UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Women’s Tennis (2-0) defeated Old Dominion (1-1), 4-3, on Sunday. The dual came down to the final two matches with freshman Maria Daciana Ciubotaru and senior Yvonne Zuffova clinching their singles matches one after the other.
The Nittany Lions took the doubles point in dramatic fashion. The junior tandem of Olivia Dorner and Maiko Uchijima, ranked 46th in the ITA poll, controlled their match on court one for a 6-3 victory. After falling behind early, sophomore Jordina Cegarra and freshman Patricia Grigoras rallied to a 6-4 win. Both matches ended simultaneously as Penn State jumped to an early advantage.
Freshman Jelena Vico earned the Nittany Lions’ first singles point of the contest with a clean 6-4, 6-2 win on court four. At spots one and two, Dorner battled No. 7 Sofia Johnson and Uchijima competed against Kira Matushkina. Both would force third sets but ultimately dropped their matches.
Down 3-2, Penn State needed singles wins on courts five and six to come out victorious. At the sixth spot, Ciubotaru won a tight first set and then handled the second with ease to tie the score at 3-3. Shortly after she clinched the 7-6, 6-3 win, Zuffova came out on top in a three-set thriller to win the match for the Nittany Lions. She rallied from dropping the first set to come out with a 5-7, 7-6 (6), 6-2 triumph.
Penn State returns to action against Saint Francis on Friday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. at the Indoor Tennis Center.
Follow along with the Nittany Lions on X, @PennStateWTEN, and on Instagram, @pennstatewtennis.
Results
Doubles
1. #46 Olivia Dorner/Maiko Uchijima (PSU) def. Sofia Johnson/Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU): 6-3
2. Jordina Cegarra/Patricia Grigoras (PSU) def. Ulyana Romanova/Victoria Matasova (ODU): 6-4
3. Marina Markina/Kira Matushkina (ODU) def. Yvonne Zuffova/Maria Daciana Ciubotaru (PSU): 6-2
Singles
1. #7 Sofia Johnson (ODU) def. Olivia Dorner (PSU): 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
2. Kira Matushkina (ODU) def. Maiko Uchijima (PSU): 6-1, 6-7. 6-2
3. Lidiia Rasskouskaia (ODU) def. Patricia Grigoras (PSU): 6-2, 6-4
4. Jelena Vico (PSU) def. Ulyana Romanova (ODU): 6-4, 6-2
5. Yvonne Zuffova (PSU) def. Marina Markina (ODU): 5-7, 7-6, 6-2
6. Maria Daciana Ciubotaru (PSU) def. Allison Isaacs (ODU): 7-6, 6-3