula Rincon-Otero/Annemarie Emme (MINN) def. Gabriela Porubin/Julia Schiller (WSU) 7-5
2. Rebecca Pedrazzi/Aleks Trifunovic (WSU) def. Jessika Mozia/Caitlyn Merzbacher (MINN) 6-2
3. Julia Courter/Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Giulia Guidetti/Luca Pump (WSU) 7-6 (7-3)
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,1,3 ) Singles (3,6,5,4) Unfinished (1,2)
Players Mentioned
