| MSUSpartans.com | WEB |
|
MSU Women's Tennis Loses Close One to Penn State on Senior Day
April 13, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 59 Michigan State women's tennis team was upset by Penn State, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility. On senior day, Christine Bader impressed, teaming with Whitney Wilson to take down Penn State's Sarah Lotta and Jenny Shular, 8-4, in doubles. The lone Spartan senior then blew past Katelyn BeVard in straight sets at No. 1 singles, 6-1, 6-2. MSU is now 12-10 (3-5 Big Ten) on the season, while Penn State improves to 8-10 (2-5 Big Ten). The Spartans set the tone early, taking two of three from Penn State in doubles. In addition to the win at No. 1, Manon Noe and Ana Milosavljevic picked up the quick win at No. 2, downing Lauren Holzberg and Lauren McCarthy, 8-2. MSU came out strong in singles plays, as Bader's win at No. 1 gave the Spartans a 2-0 lead. PSU put its first point on the board shortly after, as Dorothy Dohanics defeated Lindsey Lonergan at No. 4, 6-1, 6-3. But MSU's Michelle Murphy gave the Spartans back the 2-point cushion at No. 6 singles, with a straight-set win over Leyla Morzan 6-2, 7-6 (7-4). The momentum began to shift midmatch, as Penn State fought back and ripped off three-straight wins to complete the comeback. At No. 5 singles, MSU's Milosavljevic took her opponent to the limit, but was defeated in the tiebreakers of both sets, as she fell to McCarthy, 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (9-7). Stephanie Kebler looked on her way to a comfortable victory at No. 2 after blowing out Shular, 6-1, in the first set, but the Penn State senior crept back in, winning the second frame, 7-5, then capped off the match in the third set, 6-4.
With the score tied 3-3, Noe and Holzberg went back-and-forth for the final point at No. 3, dragging their match into a third set tiebreaker. Noe was strong in her effort, but Holzberg was too tough down the stretch, as she took out the Spartan freshman, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4). "Obviously, this was a tough one to stomach," MSU head coach Erica Perkins said. "4-3 losses are always tough, but they are especially hard when you have match points at a couple different positions and don't convert. Penn State fought hard, and wanted it more at a few spots and that was the difference. We have a very good team and we've made a lot of strides this season. Hopefully, we can learn from today's mistakes and put forth a better effort from top to bottom in our final two regular season matches." The Spartans return to action on Saturday, April 19 when they travel to No. 1 Northwestern for an 11 a.m. matchup against the Wildcats. |
|
||||
