University of Minnesota Athletics
University of Minnesota
Penn State
Minnesota Earns Quarterfinal Bid With Comeback Victory
4/28/2022 7:10:00 PM | Tennis
Golden Gophers defeat Nittany Lions for the second time this season
On Thursday, the University of Minnesota women's tennis team took the court against the Penn State Nittany Lions, in the second round of the Big Ten Tournament. Minnesota came into the match as the 8 seed, while Penn State was 9th in the conference. When the two teams met earlier this year in Minneapolis, the Golden Gophers earned a 4-2 win. In Iowa City, the margin was much slimmer, but Minnesota prevailed after three straight points closed out the comeback win.
With the 4-3 win, Minnesota improved to 18-9 on the year. The Gophers will play the top seeded Buckeyes tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. The two teams met earlier this year in Minneapolis, a 0-4 win for Ohio State, who remains undefeated in the conference. The Gophers will look to break that streak in tomorrow's 1 vs. 8 matchup.
Minnesota secured the opening point for the 20th time this season, and a second time against Penn State. Wins at No. 1 and No. 3 gave the Gophers an early advantage.
At doubles No. 1, Emilee Duong and Ekin Ercetin continued their success together, as they defeated the Penn State duo of Sofiya Chekhlystova and Karly Friedland, 6-4. The No. 3 match sealed the point for Minnesota, as Lucy Lu and Maria Rizzolo earned a 6-4 victory of their own. The No. 2 match went unfinished on account of previous results.
Minnesota posted singles victories at No. 2, No. 4, and No. 5.
In singles, Penn State took the initial three points through straight set victories at No. 1, No. 3, and No. 6.
Trailing 1-3, Vasia Karvouni brought the Golden Gophers back within one, as she methodically defeated Alexandra Nielsen, 6-3, 6-3. Maria Rizzolo led the third set of her match the entire way, winning 7-5 at the fourth position. The pair of wins brought the match to level with one point remaining.
The match came down to the second position, and Emilee Duong's match with Yvonne Zuffova. After dropping the first set, 4-6, Duong battled back in the second. Trailing for much of the second set, she ultimately forced a tiebreak. After falling behind 3-6, she fended off three consecutive match points, before winning the 22 point set, 12-10. In the final set, Duong earned the win for Minnesota, as she closed the match with a 6-4 win.
Next Up:
Minnesota will resume play tomorrow, as they take on the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten quarterfinals. First serve from Iowa City will be at 3:00 p.m. Streaming and live statistics for the match will be available through the Big Ten. Updates will be provided at GopherWTennis Twitter. Recap and Statistics will be posted upon result completion.
