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Minnesota Hosts Michigan, Michigan State for Inaugural ITA College Tennis Weekend
3/26/2026 9:13:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota tennis team will host Michigan and Michigan State this weekend during the inaugural Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) College Tennis Weekend.
The Golden Gophers will host No. 18 Michigan (8-5) at 4 p.m. CT Friday before taking on No. 75 Michigan State (8-8) at noon CT on Sunday.
The Season So Far
Minnesota opened the season with six straight wins, highlighted by a victory over Iowa State, before falling to Alabama and Colorado. The Gophers closed that weekend with a win over Drake and moved up to No. 53 in the rankings. Minnesota later dropped matches to Kansas and Kansas State, then swept a doubleheader against No. 49 Denver and St. Thomas. The Gophers have since lost six straight Big Ten matches, including two following a 7-0 win over South Dakota on March 18.
Scouting Michigan
Minnesota and Michigan have met 52 times in program history, with the Wolverines holding a 37-15 lead in the series. Michigan won the most recent meeting, 6-1, on April 14, 2024. After dropping three of its first four matches, Michigan has rebounded and enters the weekend on a five-match winning streak, including back-to-back 4-3 wins over No. 10 UCLA on March 21 and No. 8 USC on March 22. The Wolverines are led by two ranked singles players in No. 20 Piper Charney and No. 21 Lily Jones, while three Michigan doubles teams are ranked in the ITA standings: No. 26 Lily Jones and Jessica Bernales, No. 72 Ava Bruno and Emily Sartz-Lunde, and No. 86 Piper Charney and Emily Sartz-Lunde.
Scouting Michigan State
Minnesota and Michigan State have met 48 times in program history, with the Gophers holding a 31-17 lead in the series. Minnesota won the most recent matchup, 4-2, on April 12, 2024. Michigan State opened the season with a five-match winning streak before dropping eight of its last 11 matches. The Spartans are led by Ellie Blackford, who plays at No. 1 singles and doubles and is 14-8 on the season. Michigan State is highlighted by its top doubles duo of Matilde Morris and Ellie Blackford, who are ranked No. 37 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles rankings and are 9-2 this season. The Gophers also competed at the Spartan Invite this fall, going 3-2 against the Spartans in singles and 0-3 in doubles.
Magnificent Mia
Mia Liepert is 11-3 in singles during the spring season, competing at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 spots for the Gophers. She has won seven of her last eleven matches, including a 6-4, 6-1 victory over No. 54 Mayu Crossley of UCLA on March 8. Liepert reached the 50-career win mark on March 16 with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 win over South Dakota's Selena Bird.
Inaugural ITA College Tennis Weekend
The inaugural Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) College Tennis Weekend, powered by CourtReserve, will take place March 27-29. The event promotes the college tennis community, with the ITA encouraging host programs to engage fans through match-day events. As part of the weekend, Minnesota will host Wimbledon Night on March 27 and Cancer Awareness Day on March 29.
How to Follow
Fans can follow each match on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Minnesota is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
Next On The Docket
The Gophers will travel to Madison, Wis. on April 4 to face the Wisconsin Badgers at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
The Golden Gophers will host No. 18 Michigan (8-5) at 4 p.m. CT Friday before taking on No. 75 Michigan State (8-8) at noon CT on Sunday.
The Season So Far
Minnesota opened the season with six straight wins, highlighted by a victory over Iowa State, before falling to Alabama and Colorado. The Gophers closed that weekend with a win over Drake and moved up to No. 53 in the rankings. Minnesota later dropped matches to Kansas and Kansas State, then swept a doubleheader against No. 49 Denver and St. Thomas. The Gophers have since lost six straight Big Ten matches, including two following a 7-0 win over South Dakota on March 18.
Scouting Michigan
Minnesota and Michigan have met 52 times in program history, with the Wolverines holding a 37-15 lead in the series. Michigan won the most recent meeting, 6-1, on April 14, 2024. After dropping three of its first four matches, Michigan has rebounded and enters the weekend on a five-match winning streak, including back-to-back 4-3 wins over No. 10 UCLA on March 21 and No. 8 USC on March 22. The Wolverines are led by two ranked singles players in No. 20 Piper Charney and No. 21 Lily Jones, while three Michigan doubles teams are ranked in the ITA standings: No. 26 Lily Jones and Jessica Bernales, No. 72 Ava Bruno and Emily Sartz-Lunde, and No. 86 Piper Charney and Emily Sartz-Lunde.
Scouting Michigan State
Minnesota and Michigan State have met 48 times in program history, with the Gophers holding a 31-17 lead in the series. Minnesota won the most recent matchup, 4-2, on April 12, 2024. Michigan State opened the season with a five-match winning streak before dropping eight of its last 11 matches. The Spartans are led by Ellie Blackford, who plays at No. 1 singles and doubles and is 14-8 on the season. Michigan State is highlighted by its top doubles duo of Matilde Morris and Ellie Blackford, who are ranked No. 37 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) doubles rankings and are 9-2 this season. The Gophers also competed at the Spartan Invite this fall, going 3-2 against the Spartans in singles and 0-3 in doubles.
Magnificent Mia
Mia Liepert is 11-3 in singles during the spring season, competing at the No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 spots for the Gophers. She has won seven of her last eleven matches, including a 6-4, 6-1 victory over No. 54 Mayu Crossley of UCLA on March 8. Liepert reached the 50-career win mark on March 16 with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 win over South Dakota's Selena Bird.
Inaugural ITA College Tennis Weekend
The inaugural Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) College Tennis Weekend, powered by CourtReserve, will take place March 27-29. The event promotes the college tennis community, with the ITA encouraging host programs to engage fans through match-day events. As part of the weekend, Minnesota will host Wimbledon Night on March 27 and Cancer Awareness Day on March 29.
How to Follow
Fans can follow each match on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Minnesota is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
Next On The Docket
The Gophers will travel to Madison, Wis. on April 4 to face the Wisconsin Badgers at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
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