April 19, 2013
Ann Arbor, Mich. - No. 43 Penn State (13-7, 3-7) put up a spirited fight winning three matches against No. 6 Michigan (18-4, 9-1) but were unable to come away with an upset losing, 5-2 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
For their third consecutive match the doubles point came down to a third match. Mimi Nguyen and Sarah Lee struck first defeating Carmen Sandor and Devan McCluskey in the No. 2 match, 8-4. No. 30 Petra Januskova and Chelsea Utting continued their hot streak rolling past the nation's No. 3 ranked pairing of Emina Bektas and Brooke Bolender, 9-8 (10-3).
"We have been communicating better on the court and staying positive throughout the whole match," Januskova said. "We have also been feeding each other positive energy and keeping each other pumped up."
The win evened the season series between the two duos, with Bektas and Bolender getting the victory back in the fall at the All-American Championships. The duo has now won three consecutive matches against nationally ranked pairs.
"We know it's our last times playing together in our college career and I feel like it's really pushing us to go past our limits and see how far it will take us," said Utting. "It's been working out really well and I hope it'll take us farther than we've been able to go into the NCAA Tournament."
In the match at No. 3 Jacqueline Zuhse and Marie-Frederique Bedard and the Wolverines' pairing of Robin Yurovsky and Kristen Dodge went to a tiebreaker where Michigan came away with the victory and doubles point winning 9-8 (10-5).
The Wolverines lead increased with wins at the No. 2 and No. 6 matches. No. 50 Yurovsky gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead when Utting retired midway through the second set. Yurovsky led 6-1, 4-2 at the time. At No. 6 Dodge topped Bedard 6-3, 6-2 to put Michigan up 3-0.
McCluskey brought the Nittany Lions within two knocking off No. 104 Lee in straight sets 7-5, 6-1. It was her first match against a nationally ranked opponent in her career.
"I was just trying to stay positive and focus on the here and now," McCluskey said. "My game plan was just to play my game and if I executed I knew I would be in with a chance."
The match at No. 1 was the next to end. After No. 60 Januskova won the second set to force a third, Bektas took the third set and the match 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 to clinch the victory for Michigan.
Zuhse put up a tough fight against Bolender at No. 3 but was unable to get the result. She forced a tiebreaker in both sets but fell just short in both losing, 7-6 (7-5), 7-6 (10-8). Sandor closed out the match in the super breaker earning the victory and the second point for Penn State winning 7-5, 4-6, 10-7.
"I really stayed focused on my objectives today," said Sandor. "I stayed calm and collected on the court which really helped me pull out the tiebreaker."
The Nittany Lions will look to close out their regular season with a win at home against Michigan State on Sunday.The Senior Day match will start at 11 a.m. at the Sarni Tennis Center. The battle with the Spartans will be the final home match of Januskova and Sarah Henderson's collegiate careers.
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