April 16, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State women's tennis team closes out regular season play this weekend with road trips to Wisconsin and Northwestern. The Nittany Lions take on the Badgers on Saturday at noon and the No. 1 Wildcats on Sunday at noon.
Last time out, Penn State (5-15, 2-6 Big Ten) fell to No. 36 Illinois at home, 7-0. The Fighting Illini came out strong and were led by two ranked singles players. In an April 10 loss to No. 38 Indiana, senior Dorothy Dohanics (Pittsburgh, Pa.) handled the Hoosiers' Sigrid Fischer in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Junior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) put up a fight against Katya Zapadalova in No. 1 singles, but fell in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 7-5. In doubles play, Lindsey Stuckey and Myriam Stuckey edged Dohanics and fellow senior Leyla Morzan (Vancouver, British Columbia) by a narrow 8-7(2) margin in the No. 2 bout.
Wisconsin is coming off an upset win over No. 75 Minnesota last weekend, 5-2. The Badgers are 7-13 overall and their 2-6 conference record ties them with the Nittany Lions for seventh in the Big Ten. In her first collegiate season, freshman Angela Chupa is 8-10 in singles for Wisconsin. All-time, The Lions hold a 3-16 record against the Badgers. In their last meeting, Penn State was edged by then-No. 74 Wisconsin on February 17, 2008, 4-3.
The 20-1 Northwestern Wildcats are the top-ranked team in the country with an unblemished 8-0 record in the Big Ten. The Wildcats' lone loss this season came against then-No. 6 Duke on February 28, 4-3. Freshman Stacey Lee is 17-2 this season in singles. Sophomore Maria Mosolova is ranked No. 2 in the country while senior Georgia Rose is ranked No. 20. The Nittany Lions are looking for their first-ever win over the Wildcats.
Following this weekend's matches, the Nittany Lions will begin preparation for the Big Ten Championship. The tournament will be played at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wisc. from Wednesday, April 22 to Sunday, April 26.