Wisconsin Badgers
Minnesota
Badgers open Big Ten play with Border Battle
February 27, 2025 | Women's Tennis
Badgers face Golden Gophers in B1G opener
MADISON, Wis. - The Wisconsin women's tennis team will cross over state lines to take on their rival, the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA: The Badgers have dominated in recent matchups with the Gophers, going 3-0 since the 2021-22 season. The recent success against Minnesota is nothing new for the Badgers as they control the all-time record 44-24. On top of that, the Badgers enter this matchup on a heater, winning their last six matches in a row.
BADGERS IN THE RANKINGS: The Badgers have entered the ITA national rankings for the first time this season, coming in at number 20 in the nation. On top of that, Maria Sholokhova retains her place in the top ten for singles players at number 7 this week. The Badgers also added Taylor Cataldi to the ITA top 100 rankings for singles players as she comes in at 96th in the nation. Wisconsin is also making noise on the doubles courts. The veteran duo of Maria Sholokhova and Ariel Johnson made their way into the doubles rankings at number 62. Not to be outdone, Ellison Reynoldson and Taylor Cataldi jumped to number 44 in the doubles rankings after their impressive start.
SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS : The Golden Gophers have started the season 6-5 under head coach Lois Arterberry. Arterberry is in her second season with the Gophers after a tough debut season where they went 11-13. The Gophers started this season well, going 6-2 in their first eight games, but have hit a rough patch as of late dropping their last three matches in a row. The Gophers have a young roster, comprised of six underclassmen and not a single senior on the squad. Sophomore, Jeselle Ante leads the team in overall wins so far this season, and sports a 12-5 record. Ante, a California native, transferred into the Gopher program this season after her Freshman year at Wyoming where she won a Freshman of the week honor. The Badgers will look to hand Minnesota their first home loss of the season as the Gophers have won their first three matches at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis.
LAST TIME OUT : The Badgers went 2-0 in an East Coast trip taking down Boston College and Harvard without conceding a single point the entire weekend. They won against Boston College 7-0 and followed with a 4-0 win at Harvard. Freshman duo, Parker Christensen and Ekaterina Ivanova had a day to remember on Saturday against Boston College. The newcomers each won their singles matches, after winning a doubles match with each other as partners.
UP NEXT : The Badgers will return home to the Nielsen Tennis Center after over a month since the last home match. The team will have a pair of Big Ten conference matches, hosting Northwestern on Friday, March 7th at 5 PM CST, and Illinois on Sunday, March 9th at 12 PM CST.
Players Mentioned
