Minnesota’s 7-0 shutout victory Friday caused Buffalo freshman Tanja Stojanovska to smack the ball in frustration after her loss.
The Gophers followed up the victory with another one over Iowa State on Sunday to bring their record to 9-4 during the spring.
“Buffalo was a tough team, and it got us ready [for Iowa State] in a lot of ways just ’cause they were really athletic and had a lot of kids who were dangerous players,” head coach Chuck Merzbacher said. “I think Iowa State is a little bit like that, just at a higher level. … There was no quit; they were coming back in all these matches. That was a really good win.”
Minnesota took the doubles point by winning all three matches and then swept singles against Buffalo.
Sophomore Caroline Ryba was the only Gophers player who needed a third set to defeat her opponent.
Freshman Camila Vargas Gomez won her match in the No. 6 singles spot 6-1, 6-1, after losing her previous two matches.
“I’m trying to get more often to the volley because sometimes I wait a little bit to hit the ball, and that’s not a good idea,” Vargas Gomez said.
The Gophers also won the doubles point Sunday against Iowa State by winning two of the three matches.
Minnesota lost the first singles match, but Ryba gave the Gophers the lead again with a victory in the No. 1 singles spot. The team then won three of the last four matches to win 5-2.
“It felt like a Big Ten match. [There] was a lot of intensity, and they were playing with a lot of confidence,” Merzbacher said. “I think they felt they could beat us. They never backed down, and we just had to hold our ground. And I think we did.”
Men fall in two duals
Minnesota (5-8) lost both of its matches over the weekend, one to No. 21 Oregon by a score of 6-1 and one to Washington by a final score of 5-2.
Oregon won all three doubles matches in Eugene, Ore., to take an early lead and then won five of six singles matches.
Freshman Marino Alpeza gave the Gophers their lone singles victory.
Minnesota then traveled to Seattle, Wash., to play Washington on Sunday.
The Gophers lost the doubles point again after falling in all three matches.
Sophomore Matic Spec and senior Ruben Weber won in the top two singles spots for the Gophers, but the team lost the other four matches to fall 5-2.
“I think we will respond well. I really do,” head coach Geoff Young said. “They’ve been working hard in practice, and I think that we’ll continue to get better and be ready for the Big Ten season.”
