| Senior Andreea Niculescu had the lone win in the Nittany Lion's (6-1) loss to No. 43 Ohio State. PSU will take this week to prepare for the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis beginning Thursday, where they will take on Michigan State at 10 a.m. |
COLUMBUS, Ohio.; April 22, 2007 ?C The Penn State women??s tennis team (9-12, 3-7) wrapped up their regular season Sunday against No. 43 Ohio State, falling to the Buckeyes, 6-1. This was the final match for the Nittany Lions before heading into the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis Thursday.
Freshman Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Canada) and sophomore Lauren Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) began the day in doubles action, falling by an 8-1 margin to Sonia Ruzimovsky and Caitlin O'Keefe. Senior Sasha Abraham (Hyderabad, India) and junior Jenny Shular (Peachtree City, Ga.) rebounded for the Nittany Lions, topping Julie Blackmore and Ciara Finucane in an 8-3 decision. The doubles point was determined by the third doubles pairing of sophomore Dorothy Dohanics (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and freshman Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.), who dropped an 8-5 match to Christina Keesey and Angela DiPastina, securing a one-point lead for the Buckeyes.
In singles action, McCarthy fell 6-2, 6-1 to Julie Voss, while Dohanics lost to O??Keefe in a pair of 6-2 sets. Senior Andreea Niculescu (Montreal, Quebec) grabbed a ??W?? for the Nittany Lions, topping Blackmore (6-2, 6-4) and bringing the score to 3-1. The Buckeyes took over from there, with Holzberg falling 6-4, 6-3 to Ruzimovsky, Abraham dropping a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 competition with Ally Mueller and Shular coming up short in an exciting match with Christina Keesey (4-6, 6-4, 10-8).
??(Andreea) Niculescu played some of the smartest and most disciplined tennis of her entire career today,?? said assistant coach Katie Dougherty. ??(Jenny) Shular and (Sasha) Abraham competed a high level in doubles both yesterday and today. We had a tough weekend, but this will not define what we have done this season.??
Penn State will then take this week to prepare for the Big Ten Tournament in Minneapolis, Minnesota beginning Thursday, April 26 through Sunday, April 29.
No. 43 Ohio State 6, Penn State 1
Singles
- 1. Andreea Niculescu (PSU) def. Julie Blackmore (OSU) 6-2, 6-4
- 2. Ally Mueller (OSU) def. Sasha Abraham (PSU) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
- 3. Christina Keesey (OSU) def. Jenny Shular (PSU) 4-6, 6-4, 10-8
- 4. Sonia Ruzimovsky (OSU) def. Lauren Holzberg (PSU) 6-4, 6-3
- 5. Caitlin O'Keefe (OSU) def. Dorothy Dohanics (PSU) 6-2, 6-2
- 6. Julie Voss (OSU) def. Lauren McCarthy (PSU) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 1, 4, 2, 3
Doubles
- 1. Sasha Abraham/Jenny Shular (PSU) def. Julie Blackmore/Ciara Finucane (OSU) 8-3
- 2. Sonia Ruzimovsky/Caitlin O'Keefe (OSU) def. Sarah Lotto/Lauren Holzberg (PSU) 8-1
- 3. Christina Keesey/Angela DiPastina (OSU) def. Dorothy Dohanics/Lauren McCarthy (PSU) 8-5
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3