Feb. 19, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -
The No. 59 Penn State women's tennis team (5-3, 1-0) fought valiantly, but could not overcome an impressive Green Wave (8-1, 2-0) squad Sunday afternoon at the Indoor Tennis Center.
Junior Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada) and sophomore Chelsea Utting (Peachtree City, Ga.) got the Nittany Lions off to a fast start in doubles play. The first doubles combo dominated from start to finish, en route to downing Mariam Kurdadze and Emma Levy, 8-4.
The Nittany Lions could not keep the momentum going though, as the Green Wave broke through in second and third doubles. Sophomore Marie Bedard (Montreal, Quebec) and senior Fernanda Perrotta (Buenos Aires, Argentina) fought tooth and nail against Caroline Magnusson and Caroline Thornton in second doubles. The duo came up short in the end though, falling, 8-4. All attention then turned to court three where sophomore Carmen Sandor (Toronto, Canada) and junior Sarah Henderson (Bloomington, Ind.) faced off against Lindsay Dvorak and Hila Elster. Sandor and Henderson could not overcome a barrage from Tulane's third doubles team, falling, 8-4.
The Nittany Lions entered singles play looking to right the ship and claim their sixth victory of the season. Penn State did not have to wait long to get the spark they so desperately needed. Januskova continued to prove why she deserved to enter the ITA top-125 singles rankings this week at No. 43. The junior breezed to a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Kurdadze in the No. 1 singles contest. The triumph improved Januskova's record to 8-0 this spring.
After Januskova equaled the match at 1-1, Utting took to court two looking to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the afternoon. Utting stayed close to Levy through the first set, but in the end, dropped the set, 6-4. Levy then took the second set, 6-2. Sandor then took on Thornton in third singles. After dropping the first set, 6-4, Sandor rebounded from an early deficit to force a tie-breaker in the second set. In the breaker, Sandor took an early 4-2 lead, but could not hang on as Thornton went on to win, 7-5 (5).
Perrotta would not allow Penn State to go quietly though. The senior split the first two sets, 7-6, 5-7 in fourth singles before taking down Magnusson, 6-2, in the final set. The victory pulled Penn State back to within one at 3-2. In fifth singles, Bedard reinjured her left knee in the first set against Jenny Hois. She dropped the first set, 6-4 and eventually had to retire during the second set. After Penn State had dropped the decisive point, senior Nina Sertic (Zagrab, Croatia) fell to Lindsay Dvorak, 4-6, 6-4, 10-5.
The Nittany Lions will remain home with a pair of matches next weekend. Penn State will entertain the Marshall Thundering Herd Friday, Feb. 24 at 5 p.m. and Miami of Ohio, Sunday, Feb. 26 at noon. Both matches will be played at the Indoor Tennis Center. Admission is free for all fans.
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| 5 |
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2
| Doubles | ||||
|
Kurdadze/Levy |
|
#1 |
8-4 |
Januskova/Utting |
|
Magnusson/Thornton |
8-4 |
#2 |
|
Perrotta/Bedard |
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Dvorak/Elster8-4 |
|
#3 | br /> |
Sandor/Henderson |
| Order of finish: 1, 2, 3 | ||||
| Singles | ||||
|
Kurdadze |
#1 |
6-2, 6-4 |
#96 Januskova | |
| Levy |
6-4, 6-2 |
#2 |
|
Utting |
| Thornton |
6-4, 7-6 (5) |
#3 |
|
Sandor |
|
Magnusson |
#4 |
7-6, 5-7, 6-2 |
Perrotta |
|
| Hois |
6-4, retired |
#5 |
|
Bedard |
| Dvorak |
4-6, 6-4, 10-5 |
#6 |
Sertic |
|
| Order of finish: | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 | |||