Caroline Lay Named MVP Of MSU Women's Tennis Team
5/15/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 15, 2002
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Sophomore Caroline Lay (Brisbane, Australia) has been named MVP of the Michigan State women's tennis team, while freshman Dora Vastag (Okemos) was selected as the team's Most Improved Player.
Lay spent most of the spring season at No. 3 singles and No. 2 doubles. She recorded a team-high 41 wins during the year, including a team-best 25-10 singles record and a 16-14 doubles mark. Lay's dual match singles record of 17-6 was also best on the team, and she won seven of her 11 Big Ten matches. She had a remarkable 13-2 record at No. 2 singles, and won 11 of her last 13 matches.
Vastag played No. 1 singles for nearly all of the spring season for MSU, and finished with 36 overall wins, including a 20-11 singles record and a 16-14 doubles mark. Her 16 doubles wins tied for the most on the squad and her 20 singles victories was second best. She posted a 12-8 record at No. 1 singles in dual matches, including a 5-5 mark against Big Ten opponents. In the fall, she reached the round of 16 at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships.
MSU finished the 2002 season with an 11-12 record, collecting three more victories than the two previous seasons combined. The Spartans won three of their 11 Big Ten matches, which was their most conference wins in nine seasons. MSU improved its team score against almost every opponent that it played both this year and last, and avenged losses to six teams that beat MSU in 2001.