The Gophers women’s tennis team played Dartmouth in the fall and came away with one singles and one doubles win.
Little changed when the two teams met again on Saturday as Minnesota lost 7-0 to Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.
“I mean, they just absolutely played lights out, their team,” head coach Chuck Merzbacher said. “They played well in every singles spot. It’s hard to be disappointed in your team when the other team played that well.”
The Gophers lost the doubles point after falling in all three matches.
Minnesota also lost six singles matches, with all of them being decided in two sets. Senior Jessika Mozia lost a close second set in her match 7-5 in the No. 4 singles spot.
“If I felt like [the team was] doing something wrong, I would tell them,” Merzbacher said. “They just played extremely well. Their coach even said, ‘We couldn’t play any better.’ ”
Men lose twice
The men’s tennis team also played Dartmouth and ended with a result similar to the women’s team.
The Gophers lost 5-2 on Friday and also lost to No. 16 Columbia 7-0 on Sunday in the two teams’ second meeting in the spring season.
“Well, I think it’s a good way for us to learn how to win more points,” head coach Geoff Young said. “These teams, they don’t don’t miss much, so you really have to earn those points.”
Minnesota took the doubles point against Dartmouth with two victories from the No. 2 and 3 doubles spots.
Junior Jeremy Lynn and sophomore Matic Spec, paired together in the No. 2 spot, won their fourth straight match together on Friday.
Spec also won in the No. 1 singles spot, coming back after losing the first set.
He was the only Minnesota player to win a singles match, and the Gophers lost the dual 5-2.
Minnesota then faced Columbia on Sunday for the second time, after losing 4-0 in New York City on Jan. 24.
Once again, the Gophers were unable to score a point against Columbia, losing every doubles match. The team was also swept in singles, with all matches being decided in two sets, and lost 7-0.
“It’s good, because it really exposes where we can start [improving,]” Young said.