University of Minnesota Athletics

Sunday, January 27
Los Angeles, CA
11:00 AM

University of Minnesota

4
vs
1

Florida International University

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Players Mentioned

Cammy Frei

/ Tennis

River Hart

/ Tennis

Bita Mancera

/ Tennis
Catrina Thompson
Photo by: Craig Lassig

Gophers Secure 4-1 Win Against No. 41 Florida International

1/27/2019 3:48:00 PM | Tennis

Final Stats

Los Angeles, Calif. - The University of Minnesota women's tennis team boasted a dominating 4-1 victory over Florida International to conclude play at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend hosted by UCLA from Jan. 26-27, 2019. FlU finished last season as the No. 41 team in the country by ITA Tennis rankings. 
 
"Great team effort up and down the lineup today" head coach Catrina Thompson added. "To get a win on the road early in the season against a tough team that made the NCAA tournament last year is a good opening weekend for us. We are looking forward to hosting the Courtside Classic next week at home and continuing to build from this weekend."
 
Doubles
 
It was a quick clinch of the doubles point with the Gophers securing wins from both the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. To start, the pairing of Cammy Frei and Caitlyn Merzbacher set the tone with a 6-2 win over FIU's Sandra Bozinovic and Paulina Bakaite. Bita Mancera and River Hart followed suit with a 6-3 victory over Maria Turrillo and Maryna Veksler to give the Gophers an early 1-0 lead. 
 
Singles
 
In singles draws, the Maroon and Gold got off to a quick start by jumping to an early 3-0 lead with wins from Hart and Mancera. The Gophers would drop a point in the No. 4 spot when Merzbacher was defeated by Basak Akbas, 3-6, 3-6. However, after going down 2-5 in the second set, Tiffany Huber battled back against Maryna Veksler to win in straight sets 6-4, 7-5, solidifying the Gophers' 4-1 victory. 
 
"I love the feeling of coming back when I was down 2-5 in the second set" Huber said. "I was just focusing on one point at a time. After clinching the match for us the win feels even better. I'm proud of the way everyone fought and competed this weekend and I'm excited for the rest of the season."
 
Up next
 
The Gophers will return home from the west coast and begin preparation for their first home competition of the year when they host the Courtside Classic at Baseline Tennis Center from Feb. 2-3, 2019. The dual-format tournament will welcome opponents from DePaul, Colorado, and Montana.
 
Minnesota 4, Florida International 1
 
Doubles Results:
Frei/Merzbacher (MINN) def. Bozinovic/Bakaite (FIU) 6-2
Umarova/Akbas (FIU) vs. Huber/Kreinis (MINN) 3-4, unfinished
Mancera/Hart (MINN) def. Turrillo/Veksler (FIU) 6-3
 
Singles Results:
Umarova (FIU) vs. #95 Kreinis (MINN) 6-4, 4-5, unfinished
Huber (MINN) def. Veksler (FIU) 6-4, 7-5
Mancera (MINN) def. Bozinovic (FIU) 6-3, 6-3
Akbas (FIU) def. Merzbacher (MINN) 6-3, 6-3
Bakaite (FIU) vs. Frei (MINN) 1-6, 6-3, 2-4, unfinished
Hart (MINN) def. Turrillo (FIU) 6-3, 6-0
 
Match Notes: Minnesota 1-1, FIU 0-2
Order of Finish: Doubles (1, 3); Singles (6, 3, 4, 2) T-2:20

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