March 6, 2012

Sophomore Natallia Pintusava was named the Big Ten Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week today after helping Minnesota win its Border Battle match at Wisconsin last Sunday.

Pintusava went 2-0 against the Badgers, as the Gophers won 5-2 to avenge a 6-1 home loss from last season. She partnered with Magdalena Wiecha to win 8-4 at No. 2 doubles against Angela Chupa and Aleksandra Markovic.

The Minsk, Belarus, native then posted a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 1 singles to beat Nicky Stracar and complete her perfect weekend. The win was extra special for Pintusava, as Stracar beat then-No. 54 Pintusava 6-2, 6-3 in Minneapolis last year.

The last Golden Gopher to be honored as the Big Ten Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week just happens to be Pintusava. She was recognized on Jan. 25, 2011, after earning three of a possible four points for Minnesota to begin last season.

Pintusava and the No. 31 Gophers are 9-1 this season and 1-0 in Big Ten play. They are 5-1 against ranked teams, which includes a perfect 3-0 record on the road. Minnesota next plays at Tulane on March 15 and at LSU on March 17.