University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Marquette
Players Mentioned
Gophers Start Season Off With Tight Victory Over Marquette
1/18/2020 8:44:00 PM | Men's Tennis
ROCHESTER, Minn. - The University of Minnesota men's tennis team captured their first victory of the season on Saturday, as they took down Marquette University in their season opener by a score of 4-3 in Rochester, Minn.
Every point of the matchup with the Golden Eagles turned out to be crucial, especially with Marquette picking up the doubles point to start the match. Key singles wins by freshmen Siim Troost and Bodin Zarkovic, as well as two set sweeps by Jackson Allen and Vlad Lobak helped push the Maroon & Gold to a 1-0 start to their spring season.
The Gophers will have another week to prepare before they travel out east for a pair of Ivy League matchups, as they will take on Brigham Young University at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday Jan. 25 followed by Harvard University at 12:00 p.m. on Sunday Jan. 26.
DOUBLES COMPETITION
Three tightly contested doubles matches were what kicked off this back and forth match, as the Gophers saw the pairings of Vlad Lobak/Siim Troost, Jackson Allen/Eli Ogilvy, and Sebastian Vile/Bodin Zarkovic all pushing to earn the Maroon & Gold a point in doubles play. After falling down by one early, the young duo of Vile and Zarkovic in the No. 3 spot were able to take down Dragovic and Shanklin of Marquette 6-3 and tie doubles up at one apiece. It was Marquette that came out on top however, as the Golden Eagle duo of Smrek/Heredia defeated Lobak and Troost 6-4.
SINGLES COMPETITION
Needing to make up ground following doubles play, the Gophers were able to capture a pair of quick singles wins, as junior Jackson Allen made quick work of Marquette's San Andres in the No. 4 spot winning 6-0, 6-2 and freshman Bodin Zarkovic defeating Shanklin 6-3, 6-2 in the No. 6 spot. The Maroon & Gold continued to push, and victories by Vlad Lobak in the No. 2 spot and Siim Troost in the No. 3 spot iced the match, securing the Gophers a 4-3 victory over the Golden Eagles.
Notable
With their win over Marquette today, the Gophers have increased their win streak to nine straight victories against the Golden Eagles. The streak began in 2009 when the Maroon & Gold defeated Marquette by a score of 7-0.
Quotable
"It felt amazing to finally play a dual match for the Gophers," freshman Bodin Zarkovic said. "I'm really glad I was able to perform good enough to get wins both in doubles and singles."