April 25, 2015
EVANSTON, ILL.- In Penn State's first ever Big Ten Semifinal match, the fourth-seeded Nittany Lions fell to top seeded Michigan 4-1 Saturday. The Nittany Lions concluded their Big Ten campaign with a 9-4 record, their best record in 16 seasons.
"Today, we lost a very competitive match to a very good Michigan team," said head coach Chris Cagle. "The scores show just how competitive and how close the match actually was."
No. 33 Ronit Yurovsky clinched the match for the Wolverines with her 6-1, 7-6(4) victory over Victoria Kisialeva (Toronto, Canada).
Michigan took an early 1-0 lead as the Wolverines tallied victories on courts two and three. The 82nd ranked duo of Yurovsky and Lee defeated McCluskey and Surin 8-3. Mira Ruder-Hook and Sara Remynse clinched the point for the maize and blue with their 8-3 victory over Zuhse and Katherine Whiteaway (Sawbridgeworth, England). The match between Blik and Kisialeva and No. 19 Bektas and Najarian was unfinished with Michigan up 7-3.
The Wolverines added to their lead as No. 117 Sarah Lee defeated Dasha Sapogova (Minsk, Belarus) in straight sets 6-0, 6-0. Devan McCluskey (Phoenix, Ariz.) cut the deficit to 3-1 with her 6-3, 6-4 triumph over Mira Ruder-Hook.
"I am very happy about how this team fought back in singles play," said Cagle.
The match was very competitive, as two of the matches that went unfinished could have went either way. Kim Surin (Montreal, Canada) was up on Alex Najarian 7-5, 5-4 before her match was stopped. Jacqueline Zuhse (Boca Raton, Fla.) was heading to a third set with Sara Remynse as the redshirt sophomore won the second set 6-3.
"I am very proud of this team for everything they accomplished this season," said Cagle. "We will wait and see if we are selected to NCAA's Tuesday and no matter the outcome, it won't diminish the season that this team had."
The Nittany Lions will now wait and see if they will earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament as the field is announced Tuesday. 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 (4,1, 5, 2)
1) No. 28 Emina Bektas (UM) def. Blik 6-2, 6-4
2) No. 33 Ronit Yurovsky (UM) def. Kisialeva 6-1, 7-6(4)
3) Surin vs. Alex Najarian (UM) 7-5, 5-4 (unfinished)
4) No. 117 Sarah Lee (UM) def. Sapogova 6-0, 6-0
5) McCluskey def. Mira Ruder-Hook (UM) 6-3, 6-4
6) Sara Remynse (UM) vs. Zuhse 6-4, 3-6 (unfinished)
Doubles Results: Order of Finish (2, 3)
1) Blik/Kisialeva vs. No. 19 Bektas/Najarian 7-3 (UM) (unfinished)
2) No. 82 Yurovsky/Lee (UM) def. McCluskey/Surin 8-3
3) Ruder-Hook/Remynse (UM) def. Zuhse/Whiteaway 8-3