Tennis Wraps Up Regular Season at Wisconsin, Minnesota
Apr 21 | Women's Tennis
Wisconsin Live Results
PISCATAWAY, N.J. - Rutgers tennis concludes its 2016 regular season with a pair of away matches, as the Scarlet Knights compete at Wisconsin on Friday, April 22, at 4 p.m. EST and Minnesota on Sunday, April 24, at 11 a.m. EST.
In its last time out, RU (6-13, 0-9 B1G) fell to Michigan State, 5-2, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on April 10 in East Lansing, Mich. Rutgers brought three singles matches into the third deciding round, while senior Gina Li (Hillsborough, N.J.) recorded a straight-set victory in the No. 1 position. Sophomore Chloe Lee (Albuquerque, N.M.) picked up her second conference singles triumph in the team loss.
CATCHING UP WITH THE SCARLET KNIGHTS
With her 6-3, 7-6 victory over MSU's Erin Faulkner, Li leads Rutgers with 11 victories in the No. 1 position, including four in Big Ten action. The veteran has now won six of her last eight matches. Lee, senior Mariam Zein (Sugarland, Texas) and senior Lindsey Kayati (Monroeville, N.J.) have also contributed conference wins this season.
In doubles action, Lee and junior Ksenija Tihomirova (Riga, Latvia) lead RU with nine doubles victories in the No. 2 position.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
The Badgers (6-13, 3-6 B1G) enter Friday's match after splitting a pair of conference road matches last weekend, defeating Indiana, 5-2, on April 15 before falling to Purdue, 5-2, on April 17.
Two Badgers are currently ranked in the ITA top-125, as Lauren Chypyha (No. 54) and Ekaterina Stepanova (No. 89) both represent Wisconsin in the rankings. Chypyha owns a 12-4 mark in singles action with six conference wins, while Stepanova has produced a 12-5 record with a team-leading eight conference triumphs.
Tina Samara enters her third year as Wisconsin's head coach. Last season in the program's first meeting as conference foes, the Badgers defeated Rutgers, 6-1, at the East Brunswick Racquet Club.
SCOUTING MINNESOTA
The Golden Gophers (12-10, 4-5 B1G) enter Sunday's match after a 5-2 loss at Indiana on April 17. Camila Vargas Gomez won her third straight match, and Paula Rincon-Otero picked up a win for Minnesota in the dual loss.
In singles action, Rincon-Otero and Julia Courter lead the Golden Gophers with 12 wins each, while Gomez and Annemarie Emme lead Minnesota with five conference wins. The doubles team of Caitlyn Merzbacher and Maja Vujic lead the program with a 9-7 dual record.
Minnesota is led by Chuck Merzbacher, who has been with the program since 2012. The Golden Gophers defeated Rutgers, 5-2, last season at the EBRC.
Follow Rutgers Athletics on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RutgersAthletics) and Twitter (@RUAthletics) for all of the latest news and updates. For specific updates regarding Rutgers tennis, follow the program on Twitter (@RUwtennis). The team is also on Facebook (facebook.com/RutgersTennis).
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