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Photo by: Claudia Staut
Minnesota Travels to Penn State, Ohio State for Final Regular-Season Slate
4/17/2025 11:27:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota tennis team will hit the road this weekend for its final regular-season matches as it wraps up its conference schedule.
The Golden Gophers will travel to University Park, Pa. to play No. 53 Penn State (13-8) on Friday, April 18, at 2 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup in Columbus, Ohio against No. 9 Ohio State (16-2) on Sunday, April 20, at 10 a.m. CT.
The Season So Far
Minnesota opened the season 8-5 in non-conference play, highlighted by wins over No. 57 Iowa State, Missouri, and Boise State.
Mia Liepert, Aiva Schmitz, and Sofia Pinto led the Gophers during the non-conference schedule, each earning more than six wins.
Minnesota is 2-9 in Big Ten play, with wins over Rutgers and Indiana. Liepert leads the Gophers with a 4-2 record in conference matches.
Last weekend, the Gophers hosted Indiana and Purdue. Minnesota defeated Indiana 4-1 on Friday, April 11, but fell to Purdue 4-2 on Sunday, April 13.
Scouting Penn State
Pinto Power
Junior Sofia Pinto went 2-0 in singles and doubles this past weekend, outscoring her singles opponents 24-10 in her two matches. She also won both doubles matches 6-4 against Indiana and Purdue with doubles partner Jeselle Ante. Pinto leads the team with 16 wins on the season and holds the most career singles wins on the team.
Mia Magic
Sophomore Mia Liepert leads the team with a 4-2 record in Big Ten singles play and a 4-5 mark in Big Ten doubles. She currently plays at the No. 2 doubles spot and No. 1 with partner Anali Kocevar. Liepert went 2-0 in singles this past weekend, defeating Indiana and Purdue in straight sets.
Juniors Leading the Pack
Juniors Aiva Schmitz, Arina Valitova, Anali Kocevar, and Sofia Pinto have led the non-senior Gophers. Each has 9 or more wins this season and has played in a top-four singles spot.
Schmitz and Pinto lead the team in singles wins, with Pinto at 16 Schmitz at 15.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Fans can follow the live scoring of the Penn State match.
Ohio State University is scheduled to live stream their match. Fans can also follow live scoring for the match.
Next On The Docket
The Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament runs from April 23-26, with the top 12 teams in the conference qualifying.
The Golden Gophers will travel to University Park, Pa. to play No. 53 Penn State (13-8) on Friday, April 18, at 2 p.m. CT, followed by a matchup in Columbus, Ohio against No. 9 Ohio State (16-2) on Sunday, April 20, at 10 a.m. CT.
The Season So Far
Minnesota opened the season 8-5 in non-conference play, highlighted by wins over No. 57 Iowa State, Missouri, and Boise State.
Mia Liepert, Aiva Schmitz, and Sofia Pinto led the Gophers during the non-conference schedule, each earning more than six wins.
Minnesota is 2-9 in Big Ten play, with wins over Rutgers and Indiana. Liepert leads the Gophers with a 4-2 record in conference matches.
Last weekend, the Gophers hosted Indiana and Purdue. Minnesota defeated Indiana 4-1 on Friday, April 11, but fell to Purdue 4-2 on Sunday, April 13.
Scouting Penn State
- Minnesota and Penn State have met 29 times since 1992, with Minnesota leading the series 21-8. Penn State won the most recent matchup 4-0 on March 17, 2023. Minnesota last defeated Penn State on April 28, 2022, in the Big Ten Tournament.
- The Nittany Lions are led by Olivia Dorner, the No. 1 singles player, who has notable wins over USC, Purdue, and Illinois.
- Penn State is 4-7 in Big Ten play with wins over Indiana, Purdue, Rutgers, and USC.
- Patricia Grigoras was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on April 2 after helping Penn State upset No. 14 USC.
- Minnesota and Ohio State have met 32 times since 1991, with the series tied at 16-16. The Gophers last defeated Ohio State 4-3 on April 6, 2018.
- The Buckeyes enter the weekend with a 10-1 record in Big Ten play, sitting in second place in the current standings.
- Ohio State has four players ranked in the ITA singles rankings: No. 9 Luciana Perry, No. 31 Teah Chavez, No. 87 Sydni Ratliff and No. 100 Audrey Spencer.
- The doubles pairing of Luciana Perry and Teah Chavez is ranked No. 15 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Pinto Power
Junior Sofia Pinto went 2-0 in singles and doubles this past weekend, outscoring her singles opponents 24-10 in her two matches. She also won both doubles matches 6-4 against Indiana and Purdue with doubles partner Jeselle Ante. Pinto leads the team with 16 wins on the season and holds the most career singles wins on the team.
Mia Magic
Sophomore Mia Liepert leads the team with a 4-2 record in Big Ten singles play and a 4-5 mark in Big Ten doubles. She currently plays at the No. 2 doubles spot and No. 1 with partner Anali Kocevar. Liepert went 2-0 in singles this past weekend, defeating Indiana and Purdue in straight sets.
Juniors Leading the Pack
Juniors Aiva Schmitz, Arina Valitova, Anali Kocevar, and Sofia Pinto have led the non-senior Gophers. Each has 9 or more wins this season and has played in a top-four singles spot.
Schmitz and Pinto lead the team in singles wins, with Pinto at 16 Schmitz at 15.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
Fans can follow the live scoring of the Penn State match.
Ohio State University is scheduled to live stream their match. Fans can also follow live scoring for the match.
Next On The Docket
The Big Ten Women's Tennis Tournament runs from April 23-26, with the top 12 teams in the conference qualifying.
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