University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
South Dakota
Gophers Sweep Saturday, Improve to 7-0 on the Season
1/29/2022 6:40:00 PM | Tennis
Minnesota defeated both South Dakota and St. Thomas 7-0
On Saturday, Minnesota took their home court at Baseline Tennis Center for the second consecutive weekend. Facing off against South Dakota and St. Thomas, they improved to 7-0 with a pair of convincing wins. They remain on pace for their best start since 1997, a team which started the year with nine straight wins.
In their first match of the day, the Gophers squared off against the Coyotes. Hard fought doubles matches saw Minnesota grind out the point. Rachel Hanford and Emilee Duong earned a 6-1 win at the No.1 position, their fourth consecutive without defeat. The decisive victory came courtesy of Dalila Said and Maria Rizzolo, as the pair defeated Anna Marija Bukina and Estella Jaeger, 6-3. The tandem is now 6-0 on the year, with five wins coming at the No. 2 position.
In singles play, Minnesota posted victories at every position. Rachel Hanford beat Jana Lazarevic at No. 1, while Emilee Duong defeated Habiba Aly at No. 2, each doing so by a score of 6-2, 6-3. Maria Rizzolo continued her undefeated start to the season, moving to 2-0 at the No. 4 position.
At. No. 5, Vasia Karvouni cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Anna Marija Bukina. Dalila Said made quick work of her match, finishing with a 6-0, 6-2 victory. Said improved to 4-0 in singles play on the season. Morning play ended with Ekin Ercetin's match against Estella Jaeger heading to a tie-breaker set. Knotted at seven points each, Ercetin took three of the next four points to secure a 10-8 set win, and the seventh point for Minnesota.
In the afternoon match, Minnesota defeated St. Thomas, in the Tommies' first dual match as a Division 1 program. The match finished 7-0, Minnesota winning the doubles point as well as singles matches at each position.
The Gophers rotated pairings across doubles, as Dalila Said and Maria Rizzolo played with different partners for the first time this season. At No. 3, Zeyneb Sarioglan and Vasia Karvouni earned a convincing 6-1 win. At No. 2, the freshmen duo of Maria Rizzolo and Lucy Lu closed out the point with a 6-1 victory of their own.
All Minnesota players won their singles matches in straight sets. Ekin Ercetin won her first match of the season played at the No. 1, as she improved to 4-2 overall. Zeyneb Sarioglan earned her first win of the season, defeating Monterey Knewtson. Anfisa Danilchenko improved to 5-0 on the year, while Maria Rizzolo earned her seventh win of the season without a defeat. Her win this afternoon was her first in the No. 2 position.
The Gophers showcased their quality across the roster, as every player earned a victory in singles. Continuing their successful start to the year, Saturday's pair of wins propels them to seven on the season. They will seek to match the nine consecutive games achieved by the Gophers in 1997, as they look ahead to Friday.
Quotes:
Catrina Thompson: "Today was a total team effort and proud of the way the girls competed today in our first doubleheader of the season"
Rachel Hanford: "Overall it's been a great start to the season. The team development has started to show by the way everyone has competed and implemented what we've been working on these past couple months. We still have some things to clean up but it's good to build momentum and I'm excited for what's to come"
Emilee Duong: "We've been working hard during practices these past few weeks and it's so good to see that work ethic translate into great performance during our matches. It's just the start, and we're looking to continue this process for our future matches"
Maria Rizzolo: "The team has been coming together very well. Our communication has greatly improved, which I feel like has contributed a lot to our undefeated season so far. A big part of our success comes from our coaches. They have really been pushing us and encouraging us to trust our game, which has had a really positive effect"
Next Up:
The Gophers return to Baseline next Friday, Feb. 4, for a doubleheader against North Dakota and Northern Iowa. North Dakota is 1-4, with a 2-5 loss to the common opponent of Marquette. Northern Iowa will come to Minneapolis carrying an 0-2 record. Streaming and live coverage of the matches will be available on the GopherSports website, alongside updates at GopherWTennis Twitter.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,2
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
6,5,1,2,4,3
Players Mentioned
