Feb. 26, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - After four straight home matches, the Penn State women's tennis team (2-7, 0-1) will be on the road this weekend for a Big Ten match-up with No. 36 Ohio State (5-5, 0-0). The Nittany Lions are 15-25 all-time against the Buckeyes.
The Nittany Lions are coming off a 6-1 loss to Purdue on Sunday. Against the Boilermakers, the No. 3 doubles pairing of seniors Leyla Morzan (Vancouver, British Columbia) and Dorothy Dohanics (Pittsburgh, Pa.) notched an 8-5 victory over Tatiana Ganzha and Anna Dushkina. Morzan also picked up a victory in No. 6 singles, defeating Remi Martin 6-3, 4-6, 10-6.
Junior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) has compiled a singles record of 4-5 for the spring season, including four three-set matches. The doubles pairing of McCarthy and sophomore Denisa Zobeideh (Weston, Fla.) has earned four doubles wins during the spring season for the Lions. Most recently, the pair defeated Deanna Bailey and Isabelle Raich of then-No. 45 Marshall, 8-5.
This weekend's match marks the beginning of Big Ten play for No. 36 Ohio State. The Buckeyes are currently 5-5 and are led by senior Angela DiPastina's 9-1 record in spring play. Junior Kirsten Flower is 5-5 in first singles, including four consecutive straight-set victories against ranked opponents. The Buckeyes are led by head coach Chuck Merzbacher. Merzbacher is his thirteenth season at Ohio State. Last season against then-No. 33 Ohio State, the Nittany Lions fell 5-2 in their last home match of the season.
Following Saturday's match in Columbus, the Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley for a home match against Wichita State on Saturday, March 7 at 1:00 pm at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center. Admission to the match is free.