University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Penn State
Gophers Defeat Penn State
3/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
The No. 50 University of Minnesota Gophers (10-5, 2-0) wasted no time bouncing back after a loss topping the Penn State University Nittany Lions (4-7, 0-2) this afternoon.
"It is nice. I have a lot of respect for that team. They always play us well. I thought the girls stepped up when it got tight. After going up 3-0, that fourth point could have gone either way," head coach Chuck Merzbacher said. "We showed a lot of energy and positivity. We needed it and I think it made a huge difference in this match. Tennis is a lot of heart and a lot of fight."
The Gophers took their twelfth doubles point of the season with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots.
Caroline Ryba and Julia Courter kept their impressive season together going with a fifth straight win topping Jacqueline Zuhse and Katherine Whiteaway 6-3 for the afternoon's first victory. The duo is now 9-1 together this season.
Caitlyn Merzbacher and Mehvish Safdar improved to 8-3 on the season sealing the doubles point with a 6-2 win over Penn State's Samantha Tutelman and Katia Blik.
The Nittany Lions took a 6-4 win at the No. 1 spot as Paula Rincon-Otero and Annemarie Emme drop to 7-7 together, all at the No. 1 spot.
Rincon and Emme both came back strong in singles taking the Gophers next two points.
Rincon moved her singles win streak to four with a big (6-2, 6-1) victory at the No. 3 spot while Emme followed just moments later with a (6-3, 6-1) win at the No. 4 spot. Rincon is 14-6 this season while Emme bumps her record to 13-14 after the win.
The last point did not come easy for the Gophers with all four other matches coming down to battles. Jessika Mozia fell at the No. 4 spot (6-2, 7-5) to Daria Sapogova and is now 11-9 this year.
With the next three matches all locked in close matches, Camila Vargas Gomez stayed strong and sealed the win. She took a 6-2 win in the first set and hung on in a second set tiebreak victory 7-6 () over Tutelman.
The top two spots both went into three sets. No. 120 Ryba fell 6-1 in the first set but bounced back with a 6-1 second set win and took a 6-3 third set saving her wins streak. She is locked in right now with six straight victories and a 14-6 overall record this season including an 8-2 record in dual match play all at the No. 1 spot.
The day's final match was back and forth the whole way at the No. 2 spot. Courter fell 7-5 in the first set but clawed back to a 7-6 (6) win in the second set. She fell 10-6 in a tiebreak and is now 12-9 this season.
The Gophers are headed to No. 2 Ohio State for a tough match Sunday. Merzbacher coached at Ohio State for 16
#50 Minnesota 5, Penn State 2
Singles
1. No. 120 Caroline Ryba (MINN) def. Kimberley-Ann Surin (PSU) 1-6, 6-1, 6-3
2. Katia Blik (PSU) def. Julia Courter (MINN) 7-5, 6-7 (6), 1-0 (6)
3. Paula Rincon-Otero (MINN) def. Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Dasha Sapogova (PSU) def. Jessika Mozia (MINN) 6-2, 7-5
5. Annemarie Emme (MINN) def. Katherine Whiteaway (PSU) 6-3, 6-1
6. Camila Vargas Gomez (MINN) def. Samantha Tutelman (PSU) 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Doubles
1. Devan McCluskey / Kimberley-Ann Surin (PSU) def. Paula Rincon-Otero / Annemarie Emme (MINN) 6-4
2. Caroline Ryba / Julia Courter (MINN) def. Jacqueline Zuhse / Katherine Whiteaway (PSU) 6-3
3. Mehvish Safdar / Caitlyn Merzbacher (MINN) def. Samantha Tutelman / Katia Blik (PSU) 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2, 3, 1); Singles (3, 5, 4, 6, 1, 2)
Players Mentioned
