Feb. 24, 2012
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State women's tennis team (6-3, 1-0) outlasted Marshall (3-5, 0-0), 5-2, on Friday night. The match featured a number of closely contested bouts and the Nittany Lions continued to prove just how much fight they have. In a Code Blue event, Penn State improved to 5-1 on its home court this season.
The match started out with all three doubles pairings taking the court. The teams proved just how evenly matched they were with each match going down to the wire. In the No. 2 slot, Carmen Sandor (Toronto, Canada) and Fernanda Perrotta (Buenos Aires, Argentina) battled Kara Kucin and Ellie Ball but eventually fell, 8-4.
Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada) and Chelsea Utting (Peachtree City, Ga.) faced No. 51 ranked Dominika Zaprazna and Maria Voscekova in the number one spot. The duos fought each other tooth and nail, but Penn State eventually fell in extra games, 9-7. With Marshall claiming the first two doubles matches they earned the point and took a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Although Marshall already won the point, Nina Sertic (Zagrab, Croatia) and Marie-Frederique Bedard (Montreal, Canada) were still playing for the Nittany Lions. The tandem upended Karlyn Timko and Kia Broomfield in the number three slot.
After a ten minute intermission, singles play got underway. No. 43 Januskova continued to prove why she deserves her ranking, breezing by Zaprazna, 6-1, 6-2, in the number one slot. The junior improved her singles record to an undefeated 9-0 for the season.
Sandor was next to finish in the No. 3 singles spot. The sophomore bested Ball 6-3, 6-3. In the number four slot, Perrotta finished seconds after Sandor. The senior also claimed a victory for the Nittany Lions, beating Kucin, 6-2, 6-4, to give Penn State a 3-1 lead.
Utting was in a dual with Voscekova in the No. 2 position. The sophomore put up a valiant fight, but was edged in a close match, 6-4, 7-5.
With the score 3-2, Nina Sertic was in a battle with Koprcini in the number five slot. Sertic dominated the first set, 6-1, but then was bested in the second, 6-0. The senior excelled in the third set, claiming a 6-2 advantage to clinch the victory for the Nittany Lions.
"I came back because I knew I had to," said Sertic. "I knew I could come back and play the same way I played in the first set. I had to put everything together and just keep going because I knew I had to win this."
With the win already secured, Bedard continued to play Broomfield in the No. 6 spot. The sophomore ultimately defeated Broomfield, 6-2, 7-5 for the insurance win.
Penn State returns to its home court on Sunday when it takes on the Miami (OH) Redhawks at 11:30 a.m. After that, the Nittany Lions will have a break in match play for two weeks. Penn State will restart dual match action on Wed., March 14, when it hosts Temple at 4:30 p.m.
All of the Nittany Lion's home matches can be followed through the link for live stats at http://www.gopsusports.com/livestats/c-tennis/xlive.htm. Make sure to "like" the Penn State Women's Tennis page on Facebook and follow PSUWomensTennis on Twitter!
NO. 61 PENN STATE 5
NO. 65 MARSHALL 2
2011 Women's Tennis Yearbook 2012 Roster 2012 Schedule Head Coach Dawna Denny 2012 Tennis Camps
| DOUBLES | SINGLES | F | ||||||||
| #1 |
#2 |
#3 | #1 | #2 | #3 | #4 | #5 | #6 | ||
2
5
Doubles
#51 Zaprazna/Voscekova
9-7
#1
Januskova/Utting
Kucin/Ball
8-4
#2
Perrotta/Sandor
Timko/Broomfield
#3
8-5
Sertic/Bedard
Order of finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
Zaprazna
#1
6-1, 6-2
#43 Januskova
Voscekova
6-4, 7-5
#2
Utting
Ball
#3
6-3, 6-3
Sandor
Kucin
#4
6-2, 6-4
Perrotta
Koprcina
#5
6-1, 0-6, 6-2
Sertic
Broomfield
#6
6-2, 7-5
Bedard
Order of finish:1, 3, 4, 2, 5, 6