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University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, January 23
Minneapolis, MN
10:00 AM
University of Minnesota
vs
Iowa State
Players Mentioned
Minnesota to Open Season With Home Doubleheader
1/22/2026 9:53:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota tennis program opens its 2026 spring season Friday with a doubleheader at Baseline Tennis Center.
The Gophers will host Iowa State at 10 a.m. CT, followed by North Dakota at 3 p.m. CT.
Friday also marks Iowa State's spring season opener.
North Dakota opened its season Jan. 16 with a 5-2 win over Marquette before falling 4-3 to Montana State on Jan. 18.
Scouting Iowa State
Minnesota finished the fall season with a 41-35 singles record and a 34-40 mark in doubles.
The Gophers opened the fall at the 13th annual Gopher Invitational, posting a 7-2 singles record and a 6-1 doubles mark, led by Knezevic's 5-0 performance in doubles.
Mia Liepert, Aiva Schmitz and Anali Kocevar represented Minnesota at the ITA All-American Championships — the program's first appearance since 2015 — highlighted by Liepert's straight-set win over UCLA's Bianca Fernandez in consolation play.
Schmitz and Ante led the Gophers at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, with Schmitz advancing to the final.
Minnesota earned points over Iowa and Kansas State at the Cyclone Invite, where Ante went 3-0 in singles.
At the ITA Central Regional Championships, Kocevar and Ante reached the round of 32 in the main draw, with Kocevar finishing 3-1 in singles.
The Golden Gophers closed the fall at the Spartan Invite, paced by Pinto's 3-0 singles record and additional wins from Knezevic and Liepert.
Amazing Ante
Junior Jeselle Ante (Riverside, Calif.) was named to the 2026 Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List, the conference announced Jan. 5.
Ante enters her second season with the Golden Gophers after transferring from Wyoming. During the fall 2026 season, she posted a team-best 9-4 singles record and went 5-5 in doubles. She reached the semifinals of the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and went 3-0 at the Cyclone Invite. Ante owns 40 career singles victories and carries an International Tennis Federation singles rating of 17.27.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Minnesota is scheduled to live stream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
Next On The Docket
Minnesota travels to Dekalb, Ill., to play a doubleheader versus Northern Illinois on and Western Michigan on Jan. 31.
The Gophers will host Iowa State at 10 a.m. CT, followed by North Dakota at 3 p.m. CT.
Friday also marks Iowa State's spring season opener.
North Dakota opened its season Jan. 16 with a 5-2 win over Marquette before falling 4-3 to Montana State on Jan. 18.
Scouting Iowa State
- Minnesota and Iowa State have met 38 times since 1976, with the Gophers holding a 35-3 series advantage and winning 34 straight matchups.
- The Gophers won the most recent meeting, a 4-3 decision on Feb. 2, 2025, with Jeselle Ante clinching the match by defeating Valeksa San Martin.
- The Cyclones finished 11-11 overall and 5-8 in Big 12 play last season, ranking No. 65 in the final ITA rankings.
- Minnesota competed at Iowa State's Cyclone Invite during the fall season, earning a point over the Cyclones by winning both singles matches and splitting the doubles contests..
- Minnesota and North Dakota have met four times since 2020, with the Gophers holding a 4-0 series advantage. Minnesota swept the most recent meeting, 4-0, on March 1, 2025.
- The Fighting Hawks finished 14-8 overall and 3-3 in Summit League play in 2025, advancing to the Summit League championship match before falling to Denver.
- North Dakota is led by seniors Ethel Li and Jule Schulte, who compete at the top of the singles lineup and were recently named Summit League Peak Performers in singles and doubles.
- North Dakota was picked to finish third in the Summit League preseason poll, with Jule Schulte named a player to watch.
Minnesota finished the fall season with a 41-35 singles record and a 34-40 mark in doubles.
The Gophers opened the fall at the 13th annual Gopher Invitational, posting a 7-2 singles record and a 6-1 doubles mark, led by Knezevic's 5-0 performance in doubles.
Mia Liepert, Aiva Schmitz and Anali Kocevar represented Minnesota at the ITA All-American Championships — the program's first appearance since 2015 — highlighted by Liepert's straight-set win over UCLA's Bianca Fernandez in consolation play.
Schmitz and Ante led the Gophers at the Milwaukee Tennis Classic, with Schmitz advancing to the final.
Minnesota earned points over Iowa and Kansas State at the Cyclone Invite, where Ante went 3-0 in singles.
At the ITA Central Regional Championships, Kocevar and Ante reached the round of 32 in the main draw, with Kocevar finishing 3-1 in singles.
The Golden Gophers closed the fall at the Spartan Invite, paced by Pinto's 3-0 singles record and additional wins from Knezevic and Liepert.
Amazing Ante
Junior Jeselle Ante (Riverside, Calif.) was named to the 2026 Big Ten Women's Tennis Players to Watch List, the conference announced Jan. 5.
Ante enters her second season with the Golden Gophers after transferring from Wyoming. During the fall 2026 season, she posted a team-best 9-4 singles record and went 5-5 in doubles. She reached the semifinals of the Milwaukee Tennis Classic and went 3-0 at the Cyclone Invite. Ante owns 40 career singles victories and carries an International Tennis Federation singles rating of 17.27.
How to Follow
Fans can follow the weekend's events on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Minnesota is scheduled to live stream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
Next On The Docket
Minnesota travels to Dekalb, Ill., to play a doubleheader versus Northern Illinois on and Western Michigan on Jan. 31.
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