The ISU tennis team came back from Minneapolis with some big wins and a few things to work on for upcoming tournaments.

The Gopher Invitational was a stepping stone for the invitationals to come and many of the players outperformed their expectations.

“Based on the numbers, I thought we played really well,” said head coach Armando Espinosa. “I was very happy with how we competed.”

The biggest performance came from senior Meghan Cassens, who won the Gophers’ flight singles division. Cassens’ victory was also her 100th career win. 

“It feels good to win the championship,” Cassens said. “It definitely brings my confidence up for future matches.”

Besides Cassens’ victory, seniors Caroline Hauge Andersen and Ksenia Pronina had a great weekend in singles and doubles. Andersen went 7-1 in doubles and 2-2 in singles, earning fourth place in the Maroon flight singles division.

“I performed really well in doubles and accomplished the areas of focus in practice,” Andersen said.

Pronina progressed throughout the weekend and placed third in the Minnesota flight division.

Cassens, Andersen and Pronina showed their seniority not only by their placings but by their leadership. Their performances helped the younger players develop an understanding of the court and the competition. 

“The confidence we had this weekend helped the younger players have a better knowledge of the game,” Andersen said.

With all of the matches over the course of the tournament, the ISU tennis team had a few minor injuries. Many of the players pulled some muscles throughout the weekend, but with no practice Sept. 22, it will help them regain their health.

Espinosa thinks that freshman Anna Garcia will have a healthy back and be ready to go in a couple weeks for the next invitational.

“The goal this week is to get everyone healthy again so everyone can play in the next invitational,” Espinosa said.

Some other doubles highlights included Pronina and Andersen receiving second place in Draw 7 of the doubles matches and sophomores Samantha Budai and Talisa Merchiers placing second in Draw 6 doubles. Cassens and junior Ana Gasparovic received first place in Draw 2 doubles.

The ISU tennis team will have the week off before playing in the University of South Dakota Coyote Invitational, which will be Oct. 3 to 5.