Though the temperatures in Minneapolis dipped this weekend, the cold air didn’t seem to cool down the red-hot Gophers.
Off to one of their best starts in the last five years, the Gophers emerged victorious against all three of their opponents this weekend to claim their fourth, fifth and sixth victories this season.
“It’s a lot of tennis,” head coach Geoff Young said. “I thought the guys are playing better and better.”
Minnesota got hold of its first two victories on Friday morning and evening when it took on Green Bay and Dartmouth — beating each team by a final score of 6-1.
Their momentum carried into their Sunday matinee against Oklahoma State.
After helping Minnesota win the doubles point, senior Jack Hamburg battled his way through his singles matchup to get the Gophers their second point of the day.
“I think today I did a lot better at focusing on the goals that Geoff set for me, and I set for myself, this weekend,” Hamburg said. “I always plan on playing aggressive and sticking to my game plan.”
Over the course of the weekend, Minnesota won each of the doubles competition points, allowing the team to get off to a 6-1 start this season.
“The doubles is important because to have to win four singles is tough against alike-teams,” Young said. “It’s nice going into singles being up one to zero.”
Women win close one
Following a 0-2 finish at the ITA Kick-Off, the Gophers bounced back Saturday afternoon in Eugene, Ore.
Despite dropping the doubles competition, the Gophers battled back and defeated Oregon with a final score of 4-3.
“It’s a very difficult place to play,” head coach Chuck Merzbacher said. “We really settled down and played great in the singles. … It was a good victory on the road.”
Senior Tereza Brichacova and freshman Caroline Ryba helped jumpstart Minnesota in the singles competition — winning their matches in straight sets.
Ryba’s victory marked her third consecutive victory of the spring season.
“She’s got great composure out there,” Merzbacher said. “[She] really plays a smart brand of tennis — she’s really stepped up for us.”
Senior Aria Lambert eventually sealed the victory for the Gophers. The team holds a stellar all-time record against the Ducks at 5-1.
Now Minnesota will wait two weeks before its next match, something Merzbacher said will be beneficial as the team continues to try different doubles combinations.
“We can reshuffle everything if we have to,” Merzbacher said. “It’s never down to one [doubles] team. You just want to get all three teams clicking at the same time.”
