Terps Open B1G Play at Minnesota, Wisconsin
3/15/2018 2:08:00 PM | Women's Tennis
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – The Maryland women's tennis team (6-5, 0-0 B1G) will open Big Ten play this weekend when it takes on Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Terps will first battle the Golden Gophers in Minneapolis on Friday, followed by a trip to Wisconsin on Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT
Maryland swept its final non-conference weekend of the season, beating both West Virginia and Marshall by a score of 6-1.
The Terps were paced by the efforts of Eva Alexandrova and Millie Stretton, who combined to post an 8-0 record in both doubles and singles play between the two matches.
Senior Ekaterina Tour and freshman Zoe Kulkarni each put together 2-0 records in singles play. The two wins gave Maryland a winning non-conference record for the second-consecutive season.
SCOUTING THE GOPHERS
Minnesota (9-5, 1-0 B1G) will welcome Maryland to Minneapolis after dropping a pair of matches in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday and Tuesday. The Gophers fell to Florida Gulf Coast, 4-3, before losing to Notre Dame.
Minnesota bested Wisconsin to open Big Ten play earlier in March, beating the Badgers 4-3 in Minneapolis.
Maryland and Minnesota will feature a strong battle at the top doubles position. Maryland's Eva and Alexandrova and Millie Stretton -- who have won seven matches on the season – will battle Minnesota's Caitlyn Merzbacher and Mehvish Safdar, who have won seven of their last eight matches.
SCOUTING THE BADGERS
Wisconsin (6-7, 0-1 B1G) will battle Rutgers on Friday before the Terps come to Madison, Wisconisin on Sunday.
The Badgers last outing before this weekend was their 4-3 loss to Minnesota. Wisconsin has faced a challenging schedule, which includes matches against No. 8 Florida, No. 21 Wake Forest and tenth-ranked Michigan. All three matches were part of the 2018 ITA National Indoor Championship and the Badgers' match against Michigan did not count as a conference match.
Lexi Keberle has led the Badger lineup this season, posting nine dual singles victories on the year. She also has played with Kelsey Grambeau in the second doubles positon for the Badgers.
DOUBLES DOMINANCE
Maryland has dominated in doubles action this spring, winning the doubles point in eight of their 11 non-conference matches this season. The Terps top doubles pairing of Eva Alexandrova and Millie Stretton have had a solid start to the year, posting a 7-2 record in the No. 1 doubles position.
Arnelle Sullivan and Saya Usui have also impressed, earning a 5-2 record that includes a 6-0 victory in Maryland's win over Marshall.
NO STOPPING STRETTON
Kansas State transfer Millie Stretton has thrived in the early stages of Maryland's spring season.
The junior owns a 7-1 singles record in the third singles position to go along with a 7-2 doubles line while playing with partner Eva Alexandrova in the top spot of Maryland's lineup.
FRESHMEN FEATURE
Maryland's two freshmen Eva Alexandrova and Zoe Kulkarni have been successful in bookending Maryland's singles lineup this season.
Playing at the top two spots of Maryland's singles lineup, Alexandrova has pieced together a 7-2 record, including three-straight wins to close out non-conference play. Alexandrova also has found success in doubles, starting the season with a 7-2 record at the top doubles position.
Kulkarni has anchored Maryland's singles lineup, owning a 6-4 record between the fifth and sixth spots of the rotation. She has won back-to-back matches entering this weekend.
HOME COURT ADVANTAGE
Maryland has found success on its home court this season, winners of five of their first six home matches this season.
The Terps have won 14 of their last 17 home matches dating back to last season.
SUPER PANOVA
After guiding Maryland to its best season in program history, head coach Daria Panova was named the 2017 Wilson/ITA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year.
She coached Maryland's doubles duo of Kristina Hovsepyan and Alexandra Stanova to the ITA National Indoor Tournament after the two were victorious at ITA Atlantic Regionals.
Panova earned her 50th career victory at Maryland last season after the Terrapins topped Minnesota.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Maryland's 2018 roster features student-athletes from six countries outside of the United States.
The Terps currently have representatives from Belarus, Israel, Japan, Russia, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
NEXT UP
Maryland will continue its Big Ten road trip at Rutgers on Mar. 24. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
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