| Katelyn BeVard won her No. 3 singles match vs. Illinois to help Penn State to a 4-3 victory over the Illini on Friday. The Lions stay at home to face Purdue on Sunday at 11 a.m. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 24, 2006 - Penn State's three freshmen came up big on Friday vs. Illinois and the Penn State women's tennis team defeated the Illini, 4-3, behind a big day from their three freshmen.
Freshmen Leyla Morzan (Vancouver, British Columbia) and Lauren Holzberg (Easton, Connecticut) won their singles matches, while Dorothy Dohanics (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) paired with Holzberg for a No. 3 doubles win.
"Our freshmen were huge today," said head coach Buffy Baker. "Dohanics and Morzan both won in three sets and Holzberg clinched the match for us. They were outstanding"
Morzan fell behind early in her No. 6 singles match and dropped the first set, 6-7(3). But the Canada native rallied to take the final two sets over Illinois' Alejandra Cuadra, 6-1, 6-3. Holzberg also dropped her first set, a 3-6 loss to Shivani Dave. Holzberg captured the final two sets however, 6-2, 6-1.
Katelyn BeVard (McLean, Virginia) claimed Penn State's other singles win, coming away with a 6-4, 6-0 No. 3 singles victory over Emily Wang.
"Katelyn BeVard won decisively," said Baker. "She's just a fighter. She knows she's getting the job done and she created an incredible amount of energy and momentum for the team."
In No. 1 singles action Macall Harkins defeated Sasha Abraham (Hyderabad, India) 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-4. In No. 2 singles, Momei Qu outlasted Andreea Niculescu (Montreal, Quebec) 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Jenny Shular (Peachtree City, Georgia) dropped her No. 4 singles match to Brianne Knue, 4-6, 1-6.
Although Abraham and Niculescu lost their singles matches, they came away with a big 8-6 win over the Illini's top doubles team of Harkins and Wang, ranked No. 34 in the nation. Shular and BeVard topped Knue and Dave, 9-8(5), while Dohanics and Holzberg won their No. 3 doubles match over Qu and Cuadra, 8-5.
Penn State stays at home this weekend for an 11 a.m. matchup vs. Purdue. For more information about Nittany Lion women's tennis and Penn State athletics, visit www.GoPSUsports.com.