March 19, 2009
In it's first appearance of the season at the outdoor Sarni Tennis Center, the Penn State women's tennis team blew by non-conference opponent Lehigh, 6-1. Freshmen Allie Hefter (Longmont, Colo.) and Kristen Roth (Ardmore, Pa.) picked up a victory for the Lions in the No. 3 doubles match.
"We really took care of business today," said head coach Dawna Prevette. "I was proud of Allie [Hefter] for stepping up in her first match and getting the win."
Penn State (3-11, 0-2 Big Ten) clinched its victory in singles competition by winning the first five singles matches. Lehigh (3-8) scored their only point of the afternoon in the final singles match. Following in doubles play, Penn State swept all three matches as Hefter and Roth closed out the day with an 8-6 win in No. 3 doubles.
The match opened with singles competition as sophomore Denisa Zobeideh (Weston, Fla.) handled Julie Arthofer on the No. 3 court in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1. Freshman Maria Prishlyak (Kiev, Ukraine) followed in fifth singles, jumping ahead of Stacey Reich with a 6-2 win in the first set. Prishlyak never looked back, storming ahead to a 6-0 shutout in the second set to put the Lions up 2-0.
Following on the No. 2 court, junior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) blitzed Ariela Cohen in the opening set, 6-0. McCarthy cruised to a straight set victory with a 6-1 win in the second. Freshman Michaela Stracar (Jericho, N.Y.) had no problem with Ruthie Furman as she clinched the match victory for Penn State with a 6-1, 6-0 win.
With Penn State ahead 4-0, freshman Monika Mical (Stalowa Wola, Poland) took on Allie Schwartz in the No. 1 face-off. Mical defeated Schwartz in the first set by a 6-3 margin. After a series of long volleys in the second set, Mical ran away with the victory with a 6-2 win. Elizabeth Piscitelli edged senior Leyla Morzan (Vancouver, British Columbia) in the first set of fourth singles, 7-5. Morzan answered with a 6-3 victory in the second to tie the match. In a long battle for the win, Piscitelli stole the match from Morzan with the 10-7 tiebreaker win, earning the lone point of the day for the Mountain Hawks.
With Penn State ahead 5-1, the match moved into doubles play. Junior Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Ontario) and Mical led Schwartz and Cohen early in the No. 1 match-up, 4-1. The Lions moved ahead 7-2, and split the final two points to win the match, 8-3. McCarthy and Zobeideh notched their third straight doubles win as they downed Arthofer and Piscitelli, 8-1, sealing the doubles point for the Lions.
Following in third doubles, Hefter and Roth led Reich and Furman early, 3-1. The score was tied at 4-4 after a Mountain Hawk comeback, but the Nittany Lion tandem held off their momentum and won the next two to move ahead 6-4. Another Lehigh charge tied the match a second time, 6-6. Hefter and Roth took control from there, winning the next two and clinching the 8-6 win in their first doubles appearance of the season.
The Nittany Lions close out the regular season with eight straight Big Ten matches. Next weekend, Penn State travels to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers on Friday, March 27 at 6:30 p.m. On Sunday, March 29, the Lions face the Hawkeyes at Iowa at noon. The Lions return home on Saturday, April 4 to take on Michigan State at 11 a.m.
Penn State 6, Lehigh 1
Singles
1. Monika Mical (PSU) def. Allie Schwartz (LU) 6-3, 6-2
2. Lauren McCarthy (PSU) def. Ariela Cohen (LU) 6-0, 6-1
3. Denisa Zobeideh (PSU) def. Julie Arthofer (LU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Elizabeth Piscitelli (LU) def. Leyla Morzan (PSU) 7-5, 3-6, 10-7
5. Maria Prishlyak (PSU) def. Stacey Reich (LU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Michaela Stracar (PSU) def. Ruthie Furman (LU) 6-1, 6-0
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 2, 6, 1, 4
Doubles
1. Monika Mical/Sarah Lotto (PSU) def. Allie Schwartz/Ariela Cohen (LU) 8-3
2. Lauren McCarthy/Denisa Zobeideh (PSU) def. Julie Arthofer/Elizabeth Piscitelli (LU) 8-1
3. Allie Hefter/Lauren Roth (PSU) def. Stacey Reich/Ruthie Furman (LU) 8-6
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Penn State: 3-11, 0-2 Big Ten Lehigh: 3-8, 0-0 Patriot League