University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 21
Iowa City, IA
5:00 PM
University of Minnesota
at
Iowa
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Photo by: Christopher Mitchell
No. 72 Minnesota Hits the Road to Face Iowa, Nebraska
3/20/2025 11:18:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 72-ranked University of Minnesota tennis team will go on the road for the first time in Big Ten play this weekend as it continues its 2025 conference schedule.
The Golden Gophers will travel to Iowa City, Iowa to face No. 32 Iowa (9-4) on Friday, March 21, at 5 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup against No. 71 Nebraska (10-5) in Lincoln, Neb. on Sunday, March 23, at 11 a.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.
The Maroon and Gold went 2-1 on Feb. 28-March 1 falling to No. 20 Wisconsin but defeating North Dakota and Boise State. Aiva Schmitz, Arina Valitova and Sofia Pinto led the way, each going 2-0 in singles and doubles.
Minnesota's most recent matches were on March 7 and 9, resulting in 4-3 losses to No. 45 Illinois and No. 39 Northwestern. Schmitz went 2-0 to lead the way for the Gophers.
Scouting Iowa
Scouting Nebraska
Schmitz's Success
Junior Aiva Schmitz leads the team with 15 singles wins this season and has competed in the No. 1 spot for most of the year. She has won five of her last six matches, including victories over Alabama, Boise State, Illinois and Northwestern.
Schmitz recently surpassed 50 career singles wins with her victory over McKenna Schaefbauer of Illinois, joining Sofia Pinto as the only players on the team to reach the milestone.
Beginning Big Ten Play
Five players have earned wins in Big Ten play so far: Aiva Schmitz (2), Sofia Pinto (1), Anali Kocevar (1), Mia Liepert (1) and Anlin Xie (1).
Remaining in the Ranks
The Gophers are ranked No. 72 in this week's ITA Top 75 tennis rankings, marking their fourth consecutive week in the rankings.
Minnesota has faced six ranked opponents this season: No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 25 Alabama, No. 27 Florida Atlantic, No. 39 Northwestern, No. 45 Illinois, and No. 53 Iowa State. The Gophers earned a notable 4-3 victory over Iowa State on Feb. 2.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Iowa is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
The University of Nebraska 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 Rutgers on March 28, then Nebraska on March 30 at Baseline Tennis Center.
The Golden Gophers will travel to Iowa City, Iowa to face No. 32 Iowa (9-4) on Friday, March 21, at 5 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup against No. 71 Nebraska (10-5) in Lincoln, Neb. on Sunday, March 23, at 11 a.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.
The Maroon and Gold went 2-1 on Feb. 28-March 1 falling to No. 20 Wisconsin but defeating North Dakota and Boise State. Aiva Schmitz, Arina Valitova and Sofia Pinto led the way, each going 2-0 in singles and doubles.
Minnesota's most recent matches were on March 7 and 9, resulting in 4-3 losses to No. 45 Illinois and No. 39 Northwestern. Schmitz went 2-0 to lead the way for the Gophers.
Scouting Iowa
- Minnesota and Iowa have met 33 times since 1991. Minnesota has won 6 of the last 10 matchups, including a 4-1 victory in their most recent meeting on March 31, 2024. Iowa last defeated Minnesota on March 5, 2023, with a 4-1 win.
- The Hawkeyes are led by Tereza Dejnozkova, who is ranked No. 106 in singles and No. 76 in doubles. She holds a 14-7 singles record with notable wins over Oklahoma, Illinois, and Northwestern.
- Iowa is 3-1 in Big Ten play with wins over Michigan State 4-1, Illinois 4-1, and Northwestern 4-3, and a 4-0 loss to Michigan.
- Doubles partners Nikita Vishwase and Tereza Dejnozkova are ranked No. 76 in the ITA rankings with a 6-2 record.
Scouting Nebraska
- Minnesota and Nebraska have met 10 times since 1992. The Huskers have the last five matchups, including a 4-3 victory in their most recent meeting on March 29, 2024. Minnesota last defeated Nebraska on April 20, 2019, with a 4-3 win.
- The Huskers enter the weekend with a 0-4 record in Big Ten play, including losses from Michgan, Michigan State, Northwestern, and Illinois.
- The Huskers are led by Ana Carmen Zambruek, who holds an ITF score of 13.42 and has won six of her last 10 matches.
- Nebraska was ranked as high as No. 36 on Feb. 20, its highest ranking since the 2020-21 season.
Schmitz's Success
Junior Aiva Schmitz leads the team with 15 singles wins this season and has competed in the No. 1 spot for most of the year. She has won five of her last six matches, including victories over Alabama, Boise State, Illinois and Northwestern.
Schmitz recently surpassed 50 career singles wins with her victory over McKenna Schaefbauer of Illinois, joining Sofia Pinto as the only players on the team to reach the milestone.
Beginning Big Ten Play
Five players have earned wins in Big Ten play so far: Aiva Schmitz (2), Sofia Pinto (1), Anali Kocevar (1), Mia Liepert (1) and Anlin Xie (1).
Remaining in the Ranks
The Gophers are ranked No. 72 in this week's ITA Top 75 tennis rankings, marking their fourth consecutive week in the rankings.
Minnesota has faced six ranked opponents this season: No. 18 Wisconsin, No. 25 Alabama, No. 27 Florida Atlantic, No. 39 Northwestern, No. 45 Illinois, and No. 53 Iowa State. The Gophers earned a notable 4-3 victory over Iowa State on Feb. 2.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Iowa is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
The University of Nebraska 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 Rutgers on March 28, then Nebraska on March 30 at Baseline Tennis Center.
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