May 23, 2013
URBANA, Ill. - The Nittany Lions season came to an end Thursday night when the No. 21 duo of Petra Januskova (Ottawa, Canada) and Chelsea Utting (Peachtree City, Ga.) were knocked out of the NCAA Doubles Championship losing 6-1, 6-0 to Karla Bonacic and Petra Niedermayerova of Kansas State.
The Penn State duo looked to make history by becoming the first pair to win an NCAA match in program history. Their efforts were thwarted by the Wildcats who surged past them winning in straight sets.
Januskova and Utting, the third pair of Nittany Lions to advance to the NCAA Doubles Tournament in team history, dropped the first game before quickly storming back to tie the first set at one point a piece. The Wildcats battled back winning the next five games to take the first set.
Bonacic and Niedermayerova continued their roll into the second set where they won all six games to win the set 6-0 and close out the match. After Penn State tied the first set, 1-1, Kansas State won the match's next 11 games to advance to the second round with a 6-1, 6-0 victory. They will face UCLA's duo of Robin Anderson and Skylar Morton in the second round.
The Nittany Lions duo ends their season 17-7 together. Utting finishes the season with 21 doubles victories tying her total from last year and Januskova finishes with 19 doubles wins. Januskova ends her Nittany Lion career tied with Olga Novikova as the all-time leader in doubles victories with 62.
Utting has 42 doubles victories as a Nittany Lion and 66 in her collegiate career. She will return for her senior season and look to add to her totals. The Nittany Lions will lose two seniors and return eight players from this year's squad next season.