University of Minnesota Athletics
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Photo by: Claudia Staut
Minnesota meets No. 27 Wisconsin in Border Battle Matchup
4/3/2026 9:45:00 AM | Tennis
MINNEAPOLIS - The University of Minnesota tennis team travels to Madison, Wisconsin, this weekend to take on No. 27 Wisconsin (12-5) at noon CT Saturday at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
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 eight straight Big Ten matches, including four following a 7-0 win over South Dakota on March 18.
Scouting Wisconsin
Minnesota and Wisconsin have met 70 times in program history, with the Badgers holding a 46-24 lead in the series. Wisconsin won the most recent meeting, 4-0, on Feb. 28, 2025. The Badgers have won eight of their last 11 matches, including ranked wins over No. 6 UCLA and No. 75 Michigan State. Wisconsin is led by two ranked singles players in No. 16 Maria Sholokova and No. 63 Ekaterina Ivanova, while two Badger doubles teams are ranked in the ITA standings: No. 16 Maria Sholokova and Lucie Urbanova and No. 83 Ellison Reynolds and Ekaterina Ivanova.
Debut Doubles Success
In their first match as a doubles pair, Yinong Ma and Arina Valitova defeated No. 57 Ellie Blackford and Matilde Morias, 7-5, to clinch the doubles point for the Gophers against Michigan State. The duo rallied from a 3-0 deficit to secure the win.
Pinto Power
Senior Sofia Pinto earned her 75th career singles victory with a win over Hanna Tsitavets of Michigan State on Sunday, March 29. Pinto moved into 10th place on Minnesota's all-time singles wins list, surpassing Nancy Rost, Meg Horan, Anne Gorde and Lisa Martin.
Magnificent Mia
Mia Liepert is 11-4 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 nine 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 18 with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 win over South Dakota's Selena Bird.
How to Follow
Fans can follow each match on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Wisconsin is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
Next On The Docket
Minnesota will travel to Washington on April 10 and Oregon on April 12 for its first official Big Ten Conference matchups against both programs.
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 eight straight Big Ten matches, including four following a 7-0 win over South Dakota on March 18.
Scouting Wisconsin
Minnesota and Wisconsin have met 70 times in program history, with the Badgers holding a 46-24 lead in the series. Wisconsin won the most recent meeting, 4-0, on Feb. 28, 2025. The Badgers have won eight of their last 11 matches, including ranked wins over No. 6 UCLA and No. 75 Michigan State. Wisconsin is led by two ranked singles players in No. 16 Maria Sholokova and No. 63 Ekaterina Ivanova, while two Badger doubles teams are ranked in the ITA standings: No. 16 Maria Sholokova and Lucie Urbanova and No. 83 Ellison Reynolds and Ekaterina Ivanova.
Debut Doubles Success
In their first match as a doubles pair, Yinong Ma and Arina Valitova defeated No. 57 Ellie Blackford and Matilde Morias, 7-5, to clinch the doubles point for the Gophers against Michigan State. The duo rallied from a 3-0 deficit to secure the win.
Pinto Power
Senior Sofia Pinto earned her 75th career singles victory with a win over Hanna Tsitavets of Michigan State on Sunday, March 29. Pinto moved into 10th place on Minnesota's all-time singles wins list, surpassing Nancy Rost, Meg Horan, Anne Gorde and Lisa Martin.
Magnificent Mia
Mia Liepert is 11-4 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 nine 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 18 with a 6-3, 2-6, 10-6 win over South Dakota's Selena Bird.
How to Follow
Fans can follow each match on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
The University of Wisconsin is scheduled to livestream each match at this link. Fans can also follow the live scoring of each match.
Next On The Docket
Minnesota will travel to Washington on April 10 and Oregon on April 12 for its first official Big Ten Conference matchups against both programs.
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Tuesday, September 09