April 17, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- The Penn State women's tennis team kicked off their final weekend series of the regular season in thrilling fashion as the Nittany Lions came from behind to defeat the Spartans 4-3 Friday. With Michigan State up 3-2, Katia Blik (Moscow, Russia) won a second set tiebreaker 7-5 to extend the match to a third set. In the third set, Blik rolled to a 6-3 victory over Erin Faulkner and tied the match at three.
"I think this is a really good time for us to get that confidence," said Blik. "I think everyone on the team gained a lot of confidence and we know we can compete with the better teams and can beat them. I think this was a huge boost to our confidence overall as a team."
Tied at three, the match came down to court four, where Dasha Sapogova (Minsk, Belarus) and Catherine Parenteau split the first two sets. With Sapogova up 5-1, Parenteau won two straight sets to pull within 5-3, but Sapogova bounced back to capture the next set, which in essence, clinched the match. With her victory, Sapogova improved her record in the Big Ten to a team leading 9-2.
"I was focused and trying to just concentrate on my court," said Sapogova. "The girls were helping a lot by cheering and I was just trying to think one point at a time and not overthink it."
The victory extended the win streak to eight, the longest streak since the 2012-13 season, where the blue and white captured nine matches in a row. Penn State improved their Big Ten record to 8-2, including seven straight conference victories. On the season, this was the fifth victory over a ranked opponent.
"This team amazes me in so many ways. You can see they are out there fighting for each other and competing all the way to the last point," said head coach Chris Cagle. "It showed today as we beat a really strong, gritty Michigan State team."
Kim Surin (Montreal, Canada) put the Nittany Lions up 2-1 after her straight sets victory over Aslina Chua. The win gave Surin her eighth conference win of the season, good for second best on the team.
The Spartans answered right back as Emily Meyers defeated Jacqueline Zuhse (Boca Raton, Fla.) 6-4, 6-3. Lexi Baylis gave Michigan State a 3-2 lead as she defeated Victoria Kisialeva (Toronto, Canada) 6-4, 6-4.
Penn State jumped out to an early 1-0 as the Nittany Lions won on courts two and three. Katherine Whiteaway (Sawbridgeworth, England) and Zuhse cruised to an 8-4 victory over Athena Trouillot and Anna Zelechonok. The win was the pair's third conference win in a row. The clincher came from McCluskey and Surin, as the duo defeated Emily Meyers and Lexi Baylis 8-4.
"Michigan is a very good team, but we are going to do what we do, which is to come out and fight, be gritty, and be ready to compete on Sunday," said Cagle.
The Nittany Lions are back in action for the final time in the regular season Sunday as the blue and white battles No. 14 Michigan at 11:00 a.m. Sunday will also be Senior Day as senior Melissa Minniti (Gaithersburg, Md.) and junior Lisa Petruzillo (Muttontown, N.Y.) will be honored during the doubles break. For all of the latest news, `like' our Facebook page at Penn State Women's Tennis and follow our twitter account @pennstateWTEN.
Singles Results: Order of Finish (5, 3, 6, 2, 1, 4)
1) Blik def. Faulkner (MSU) 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3
2) Baylis (MSU) def. Kisialeva 6-4, 6-4
3) Surin def. Chua (MSU) 6-2, 6-1
4) Sapogova def. Parenteau (MSU) 7-5, 2-6, 6-3
5) Trouillot (MSU) def. McCluskey 6-3, 6-1
6) Meyers (MSU) def. Zuhse 6-4, 6-3
Doubles Results: Order of Finish (3, 2)
1) Kisialeva/Blik vs. Faulkner/Parenteau 6-6 (unfinished)
2) McCluskey/Surin def. Meyers/Baylis (MSU) 8-4
3) Zuhse/Whiteaway def. Trouillot/Zelechonok (MSU) 8-4