March 5, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; - In its second Big Ten match of the season, the Penn State women's tennis team (2-8, 0-2 Big Ten) fell to No. 21 Ohio State (12-3, 1-0 Big Ten) today, 7-0. The Nittany Lions are back on the court tomorrow for a home match against Temple at 2 p.m. at the Indoor Tennis Center.
Ohio State opened the match with an early lead after sweeping the doubles competition. The Buckeyes carried their momentum into singles play, winning on all courts to grab their first Big Ten win of the season.
Opening the match in doubles play, senior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) and sophomore Michaela Stracar (Jericho, N.Y.) never recovered from an early 3-1 deficit in third singles, dropping an 8-1 decision to Gabby Steele and Fidan Manashirova. Christina Keesey and Paloma Escobedo clinched the doubles point for the Buckeyes with an 8-2 win over sophomore Maria Prishlyak (Kiev, Ukraine) and freshman Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada).
Following in first doubles, senior Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Ontario) and freshman Amy Simidian (Carlstadt, N.J.) trailed Cami Hubbs and Kelsey Haviland by only two at 6-4, but the Buckeye tandem pulled away to an 8-4 victory, completing the Ohio State doubles sweep.
Opening singles play, Steele defeated Henderson in the first set of fifth singles, 6-1. Henderson hung around in the second set, pulling herself within one at 4-3 before Steele moved ahead to a 6-3 win.
With Ohio State leading 2-0, Manashirova topped Stracar in No. 6 singles, 6-4, 6-3. Stracar fell despite a 4-1 lead in the first set, as Manashirova grabbed another point for Ohio State after three ties in the second set. Haviland secured the Ohio State match victory as she topped Prishlyak in third singles, 6-4, 6-3.
In the marquee match-up of the day, No. 66 Januskova squared off against No. 67 Kirsten Flower. Flower dominated early, taking the first set, 6-2. Januskova locked down in the second set, battling Flower throughout four ties and three lead changes, which eventually led to a 6-6 tie. In the tiebreaker, Flower grabbed the victory in dramatic fashion, winning the set 7-6(5).
Simidian was tied with Escobedo 2-2 in the first set of second singles, but the Buckeye junior pulled away and took the set, 6-2. In the second set, Simidian jumped out to a 3-1 advantage, followed by an Escobedo run to put the score at 4-4. Two more ties followed at 5-5 and 6-6. In the tiebreaker, Escobedo edged Simidian, 7-6(4).
In the final match of the day, McCarthy was unable to hold onto a two-game lead in the first set, falling 7-5 to Keesey on the No. 4 court. Keesey carried her momentum into the second set, taking a 6-1win and completing Ohio State's sweep.
Penn State is back at home again tomorrow to host Temple at 2 p.m. The team hits the road next week for two non-conference matches in Texas. The Nittany Lions face the Bobcats of Texas State on Wednesday at 11 a.m. and the No. 22 SMU Mustangs on Friday, March 12 at noon. The following weekend, the Lions hit the East Coast for 2 p.m. match at Princeton on Saturday, March 20.
No. 21 Ohio State 7, Penn State 0
Doubles
1. Cami Hubbs/Kelsey Haviland (OSU) def. Amy Simidian/Sarah Lotto (PSU), 8-4
2. Christina Keesey/Paloma Escobedo (OSU) def. Maria Prishlyak/Petra Januskova (PSU), 8-2
3. Gabby Steele/Fidan Manashirova (OSU) def. Lauren McCarthy/Michaela Stracar (PSU), 8-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles
1. No. 67 Kirsten Flower (OSU) def. No. 66 Petra Januskova (PSU), 6-2, 7-6(5)
2. Paloma Escobedo (OSU) def. Amy Simidian (PSU), 6-2, 7-6(4)
3. Kelsey Haviland (OSU) def. Maria Prishlyak (PSU), 6-4, 6-3
4. Christina Keesey (OSU) def. Lauren McCarthy (PSU), 7-5, 6-1
5. Gabby Steele (OSU) def. Sarah Henderson (PSU), 6-1, 6-3
6. Fidan Manashirova (OSU) def. Michaela Stracar (PSU), 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish: 5, 6, 3, 1, 2, 4