University of Minnesota Athletics
Courtside Classic Returns to Baseline
2/3/2017 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
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Minneapolis, Minn. ââ'¬" The University of Minnesota will be hosting the Courtside Classic February 4-5 at Baseline Tennis Center. Dartmouth, DePaul and Washington State will be competing in the dual match tournament.
"This tournament is our premier event that we host for women's tennis," Head coach Chuck Merzbacher said. "All the teams are national caliber and will be vying for an NCAA bid down the road. We are excited to have these teams on our home courts."
About the Courtside Classic
Last season the Courtside Classic returned to Minnesota after being discontinued in the early 2000s. The tournament began as the Federated Insurance Classic and was first started at Minnesota in 1994. After traveling to the tournament when he was a coach at Ohio State, Coach Chuck Merzbacher made it a goal to bring the tournament back when he was hired at Minnesota. It was renamed the Courtside Classic after the women's tennis supporters known as the Courtside Club. Every year, three of the nation's top teams will be invited to Baseline for the tournament.
In last season's Courtside Classic, the Maroon and Gold fell in their first match 4-3 to DePaul but rebounded against New Mexico 5-2 to place third. Mississippi State defeated DePaul 7-0 in the tournament championship and boasted the tournament MVP, Jasmine Lee.
Current Season
The Gophers are looking to rebound after a 7-0 loss to Marshall. Marshall boasted No. 90 Derya Turhan and No. 94 Maddie Silver. Annemarie Emme took Anna Pomyatinskaya to the third set but fell 6-3, 5-7, 6-4.
Camila Vargas Gomez leads the team with a 10-5 singles record while Cammy Frei and Caroline Ryba are 10-5 in doubles matches. Vargas Gomez is 2-1 in dual match singles along with Tina Kreinis and Mehvish Safdar.
About Dartmouth
The Big Green are 3-0 this season after defeating Boston University, Boston College and Purdue. Racquel Lynn is 7-1 in singles and is ranked No. 104 in the nation by the ITA. No. 123 Taylor Ng is 8-3 in singles this season and has teamed up with Lynn for a 5-2 doubles record. The Gophers are 1-3 all-time versus Darthmouth.
About DePaul
The Blue Demons are currently 2-2 on the season after winning their first two matches versus Valparaiso and Harvard. No. 87 Yulia Shupenia leads the team with an 11-8 overall singles record and is 4-0 in singles dual matches. Shupenia and Aspasia Avgeri are ranked No. 56 in doubles by the ITA with a 4-2 record. The all-time series between Minnesota and DePaul is tied 3-3.
About Washington State
The Cougars are off to a 5-1 start with their one loss coming against Purdue. Melisa Ates leads the team with a 16-3 singles record. The top doubles pair is Ates teaming up with Victoria Matejevic for an 11-7 overall record and a 5-1 dual match record together. The Gophers trail in the all-time series versus the Cougars 0-1.
University of Minnesota students will receive free admission with a valid U-Card while free pizza will be available while supplies last. You can follow all of the action this year on the Gophers' Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
