University of Minnesota Athletics
Saturday, March 2
Houston, TX
10:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
University of Denver
Players Mentioned
Photo by: Craig Lassig
Minnesota Heads South For Matches Against Ranked Opponents
2/28/2019 3:33:00 PM | Tennis
The University of Minnesota women's tennis team prepares for another weekend on the road as they head down to Texas to face Denver and Rice. This weekend's matchups mark the third consecutive week on the road for the Gophers as well as their second time on the season that the Maroon and Gold have faced two ranked opponents in one weekend (#8 UCLA & #41 FIU). Coming into the weekend, the Gophers hold a 5-5 record.
Minnesota
Despite falling into a four-match losing streak, the Gophers have shown promise in many aspects throughout the lineup. Bita Mancera has excelled out of the No. 3 position with an 8-1 dual record on the season. Additionally, Mancera has helped lead the team in doubles alongside River Hart with a 5-3 record—good for second-best on the team. The No. 1 doubles tandem of Cammy Frei and Caitlyn Merzbacher have fallen in only one match on the year to maintain a 5-1 season thus far.
Denver
No. 45 Denver brings a slew of talent to their roster as they host two, nationally-ranked competitors in singles. The ITA/Oracle ranked, No. 91 Bianca Mok and No. 114 Arisha Ladhani lead the way for the Pioneers. Through a combined 10 matches, Mok has secured a 5-1 record in the top spot for the Pioneers while Ladhani is 1-0 in the No. 1 position and 4-2 in her typical No. 2 spot. Â Most notably, Anna Reidmiller and Camille Verden-Anderson have boasted undefeated seasons thus far with 7-0 and 6-0 records at the No. 3 and No. 6 spots respectively. In doubles, Mok and Verden-Anderson have produced a 7-1 record as a team out of the No. 1 spot while the young pairing of Redimiller and true freshman Tatum Burger are 7-3 out of the No. 2 position.
Saturday's match against Denver will also feature a matchup between Minnesota head coach Catrina Thompson and her twin sister, Christian. Christian has lead the Pioneers since 2013, but reigned as three-time double All-Americans alongside Catrina while at Notre Dame. In 2005 and 2006 the duo were the top-ranked doubles team in the country. Read more about their story here.
Rice
Similar to Denver, Rice is home to No. 66 ranked singles competitor Michaela Haet and a top-50 doubles tandem of Priya Niezgoda and Anstasia Smirnova. Despite a 6-4 record on the season, the Owls suffered three losses at the hands of top-20 opponents (#18 LSU, #12 Kansas, & #9 Texas). They will face their fourth, ranked opponent in Denver on Friday before meeting up with the Gophers.
Match times are set for 10am CT on Mar. 2 against Denver followed by another 10am match against Rice on Mar. 3. Live scoring and video will be available for both matches and can be accessed through the links provided above.
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Minnesota
Despite falling into a four-match losing streak, the Gophers have shown promise in many aspects throughout the lineup. Bita Mancera has excelled out of the No. 3 position with an 8-1 dual record on the season. Additionally, Mancera has helped lead the team in doubles alongside River Hart with a 5-3 record—good for second-best on the team. The No. 1 doubles tandem of Cammy Frei and Caitlyn Merzbacher have fallen in only one match on the year to maintain a 5-1 season thus far.
Denver
No. 45 Denver brings a slew of talent to their roster as they host two, nationally-ranked competitors in singles. The ITA/Oracle ranked, No. 91 Bianca Mok and No. 114 Arisha Ladhani lead the way for the Pioneers. Through a combined 10 matches, Mok has secured a 5-1 record in the top spot for the Pioneers while Ladhani is 1-0 in the No. 1 position and 4-2 in her typical No. 2 spot. Â Most notably, Anna Reidmiller and Camille Verden-Anderson have boasted undefeated seasons thus far with 7-0 and 6-0 records at the No. 3 and No. 6 spots respectively. In doubles, Mok and Verden-Anderson have produced a 7-1 record as a team out of the No. 1 spot while the young pairing of Redimiller and true freshman Tatum Burger are 7-3 out of the No. 2 position.
Saturday's match against Denver will also feature a matchup between Minnesota head coach Catrina Thompson and her twin sister, Christian. Christian has lead the Pioneers since 2013, but reigned as three-time double All-Americans alongside Catrina while at Notre Dame. In 2005 and 2006 the duo were the top-ranked doubles team in the country. Read more about their story here.
Rice
Similar to Denver, Rice is home to No. 66 ranked singles competitor Michaela Haet and a top-50 doubles tandem of Priya Niezgoda and Anstasia Smirnova. Despite a 6-4 record on the season, the Owls suffered three losses at the hands of top-20 opponents (#18 LSU, #12 Kansas, & #9 Texas). They will face their fourth, ranked opponent in Denver on Friday before meeting up with the Gophers.
Match times are set for 10am CT on Mar. 2 against Denver followed by another 10am match against Rice on Mar. 3. Live scoring and video will be available for both matches and can be accessed through the links provided above.
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