| Senior Andreea Niculescu and the Nittany Lions came out on top of Michigan State (5-2) Saturday in the final home match of the season. Up next, Penn State will prepare for the final weekend of Big Ten season play when they battle Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m., followed by a match in Columbus, Ohio against Ohio State on Sunday, April 22 at 11 a.m. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 14, 2007 ?C The Penn State women??s tennis team (9-10, 3-5) completed their home season Saturday with a thrilling 5-2 win over the Michigan State Spartans. The match was the final home showing for seniors Sasha Abraham, Katelyn BeVard, Kristine Harclerode and Andreea Niculescu.
The Nittany Lions kicked off the day with a strong performance in doubles, with sophomore Lauren Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) and freshman Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) defeating Sarah Andrews and Jessica Baron in second pairs. 8-3, while senior Sasha Abraham (Hyderabad, India) and junior Jenny Shular (Peachtree City, Ga.) topped Christine Bader and Stephanie Kebler, 8-6 to secure the doubles point. Adding to the success was sophomore Dorothy Dohanics (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and senior Andreea Niculescu (Montreal, Quebec), who beat Marianne Eelens and Pascale Schnitzer in an 8-3 third doubles match.
In singles, the Spartans came out with a early win to even the overall match score at 1-1 as Kebler earned a 6-1, 6-2 win over Holzberg in third singles. Shular gave the lead back to the Nittany Lions with a fourth singles win over Andrews (6-1, 6-4). However, the lead was short-lived as Abraham dropped a 6-1, 6-0 decision to Schnitzer in second singles. PSU was unfazed by the MSU rally as the Blue and White won the next four singles matches to come away with the victory. Dohanics topped Baron in a pair of 6-3 sets in fifth singles, while Niculescu won a 7-5, 6-4 first singles match with Bader. McCarthy capped the victory for the Nittany Lions, defeating Eelens in a hard-fought three-set match (7-5, 5-7, 10-5).
??I was very pleased with how the girls adjusted to the outdoor atmosphere,?? said head coach Buffy Baker. ??Our success in doubles was a matter of us continually fighting and wanting the best. This was a great way for our seniors to end their home careers.??
The Nittany Lions will prepare for the final weekend of Big Ten season play when they battle Indiana in Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, April 21 at 10 a.m., followed by a match in Columbus, Ohio against Ohio State on Sunday, April 22 at 11 a.m.
Penn State 5, Michigan State 2 Singles 1. Andreea Niculescu (PSU) def. Christine Bader (MSU) (7-5, 6-4) 2. Pascale Schnitzer (MSU) defeated Sasha Abraham (PSU) (6-1, 6-0) 3. Stephanie Kebler (MSU) def. Lauren Holzberg (PSU) (6-1, 6-2) 4. Jenny Shular (PSU) def. Sarah Andrews (MSU) (6-1, 6-4) 5. Dorothy Dohanics (PSU) def. Jessica Baron (MSU) (6-3, 6-3) 6. Lauren McCarthy (PSU) def. Marianne Eelens (MSU) (7-5, 5-7, 10-5) Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2, 5, 1, 6 Doubles 1. Abraham/Shular (PSU) def. Bader/Kebler (MSU) (8-6) 2. Holzberg/McCarthy (PSU) def. Andrews/Baron (MSU) (8-3) 3. Dohanics/Niculescu (PSU) def. Eelens/Schnitzer (MSU) (8-3) Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3