Feb. 3, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. - Penn State came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat Kentucky 4-3 and remain undefeated on the season. The Nittany Lions won four of the final six matches to shock the Wildcats in Lexington.
After dropping her first set to No. 117 Caitlin McGraw, Carmen Sandor won her final two sets and her match, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5, to break the tie and give the Nittany Lions a 4-3 victory. Sandor led 5-2 in the third set before McGraw stormed back to tie it at 5 only to see Sandor get the final two and take the match. The win was the 30th career singles win for Sandor.
After failing to get the doubles point for the first time this season, dropping two of the three doubles matches, the Nittany Lions needed four victories in the singles competition to get the victory. Carmen Sandor and Devan McCluskey in their first doubles match together and McCluskey's first doubles match of the spring were the lone doubles winners for the Nittany Lions when they brought home a victory 8-4 against Jessica Stiles and Stephanie Fox.
Jacqueline Zuhse and Katherine Whiteaway were bested in their match by CeCe Witten and Edmée Morin-Kougoucheff 8-4. The loss was the freshman duo's first in four matches this spring. With the loss the doubles point came down to the match between the Atlantic Region's No. 4 ranked duo of Petra Januskova and Chelsea Utting and Kentucky's top duo of Nadia Ravita and Caitlin McGraw who are ranked in the ITA Singles Poll No. 78 and 117 respectively. The Wildcats topped the Nittany Lions in the final doubles match, 8-6, giving them the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead in the match.
Three of the singles matches went to the third set with Penn State winning all three. Zuhse dropped her second set but won her match against Kristen Lewis 7-5, 1-6, 6-0 to give the Lions their first point on the day. Utting defeated Jessica Stiles in the No. 2 singles match after dropping her second set, winning 6-3, 3-6, 6-3. The victory gives Utting 50 singles wins in her career.
McCluskey was the lone Nittany Lion to win in straight sets on the day. She defeated Edmee Morin-Kougoucheff 7-5, 7-6 (7-4), giving Devan her third singles win in four matches this spring. No. 27 Januskova was upset by No. 78 Nadia Ravita 6-3, 6-1. The loss is Januskova's first of the season in singles play and allows Ravita to remain undefeated in her spring season. Whiteaway was bested by Stephanie Fox, 6-1, 6-1.
The undefeated Nittany Lions will return home and face Old Dominion next Sunday at Sarni Indoor Tennis Center at 11 a.m.
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