University of Minnesota Athletics
Friday, March 6
Minneapolis, MN
4:00 PM
University of Minnesota
vs
Southern California
Players Mentioned
/ Tennis
/ Tennis
Minnesota Opens Big Ten Play with USC, UCLA
3/5/2026 10:24:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota tennis team opens Big Ten play this weekend at the Baseline Tennis Center with matches against USC and UCLA.
The Golden Gophers will host No. 17 USC (7-4) at 4 p.m. CT Friday, March 6, before facing No. 6 UCLA (6-2) at noon CT Sunday, March 8.
The Season So Far
Minnesota opened the season with two doubleheaders, winning all four matches with home victories over Iowa State and North Dakota and road wins over Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. The Gophers remained unbeaten with wins over Wyoming and Colorado State before falling to Alabama and Colorado and closing the weekend with a win over Drake. Minnesota later dropped matches to Kansas and Kansas State. Most recently, the Gophers swept a doubleheader with a 5-2 win over No. 49 Denver and a 7-0 victory over St. Thomas.
Scouting USC
Minnesota and USC met for the first time in series history last season, with the Trojans earning a 4-0 win on April 5, 2025. The Gophers will host USC for the first time in history as a Big Ten opponent. USC opened the season 5-0 before dropping four of its last six matches. The Trojans have three players ranked in the ITA singles rankings: No. 38 Jana Hossam Salah, No. 39 Emma Charney and No. 98 Eugina Zozaya Menendez. USC also has two doubles pairs ranked in the ITA rankings: No. 15 Daniela Borruel and Lily Fairclough, and No. 32 Jana Hossam Salah and Lily Fairclough.
Scouting UCLA
Minnesota and UCLA have met five times in series history, with the Bruins holding a 5-0 lead, including a 4-0 win in the most recent matchup on April 6, 2025. UCLA opened the season 2-2 before winning six straight matches, including a 6-1 victory over USC in its most recent outing. The Bruins have three players ranked in the ITA singles rankings: No. 40 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, No. 54 Mayu Crossley and No. 108 Bianca Fernandez, while Olivia Center and Kate Fakih are ranked No. 31 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Amazing Ante
Junior Jeselle Ante has opened the spring season with a 9-3 record in singles and an 8-3 mark in doubles, leading the team with 18 total singles victories this season. Ante came in at No. 117 in this week's ITA singles rankings, earning the first ranking of her career. Her spring has been highlighted by a 6-3, 6-1 upset of No. 36 Kyoko Kubo of Kansas on Feb. 20. Ante also recorded her 50th career singles victory Sunday with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over St. Thomas.
Magnificent Mia
Mia Liepert is 8-2 in singles during the spring season while competing at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots for the Gophers. She has won four of her last five matches, including a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Zoe Adkins in Minnesota's win over No. 49 Denver.
Racking up Ranked Wins
Minnesota earned a ranked win over No. 49 Denver on Sunday, March 1, defeating the Pioneers 5-2. The victory marks the third ranked win for the Gophers under head coach Lois Arterberry. The program's previous ranked wins under Arterberry came against No. 48 Purdue and No. 62 Iowa during the 2023-24 season.
Alumni Day and Kids Day
The Maroon and Gold will honor alumni before Friday's match against USC. Alumni can RSVP at the following link.
Minnesota will host Kids Day on Sunday. A coloring and poster making station will be set up in the lounge for children.
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 Indiana to face Purdue on March 13 and Indiana on March 15.
The Golden Gophers will host No. 17 USC (7-4) at 4 p.m. CT Friday, March 6, before facing No. 6 UCLA (6-2) at noon CT Sunday, March 8.
The Season So Far
Minnesota opened the season with two doubleheaders, winning all four matches with home victories over Iowa State and North Dakota and road wins over Western Michigan and Northern Illinois. The Gophers remained unbeaten with wins over Wyoming and Colorado State before falling to Alabama and Colorado and closing the weekend with a win over Drake. Minnesota later dropped matches to Kansas and Kansas State. Most recently, the Gophers swept a doubleheader with a 5-2 win over No. 49 Denver and a 7-0 victory over St. Thomas.
Scouting USC
Minnesota and USC met for the first time in series history last season, with the Trojans earning a 4-0 win on April 5, 2025. The Gophers will host USC for the first time in history as a Big Ten opponent. USC opened the season 5-0 before dropping four of its last six matches. The Trojans have three players ranked in the ITA singles rankings: No. 38 Jana Hossam Salah, No. 39 Emma Charney and No. 98 Eugina Zozaya Menendez. USC also has two doubles pairs ranked in the ITA rankings: No. 15 Daniela Borruel and Lily Fairclough, and No. 32 Jana Hossam Salah and Lily Fairclough.
Scouting UCLA
Minnesota and UCLA have met five times in series history, with the Bruins holding a 5-0 lead, including a 4-0 win in the most recent matchup on April 6, 2025. UCLA opened the season 2-2 before winning six straight matches, including a 6-1 victory over USC in its most recent outing. The Bruins have three players ranked in the ITA singles rankings: No. 40 Anne-Christine Lutkemeyer, No. 54 Mayu Crossley and No. 108 Bianca Fernandez, while Olivia Center and Kate Fakih are ranked No. 31 in the ITA doubles rankings.
Amazing Ante
Junior Jeselle Ante has opened the spring season with a 9-3 record in singles and an 8-3 mark in doubles, leading the team with 18 total singles victories this season. Ante came in at No. 117 in this week's ITA singles rankings, earning the first ranking of her career. Her spring has been highlighted by a 6-3, 6-1 upset of No. 36 Kyoko Kubo of Kansas on Feb. 20. Ante also recorded her 50th career singles victory Sunday with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over St. Thomas.
Magnificent Mia
Mia Liepert is 8-2 in singles during the spring season while competing at the No. 3 and No. 4 spots for the Gophers. She has won four of her last five matches, including a 2-6, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Zoe Adkins in Minnesota's win over No. 49 Denver.
Racking up Ranked Wins
Minnesota earned a ranked win over No. 49 Denver on Sunday, March 1, defeating the Pioneers 5-2. The victory marks the third ranked win for the Gophers under head coach Lois Arterberry. The program's previous ranked wins under Arterberry came against No. 48 Purdue and No. 62 Iowa during the 2023-24 season.
Alumni Day and Kids Day
The Maroon and Gold will honor alumni before Friday's match against USC. Alumni can RSVP at the following link.
Minnesota will host Kids Day on Sunday. A coloring and poster making station will be set up in the lounge for children.
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 Indiana to face Purdue on March 13 and Indiana on March 15.
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