University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Maryland
Players Mentioned
Minnesota Shuts Out Maryland 7-0
3/5/2021 6:23:00 PM | Tennis
Minneapolis, MN. - The Gophers earned their first victory of the season in convincing fashion at Baseline on Friday.
Minnesota (1-5) picks up their first victory of the 2021 campaign while Maryland (0-5) is still in search of theirs.
Doubles Play
The Gophers took care of business in doubles play with two quick victories to clinch the point for the home side. River Hart and Juliet Zhang notched their second 6-0 win as a pair this season, while Rachel Hanford and Dalila Said won 6-1.
Singles Play
The Gophers picked up right where they left off in singles play. Seniors River Hart and Juliet Zhang led the way for the 'U' as they both secured straight set victories to extend the lead to 3-0.
The Gophers rode that momentum to four more singles victories. Freshman Zeyneb Sarioglan earned the match clinching victory for the Maroon & Gold with a 6-4, 6-0 victory. Rachel Hanford continued her success at the top of the lineup with her third straight victory in the #1 position. Dalila Said and Ekin Ercetin tacked on victories to secure the shut out for the Gophers.
Quotable
"All-around team effort today to pull off a 7-0 team win," said head coach Catrina Thompson. "We came out strong in doubles on courts 1 and 3 and we are proud of the girls determination on every singles court to get the job done today."
Notable
-6/7 of singles matches were straight set victories.
-River Hart and Dalila Said picked up their first singles victories of the season.
-Zeyneb Sarioglan picked up her first career singles victory in any collegiate competition.
-Juliet Zhang earned her 30th career singles victory with Minnesota.
Minnesota is back in action Sunday Mar. 7 at home against Rutgers. The match is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start.
Results
Doubles
1. Rachel Hanford/Dalila Said (MINN) def. Ayana Akli/Minorka Miranda (UMD) 6-1
2. Ekin Ercetin/Zeyneb Sarioglan (MINN) vs. Zoe Kulkarni/Adela Josefova (UMD) 2-3, unfinished
3. River Hart/Juliet Zhang (MINN) def. Eva Alexandrova/Ebony Sampson (UMD) 6-0
Order of finish: 3,1
Singles
1. Rachel Hanford (MINN) def. Ayana Akli (UMD) 6-3, 6-2
2. Ekin Ercetin (MINN) def. Eva Alexandrova (UMD) 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7)
3. Dalila Said (MINN) def. Minorka Miranda (UMD) 6-4, 6-4
4. River Hart (MINN) def. Zoe Kulkarni (UMD) 6-1, 6-0
5. Zeyneb Sarioglan (MINN) def. Adela Josefova (UMD) 6-4, 6-0
6. Juliet Zhang (MINN) def. Ebony Sampson (UMD) 6-0, 6-2
Order of finish: 4,6,5,3,1,2