University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota Travels to #7 Northwestern, Illinois for Weekend Road Trip
2/25/2021 10:13:00 AM | Tennis
The University of Minnesota women's tennis team (0-3) will travel to No. 7 Northwestern for their first battle against a ranked team this season on Friday, Feb. 26 at 4:00pm. The team is also scheduled to travel to Illinois on Sunday, Feb. 28 at 10:00am. Northwestern is the highest ranked opponent since the Gophers took on #4 UCLA on Jan. 24, 2020.
Previous Match
Last Sunday, the Gophers finished off their home-opener weekend against Iowa. Minnesota put in a good comeback attempt, but ended up dropping the match 5-2.
In the match, sophomore Lucia de Santa Ana won her first career B1G singles match. Erin Ercetin finished off her solid weekend of play with her second singles victory in as many matches.
The Competition
Northwestern (7-1) swept the singles matches in a 6-1 victory over Illinois in Evanston. Northwestern is 3-0 in conference play and is currently the highest ranked B1G team by ITA (No. 7). Northwestern currently has one ranked singles player (Julie Byrne, No. 57) and one ranked doubles team (Julie Byrne and Hannah McColgan, No. 47). The last time these two teams met, Minnesota defeated No. 29 Northwestern at Baseline 4-3 in 2019. Minnesota only has two victories in the last 20 matches against the Wildcats.
Illinois (0-3), like the Gophers, is also in search of their first victory. The Illini return home for the first time this season after losing to Iowa, Nebraska and Northwestern on the road. Illinois currently has one ranked singles player (Asuka Kawai, No. 107). Minnesota is 4-16 in their last 20 matches vs. Illinois.
Updates
For updates during the match, follow @GopherWTennis on Twitter. A stream will be available via a link on the schedule tab. A recap will follow the conclusion of the match on GopherSports.com.