University of Minnesota Athletics
No. 35 Gophers Wrap Up Regular Season in Illinois
4/18/2018 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 18, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 35 Gopher Men's Tennis team will wrap up the Big Ten regular season on the road this week taking on Northwestern and No. 8 Illinois.
Clean Sweep
Minnesota (13-6, 6-2 Big Ten) dominated Michigan State and have won 5-of-7 matches coming into the final weekend before the Big Ten Tournament. Matic Spec claimed his seventh-straight victory to move to 16-2 on the dual season, while Stefan Milicevic made it six-straight wins and 10-3 at #3 singles. Felix Corwin bounced back with a victory, improving to 11-3 on the year at the #1 singles position. All three of the Gophers' doubles teams were on pace to be victorious when the point was clinched with a 2-0 lead.
Gophers in the Rankings
Minnesota remains the fourth-highest ranked team in the Big Ten, shifting up one place to No. 35 in this week's Oracle/ITA-Division I poll. Stefan Milicevic held serve as the highest-ranked Gopher, now No. 85 after a victory last weekend. Extending his winning streak to seven consecutive, Matic Spec moved up 10 spots to No. 89, while Felix Corwin also raised his stock from no. 101 to no. 95. With recent changes to Minnesota's doubles line-up, the Gophers no longer boast a ranked doubles team.
Returning All-Big Ten
Minnesota returns three All-Big Ten honorees from a season ago in Spec, Corwin, and Krstanovic. Spec landed on the First Team All-Big Ten with a 21-16 overall mark and 6-6 mark against conference foes. Corwin landed on the Second Team All-Big Ten with a 23-13 mark and a 7-6 conference record. Krstanovic posted a 21-9 record in his sophomore season and earned Minnesota's Big Ten Sportsmanship award.
Scouting the Wildcats Website | @numenstennis
Northwestern (9-14, 4-5 Big Ten) have dropped three-straight entering the weekend … head coach Arvid Swan is in his 11th season leading the Wildcats … Northwestern finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings last season at 7-4 in league play and 22-11 overall … Dominik Starry ranks no. 122 in the latest ITA singles rankings, currently 6-4 at the #1 singles position and 14-9 on the year … Nick Brookes has a team-high nine victories this season playing at the #2-4 positions … Stary and Ben Vandixhorn are 9-12, playing the entire season at the #1 doubles position … Northwestern owns the slight edge, 49-47-1 all-time against Minnesota, including a 4-2 victory at Baseline Tennis Center last season on April 2, 2017.
Scouting the Illini Website | @IlliniMTennis
No. 8 Illinois (17-6, 8-1 Big Ten) have won 7-of-8 with their only defeat coming at the hands of No. 3 Ohio State … head coach Brad Dancer is in his 14th season at the helm of the Illini … Illinois finished third in the Big Ten last season, 8-3 against the league, and 18-12 overall … Aleks Vukic is the no. 17-ranked singles player in the nation according to ITA, while Alex Brown slotted at no. 73 in the latest rankings … Vukic is current 10-5 at the #1 singles position while Brown is 13-6, playing #1-3 singles this year … Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi are 16-6 as a pair during the dual season … Illinois hold a 39-28 edge in the historical series with Minnesota, but the Gophers defeated the Illini 4-3 last season at Baseline Tennis Center on March 31, 2017.
UP NEXT
First serve between the Gophers and Wildcats is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Combe Tennis Center.
Stay up to date with all Gopher Men's Tennis news by following the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the links provided, or get all Minnesota Golden Gopher athletics news and highlights, including exclusive behind-the-scenes content and special ticket offers and promotions delivered straight to your inbox by signing up today!
| No. 35 Minnesota (13-6, 6-2 Big Ten) | |
| Gophers vs. Northwestern (9-14, 4-5 Big Ten) | |
| Date/Time | Friday, April 20, 2:30 p.m. |
| Location | Combe Tennis Center, Evanston, Ill. |
| Follow Live | Watch Online |
| Gophers vs. No. 8 Illinois (17-6, 8-1 Big Ten) | |
| Date/Time | Sunday, April 22, 12 p.m. |
| Location | Atkins Tennis Center, Urbana, Ill. |
| Follow Live | Live Scoring | Watch Online |
| Social Media | @GopherMTennis | Facebook | Instagram |
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 35 Gopher Men's Tennis team will wrap up the Big Ten regular season on the road this week taking on Northwestern and No. 8 Illinois.
Clean Sweep
Minnesota (13-6, 6-2 Big Ten) dominated Michigan State and have won 5-of-7 matches coming into the final weekend before the Big Ten Tournament. Matic Spec claimed his seventh-straight victory to move to 16-2 on the dual season, while Stefan Milicevic made it six-straight wins and 10-3 at #3 singles. Felix Corwin bounced back with a victory, improving to 11-3 on the year at the #1 singles position. All three of the Gophers' doubles teams were on pace to be victorious when the point was clinched with a 2-0 lead.
Gophers in the Rankings
Minnesota remains the fourth-highest ranked team in the Big Ten, shifting up one place to No. 35 in this week's Oracle/ITA-Division I poll. Stefan Milicevic held serve as the highest-ranked Gopher, now No. 85 after a victory last weekend. Extending his winning streak to seven consecutive, Matic Spec moved up 10 spots to No. 89, while Felix Corwin also raised his stock from no. 101 to no. 95. With recent changes to Minnesota's doubles line-up, the Gophers no longer boast a ranked doubles team.
Returning All-Big Ten
Minnesota returns three All-Big Ten honorees from a season ago in Spec, Corwin, and Krstanovic. Spec landed on the First Team All-Big Ten with a 21-16 overall mark and 6-6 mark against conference foes. Corwin landed on the Second Team All-Big Ten with a 23-13 mark and a 7-6 conference record. Krstanovic posted a 21-9 record in his sophomore season and earned Minnesota's Big Ten Sportsmanship award.
Scouting the Wildcats Website | @numenstennis
Northwestern (9-14, 4-5 Big Ten) have dropped three-straight entering the weekend … head coach Arvid Swan is in his 11th season leading the Wildcats … Northwestern finished tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings last season at 7-4 in league play and 22-11 overall … Dominik Starry ranks no. 122 in the latest ITA singles rankings, currently 6-4 at the #1 singles position and 14-9 on the year … Nick Brookes has a team-high nine victories this season playing at the #2-4 positions … Stary and Ben Vandixhorn are 9-12, playing the entire season at the #1 doubles position … Northwestern owns the slight edge, 49-47-1 all-time against Minnesota, including a 4-2 victory at Baseline Tennis Center last season on April 2, 2017.
Scouting the Illini Website | @IlliniMTennis
No. 8 Illinois (17-6, 8-1 Big Ten) have won 7-of-8 with their only defeat coming at the hands of No. 3 Ohio State … head coach Brad Dancer is in his 14th season at the helm of the Illini … Illinois finished third in the Big Ten last season, 8-3 against the league, and 18-12 overall … Aleks Vukic is the no. 17-ranked singles player in the nation according to ITA, while Alex Brown slotted at no. 73 in the latest rankings … Vukic is current 10-5 at the #1 singles position while Brown is 13-6, playing #1-3 singles this year … Brown and Caleb Chakravarthi are 16-6 as a pair during the dual season … Illinois hold a 39-28 edge in the historical series with Minnesota, but the Gophers defeated the Illini 4-3 last season at Baseline Tennis Center on March 31, 2017.
UP NEXT
First serve between the Gophers and Wildcats is set for 2:30 p.m. at the Combe Tennis Center.
Stay up to date with all Gopher Men's Tennis news by following the Gophers on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram via the links provided, or get all Minnesota Golden Gopher athletics news and highlights, including exclusive behind-the-scenes content and special ticket offers and promotions delivered straight to your inbox by signing up today!
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