No. 52 Minnesota Set For Big Ten Opener, Then Doubleheader at Home

MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 52-ranked University of Minnesota tennis program will begin its 2025 Big Ten schedule this weekend against No. 20 Wisconsin at Baseline Tennis Center, followed by a doubleheader against North Dakota and Boise State.

No. 52 Minnesota will host No. 20 Wisconsin (7-1) on Friday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. CT.

On Saturday, The Gophers will take on North Dakota (7-2) at 10 a.m. CT, then Boise State (7-1) at 3 p.m. CT.

The Season So Far
Minnesota opened its season in Florida on Jan. 18, going 1-2 with a season-opening win against Middle Tennessee State before falling to Florida Gulf Coast and Florida Atlantic.

The Gophers responded with a five-match win streak, defeating Air Force, Iowa State, Missouri, Colorado State, and St. Thomas. Mia Liepert led the way for Minnesota going 5-0 in singles matches during the win streak.

Minnesota then traveled to Alabama on Feb. 15-16, dropping three matches to East Tennessee State, UAB, and Alabama.

Scouting Wisconsin

Minnesota and Wisconsin have met 30 times since 1991. The Badgers have won four of the last five matchups, including a 7-0 victory in their most recent meeting on March 16, 2024. Minnesota last defeated Wisconsin on April 17, 2021, with a 5-2 win.
The Badgers are led by Maria Sholokhova, who is ranked No. 7 in singles and No. 18 in doubles. She holds a 20-3 singles record with notable wins over Texas, North Carolina, Texas A&M, and Michigan.
Other key players for Wisconsin include Taylor Cataldi, ranked No. 96 in the ITA singles rankings, and Alina Mukhortova, who is ranked No. 18 in doubles alongside Sholokhova.
As a team, Wisconsin has three doubles pairs ranked in the top 90. Sholokhova and Mukhortova lead at No. 18, followed by Cataldi and Ellison Reynoldson at No. 44, and Sholokhova and Ariel Johnson at No. 62.

Scouting North Dakota

Minnesota holds a 3-0 all-time record against North Dakota, with their most recent meeting on Jan. 26, 2024, resulting in a 6-1 Gophers victory.
The Fighting Hawks enter the weekend with a 7-2 record, including notable wins over Marquette and Dayton.
North Dakota is led by Andrea Pineda, who competes as the team's No. 1 singles player and No. 3 doubles player. She holds an ITF World Tennis Number of 18.48 and has won two of her last three matches.
Minnesota previously faced North Dakota at the annual Gopher Invitational and the ITA Central Regionals, going 6-1 in singles and 0-2 in doubles against North Dakota opponents.

Scouting Boise State

Minnesota holds a 1-1 all-time record against Boise State, with their most recent meeting on Feb. 18, 2024, resulting in a 5-2 Gophers victory.
The Broncos enter the weekend with a 7-1 record, having won their first seven matches by a 7-0 score.
Boise State is led by Zdena Safarova, who competes as the team's No. 1 singles and doubles player. She holds a 17-2 singles record this season.
The Broncos' doubles duo of Safarova and Maya Dutta are currently ranked No. 87 in the ITA rankings.

Rising the Ranks
The Gophers are ranked No. 52 in this week's ITA Top 75 tennis rankings, marking the highest ranking during head coach Lois Arterberry's tenure. It is also Minnesota's highest ranking since reaching No. 42 on March 16, 2022.

Minnesota has faced five ranked opponents this season: No. 17 Alabama, No. 22 Florida Atlantic, No. 54 Iowa State, No. 62 East Tennessee State, and No. 63 Florida Gulf Coast. The Gophers earned a notable 4-3 victory over Iowa State on Feb. 2.

Alumni Weekend
This weekend marks Alumni Weekend at Baseline Tennis Center, with former Gophers set to be honored before the match against Wisconsin.

Friday's match against Wisconsin will also feature a Gold-Out theme, with fans encouraged to wear gold to support the Gophers.

How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

The University of Minnesota is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.

Next On The Docket
The Golden Gophers will host Illinois on March 7, then Northwestern on March 9.

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Players Mentioned

Mia Liepert