University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Michigan State
Players Mentioned
Gophers travel to Michigan to start B1G season
2/18/2021 11:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
A busy weekend to kick off the year for Minnesota
Action will start on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 11:00 a.m. CST when the Gophers take on Michigan State, before traveling an hour down the road to Ann Arbor to square off against the fifteenth-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Sunday, Feb. 21 at 11:00 a.m. CST.
This will be the first action for the Maroon & Gold since the Badger Invitational, which took place over the last weekend of January, in which the "U" tallied a singles record of 9-15 and a doubles record of 6-6.
Setting the Stage:
This weekend's action will see the Gophers' first B1G match play since Mar. 8, 2020, when they defeated Wisconsin 5-2. That victory saw Head Coach Geoff Young secure his 200th career victory.
Heading into the season opener, Minnesota will be led by redshirt sophomore Dylan Heap, who was the team's most successful competitor at the Badger Invitational. Heap left Madison with a 2-1 record in both play styles.
Tale of the Tape - The Spartans:
Michigan State comes into this weekend's action 0-2 on the year, after losing a pair of matches to No. 9 Ohio State. The Spartans are led by their lone senior John Carlin, who led their team with 10 overall wins last season.
Minnesota has dominated the series against the Spartans, holding an all-time series record of 52-16, winning each of the last 21 matches dating back to 1999. This will be the first time the Gophers go head-to-head against Michigan State since April 14, 2019 when the Maroon & Gold won decisively in a 6-1 victory.
Tale of the Tape - The Wolverines:
Michigan has cemented itself as one of the top teams in the country, coming in at No. 15 in the ITA team rankings. The Wolverines will be led by three ranked singles competitors - Andrew Fenty, Ondrej Styler, and Connor Johnston. They also hold the nation's second best doubles pairing in Fenty and Mattias Siimar.
The Gophers have stumbled as of late against Michigan, losing their last three meetings against the Wolverines. Minnesota's most recent victory in the series came in 2015, where the "U" won by a score of 6-1. The Maroon & Gold hold an all-time record of 34-55-2.
Notable:
This weekend will also be the debut of true freshman Gavin Young, the son of Head Coach Geoff Young. Gavin was a four-time state qualifier for Eastview High School and was one of the premier recruits coming out of the state of Minnesota. Young's junior and senior high school seasons were canceled due to COVID-19 implications.
Quotable:
Sebastian Vile on getting back to competition: "It's incredibly exciting. It's been a very different last 12 months than what we are all used to, so to be able to be back competing again is something we've been waiting for since last March. You can feel there's a different buzz at practice this week, especially with our first matches this weekend. Everyone is more energetic, and ready to get going. Getting sleep on Friday night certainly won't be easy."
How to Follow Along:
Follow along on Twitter at @GopherMTennis for live updates throughout the weekend, and look for a recap following this weekend's action on GopherSports.com.