University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 7
Minneapolis, MN
4:00 PM
University of Minnesota
3
vs
4
Illinois
Players Mentioned
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
Photo by: Claudia Staut
No. 60 Minnesota Drops Tight 4-3 Match to No. 45 Illinois
3/7/2025 8:05:00 PM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The No. 60 Minnesota tennis team fell 4-3 to No. 45 Illinois on Friday at Baseline Tennis Center, dropping its season record to 8-7.
Key Moments
Illinois secured the doubles point with two wins over Minnesota. McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber opened with a 6-3 victory over Aiva Schmitz and Arina Valitova at the No. 3 spot. Megan Heuser and Kida Ferrari followed with a 6-4 win over Arina Valitova and Aiva Schmitz to clinch the point.
Illinois secured the match despite a strong singles effort from Minnesota. Anali Kocevar put the Gophers on the board first with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Violeta Martinez at No. 3. The Illini responded with back-to-back wins from Kasia Treiber at No. 6 and Ariel Mataldi at No. 5. Minnesota gained momentum when Anlin Xie won by retirement at No. 4 after leading 4-2 in the second set. Aiva Schmitz followed with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over McKenna Schaefbauer at No. 1. The decisive point came at No. 2, where Megan Heuser outlasted Mia Liepert 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to clinch the 4-3 victory for Illinois.
Results
Doubles
1. Megan Heuser/Kida Ferrari (ILL) def. Mia Liepert/Anali Kocevar (MINN) 6-4
2. Jeselle Ante/Sofia Pinto (MINN) vs. Violeta Martinez/Alice Xu (ILL) 4-5, unfinished
3. McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber (ILL) def. Aiva Schmitz/Arina Valitova (MINN) 6-2
Singles
1. Aiva Schmitz (MINN) def. McKenna Schaefbauer (ILL) 6-4, 7-6
2. Megan Heuser (ILL) def. Mia Liepert (MINN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
3. Anali Kocevar (MINN) def. Violeta Martinez (ILL) 6-2, 6-1
4. Anlin Xie (MINN) def. Kida Ferrari (ILL) 2-6, 4-2, retired
5. Ariel Mataldi (ILL) def. Sofia Pinto (MINN) 6-2, 6-2
6. Kasia Treiber (ILL) def. Deniz Turan (MINN) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish
Doubles: (3, 1)
Singles: (3, 6, 5, 4, 1, 2)
Gopher Notables
Next on the Docket
The Golden Gophers will host Northwestern on Sunday at noon, with a poster and bracelet-making station available during the match. A USTA clinic will follow.
Key Moments
Illinois secured the doubles point with two wins over Minnesota. McKenna Schaefbauer and Kasia Treiber opened with a 6-3 victory over Aiva Schmitz and Arina Valitova at the No. 3 spot. Megan Heuser and Kida Ferrari followed with a 6-4 win over Arina Valitova and Aiva Schmitz to clinch the point.
Illinois secured the match despite a strong singles effort from Minnesota. Anali Kocevar put the Gophers on the board first with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over Violeta Martinez at No. 3. The Illini responded with back-to-back wins from Kasia Treiber at No. 6 and Ariel Mataldi at No. 5. Minnesota gained momentum when Anlin Xie won by retirement at No. 4 after leading 4-2 in the second set. Aiva Schmitz followed with a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6 (4) victory over McKenna Schaefbauer at No. 1. The decisive point came at No. 2, where Megan Heuser outlasted Mia Liepert 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 to clinch the 4-3 victory for Illinois.
Results
Doubles
1. Megan Heuser/Kida Ferrari (ILL) def. Mia Liepert/Anali Kocevar (MINN) 6-4
2. Jeselle Ante/Sofia Pinto (MINN) vs. Violeta Martinez/Alice Xu (ILL) 4-5, unfinished
3. McKenna Schaefbauer/Kasia Treiber (ILL) def. Aiva Schmitz/Arina Valitova (MINN) 6-2
Singles
1. Aiva Schmitz (MINN) def. McKenna Schaefbauer (ILL) 6-4, 7-6
2. Megan Heuser (ILL) def. Mia Liepert (MINN) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
3. Anali Kocevar (MINN) def. Violeta Martinez (ILL) 6-2, 6-1
4. Anlin Xie (MINN) def. Kida Ferrari (ILL) 2-6, 4-2, retired
5. Ariel Mataldi (ILL) def. Sofia Pinto (MINN) 6-2, 6-2
6. Kasia Treiber (ILL) def. Deniz Turan (MINN) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish
Doubles: (3, 1)
Singles: (3, 6, 5, 4, 1, 2)
Gopher Notables
- Aiva Schmitz surpassed 50 career singles wins, joining Sofia Pinto as the only players on the current team to reach that milestone.
- Anali Kocevar, Anlin Xie, and Schmitz each earned their first Big Ten wins of the season.
- Anlin Xie surpassed 10 wins on the season, joining Schmitz, Pinto, and Jeselle Ante in reaching that mark.
- Schmitz has now won four of her last five matches at the No. 1 spot.
Next on the Docket
The Golden Gophers will host Northwestern on Sunday at noon, with a poster and bracelet-making station available during the match. A USTA clinic will follow.
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