Minnesota drops 5-2 decision to Ohio State

After improving its Big Ten record to 2-2 with a 5-2 win against Penn State on Friday, the Minnesota women’s tennis team failed to post a winning conference record after dropping a 5-2 contest against Ohio State on Sunday.
The Buckeyes, who are coached by Minnesota alum Chuck Merzbacher, found the Gophers playing shorthanded when Niltooli Wilkins and Alessandra Ferrazzi both sat out due to injuries.
Gophers coach Tyler Thomson said both were game-time decisions for Sunday, and when Thomson decided to sit the pair down, it meant everyone but Karina Chiarelli at No. 1 singles had to move around in the lineup.
“I think they’ll be ready to go again next weekend, I hope,” Thomson said. “They just weren’t quite ready to go, and I have trust in the rest of our lineup.”
Chiarelli picked up the Gophers only win in singles play — a 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 tiebreaker against Kirsten Flower after the Buckeyes had already sealed the victory.
Minnesota found success in doubles play when Chiarelli teamed with Alex Seaton to take the No. 1 doubles 8-5.
In the No. 2 doubles, Tijana Koprivica and Jackie Sperling won 8-3.
“The team we put out there was a great team today,” Thomson said.

On the road

The Minnesota men’s tennis team split a pair of matches this weekend to improve its Big 10 record to 3-1.
The 27th-ranked Gophers took five-straight matches to open up against Penn State on Friday en route to a 5-2 win.
“Any Big Ten win on the road is good,” Gophers coach Geoff Young said.
But Minnesota’s perfect 3-0 conference record wouldn’t last the weekend.
The Gophers were swept 7-0 by Ohio State on Sunday in Columbus.
The No. 6 Buckeyes — a team where every player is nationally ranked — didn’t exactly catch the Gophers off guard; Young said his team went into the match looking to win and had plans to do so.
“I thought we would win a couple more matches,” Young said.