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Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
Women's Tennis: Season in Review
5/23/2019 3:00:00 PM | Tennis
Gopher women's tennis had a season of highs and lows that was wrapped up by elite competition across the lineup. Between ranked wins and one of the most impressive home records in program history, the Gophers set the precedent for future teams while graduating one of the most decorated senior classes. Take a look at how their season panned out in this year's "Season in Review."
Fall
Minnesota was limited in the fall tournament season due to inclement weather across the east coast resulting in the Gophers first weekend of action being cancelled. However, the Gophers went on to kick off their fall season at home with their annual Gopher Invitational. The Maroon and Gold boasted an impressive 45-14 combined record on home court including Annemarie Emme's 11-0 start to her senior campaign. The Gophers brought the heat at the ITA Central Region Championship in Iowa City where the tandem of Caitlyn Merzbacher and Tiffany Huber advanced to the doubles quarterfinal following a statement victory over the regional 8-seed from Kansas. Huber carried her doubles success into singles action as she downed the country's 54th ranked player in the ITA Central singles main draw. Minnesota wrapped up their fall season at the Notre Dame Invitational where head coach Catrina Thompson competed alongside her alma mater in addition to competitors from University of Tennessee and Ohio State.
Spring
The Maroon and Gold started their regular season with a tough ranked weekend on the west coast with #8 UCLA and #41 Florida International on the ballot. After dropping their first match against the Bruins, the Gophers tallied their first win of the season in a 4-1 thriller over FIU. Shortly after their return from California, the Gophers hosted the Courtside Classic where they claimed their first ever win of their home dual-format tournament with a 7-0 defeat against Montana and the 5-2 clinch over DePaul. Minnesota went on to string together five consecutive wins after suffering their first loss of the season against UCLA before their rigorous road schedule got the upper hand midway through the spring season. Minnesota downed Drake and Iowa State to get back in the winning column before they gathered their first two conference wins against Rutgers and Maryland in historic fashion. After dropping the doubles point to the Terps, Minnesota rallied six singles victories to claim the 6-1 team win. Minnesota hit the road once again where they faced one of their toughest stints of their 2018-19 schedule which included matches against No. 24 Michigan and No. 21 Ohio State. Upon their return from the east coast, the Gophers battled to defend home court in a program-changing 4-3 win over #29 Northwestern. After dropping the doubles point, the Gophers rallied back in singles with No. 1 Tina Kreinis defeating #39 Clarissa Hand to tie the match while senior Camila Vargas won the deciding match in a tiebreak to secure the upset team win. Minnesota closed out their regular season with a 14-10 record while going 6-5 in the Big Ten and boasting an impressive 11-1 home season.
Team Leaders
Singles: Tiffany Huber (17)
Doubles: Tina Kreinis (16)
Fall
Minnesota was limited in the fall tournament season due to inclement weather across the east coast resulting in the Gophers first weekend of action being cancelled. However, the Gophers went on to kick off their fall season at home with their annual Gopher Invitational. The Maroon and Gold boasted an impressive 45-14 combined record on home court including Annemarie Emme's 11-0 start to her senior campaign. The Gophers brought the heat at the ITA Central Region Championship in Iowa City where the tandem of Caitlyn Merzbacher and Tiffany Huber advanced to the doubles quarterfinal following a statement victory over the regional 8-seed from Kansas. Huber carried her doubles success into singles action as she downed the country's 54th ranked player in the ITA Central singles main draw. Minnesota wrapped up their fall season at the Notre Dame Invitational where head coach Catrina Thompson competed alongside her alma mater in addition to competitors from University of Tennessee and Ohio State.
Spring
The Maroon and Gold started their regular season with a tough ranked weekend on the west coast with #8 UCLA and #41 Florida International on the ballot. After dropping their first match against the Bruins, the Gophers tallied their first win of the season in a 4-1 thriller over FIU. Shortly after their return from California, the Gophers hosted the Courtside Classic where they claimed their first ever win of their home dual-format tournament with a 7-0 defeat against Montana and the 5-2 clinch over DePaul. Minnesota went on to string together five consecutive wins after suffering their first loss of the season against UCLA before their rigorous road schedule got the upper hand midway through the spring season. Minnesota downed Drake and Iowa State to get back in the winning column before they gathered their first two conference wins against Rutgers and Maryland in historic fashion. After dropping the doubles point to the Terps, Minnesota rallied six singles victories to claim the 6-1 team win. Minnesota hit the road once again where they faced one of their toughest stints of their 2018-19 schedule which included matches against No. 24 Michigan and No. 21 Ohio State. Upon their return from the east coast, the Gophers battled to defend home court in a program-changing 4-3 win over #29 Northwestern. After dropping the doubles point, the Gophers rallied back in singles with No. 1 Tina Kreinis defeating #39 Clarissa Hand to tie the match while senior Camila Vargas won the deciding match in a tiebreak to secure the upset team win. Minnesota closed out their regular season with a 14-10 record while going 6-5 in the Big Ten and boasting an impressive 11-1 home season.
Team Leaders
Singles: Tiffany Huber (17)
Doubles: Tina Kreinis (16)
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