March 29, 2009
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Penn State women's tennis team snagged its first win over a ranked opponent today, defeating No. 63 Iowa, 4-3. The victory improved Penn State's overall record to 4-12 as the Hawkeyes fell to 7-9.
"I am very proud of our team today," said head coach Dawna Prevette. "We made adjustments in doubles and it showed in our results. Leyla [Morzan] did a great job under pressure. It was a true team effort today."
The match opened with doubles play as Penn State and Iowa split the first two matches. The Nittany Lions grabbed the doubles point by holding on in third doubles and taking an early 1-0 lead. The Hawkeyes tied the score by winning in the first singles match. The Lions appeared to be in control after winning the next singles face-off, but Iowa responded with two consecutive victories to take a 3-2 lead. After a win in third singles, Penn State ran away with the match victory as senior Leyla Morzan (Vancouver, British Columbia) held on to win in the final match of the day.
On the No. 1 doubles court, junior Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Ontario) and freshman Monika Mical (Stalowa Wola, Poland) fell to Jessica Young and Sonja Molnar, 8-2. Sophomore Denisa Zobeideh (Weston, Fla.) and junior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) followed in second doubles with a convincing 8-3 win over Lynne Poggensee-Wei and Kelcie Klockenga. With the doubles point on the line, Morzan and fellow senior Dorothy Dohanics (Pittsburgh, Pa.) battled back and forth with Alexis Dorr and Ally Majercik, edging the Hawkeye pair in a tight 8-6 victory.
With Penn State ahead 1-0, the match moved into singles. Mical couldn't find an answer for the nation's No. 92 singles player Sonja Molnar, falling 6-0, 6-2 on the No. 1 court. McCarthy gave Penn State a 2-1 lead as she defeated Dorr in straight sets in the No. 2 match-up, 6-1, 6-1. The Hawkeyes weren't ready to quit as Young tied the match a second time by defeating freshman Maria Prishlyak (Kiev, Ukraine) in fifth singles, 6-3, 6-3.
With the match tied at 2-2, Dohanics defeated Klockenga in the first set of fourth singles, 7-5. Klockenga gained momentum by winning the second set 6-3, going on to give Iowa at 3-2 lead by winning the third set, 6-0. On the No. 3 court, Zobeideh charged ahead of Poggensee-Wei with a 6-3 victory in the first set. Poggensee-Wei tied the match with a narrow 7-6 win in the second, but Zobeideh dominated in the tiebreaker, winning 7-1 and tying the match at 3-3.
The match came down to the final bout of the day as Morzan squared off with Majercik on the No. 6 court. Morzan struggled early and dropped the first set 6-3. Showing her senior leadership, Morzan retorted by winning the next two sets, 6-4, 6-3, snatching the Nittany Lions upset, 4-3.
Penn State is back at home next weekend to host Big Ten rivals Michigan and Michigan State. The Lions take on the Spartans on Saturday, April 4 at 11 a.m. and the Wolverines on Sunday, April 5 at 10 a.m. Weather permitting; the matches will be played outdoors at the Sarni Tennis Center. Admission to all Penn State home matches is free.
Penn State 4, No. 63 Iowa 3
Doubles Competition
1. Jessica Young/Sonja Molnar (Iowa) def. Monika Mical/Sarah Lotto (Penn State) 8-2
2. Lauren McCarthy/Denisa Zobeideh (Penn State) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei/Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa) 8-3
3. Dorothy Dohanics/Leyla Morzan (Penn State) def. Alexis Dorr/Ally Majercik (Iowa) 8-6
Singles Competition
1. #92 Sonja Molnar (Iowa) def. Monika Mical (Penn State) 6-0, 6-2
2. Lauren McCarthy (Penn State) def. Alexis Dorr (Iowa) 6-1, 6-1
3. Denisa Zobeideh (Penn State) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa) 6-3, 7-6 (7-1)
4. Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa) def. Dorothy Dohanics (Penn State) 5-7, 6-3, 6-0
5. Jessica Young (Iowa) def. Maria Prishlyak (Penn State) 6-3, 6-3
6. Leyla Morzan (Penn State) def. Ally Majercik (Iowa) 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Match Notes
Iowa 7-9, 2-3; National ranking 63
Penn State 4-12, 1-3; NR
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,2,3) Singles (1,2,5,4,3,6)