University of Minnesota Athletics
Gophers Begin Final Road Stretch in Michigan
4/6/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Minneapolis, Minn.- The No. 32-ranked University of Minnesota men's tennis team begins their final road stretch this weekend as they travel to Michigan. The Maroon & Gold will play in Ann Arbor against the Wolverines Friday at 5 p.m. and then battle the Spartans in East Lansing on Sunday at 11 a.m.
The Gophers had two exciting matches last weekend as they defeated Illinois 4-3 on Friday night and lost a close 4-2 match on Sunday against then No. 19-ranked Northwestern. In the top singles spot, Matic Spec, who was ranked No. 80 at the time, defeated then No. 40-ranked Strong Kirchheimer 6-2, 6-3.
Spec's weekend performance earned him Big Ten men's tennis athlete of the week, the third of his career. He and Felix Corwin, then-ranked No 69, took down the top doubles pair for Illinois on Friday night, adding to his weekend accomplishments.
Earning the other point for Minnesota on Sunday was Justyn Levin, who battled back for a 1-6, 6-0, 6-4 victory at No. 6 singles after falling behind early. Levin holds a 5-1 record on the singles side this season.
The match came down to the No. 2 and 3 singles slots, as the Gophers trailed 3-2 against the Wildcats. For the first time all season, fans bundled up outside at Baseline Tennis Center as they watched Corwin and Stefan Milicevic try and earn the final two points. Unfortunately, Corwin was on the wrong end of a third-set tiebreaker, giving Northwestern the clinching point in the match.
Minnesota now holds a record of 14-5 on the season and 3-2 in conference play. After the trip to Michigan, the Gophers will hit the road again the following weekend. The Maroon & Gold will battle Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on April 14 and then head further east to State College, Pa. as they battle the Penn State Nittany Lions. The final two matches at Baseline will feature the Purdue Boilermakers on April 21, and the Indiana Hoosiers on April 23.
Gophers in the Rankings
The Gophers find themselves ranked No. 32 as a team this week, while they also have players ranked in both singles and doubles. Spec comes in at No. 59 on the singles side, while he and Corwin are ranked No. 85 for doubles in the latest ITA National Rankings.
About Michigan
The Wolverines are currently ranked No. 15 in the latest ITA Rankings, while players are ranked on both the singles and doubles side. Myles Schalet is ranked No. 90, Jathan Malik is No. 92, while Kevin Wong comes in at No. 121. The doubles pair of Connor Johnston and Malik are ranked No. 10 for doubles, while Malik is also ranked No. 12 with his teammate Wong. The Wolverines have won two straight matches and are currently 4-1 in the Big Ten, with their only loss coming against Ohio State. Michigan has the all-time series over the Gophers, holding a 53-34-2 record against Minnesota.
About Michigan State
The Spartans hold a 10-11 record on the season, and head into the weekend 0-5 against Big Ten opponents. Michigan State is not ranked as a team and does not have any players ranked in singles or doubles. Eight of their last ten matches have been losses, and their next four matches feature ranked Big Ten teams.
You can follow all of the action this year on the Gophers' Facebook, Twitter, and Instragram.
Players Mentioned
