Michigan State University
Penn State
Spartans End Regular Season With 5-2 Victory
4/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich - The Michigan State's women's tennis team ended their regular season today, with a 5-2 victory over Penn State. The win gives the Green and White an overall record of 14-9 this year and a 4-6 mark in conference play. The Spartans will now gear up for the Big Ten Championships, which will begin on April 27 in Champaign, Ill.
The day began with doubles action outdoors. In the No. 1 doubles spot, Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.) and Sarah Andrews (Darwin, Australia) fell to Penn State's top duo of Sasha Abraham and Jenny Shular, 8-4. MSU rebounded, taking the No. 2 and 3 doubles matches and earning the contest's first point.
Junior Jessica Baron (Miami, Fla.) and freshman Stephanie Kebler (Okemos, Mich.) downed Katelyn BeVard and Lauren Holzberg, 8-5, at No. 2, while Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile) and Ana Milosavljevic (Johannesburg, South Africa) won their ninth-straight doubles match with an 8-5 victory that gave the Spartans the point.
After the completion of doubles play, rain forced the match to be moved indoors for singles competition. The only singles match not to go to three sets was Andrews' match, at No. 5, where she fell to Holzberg, 6-2, 6-0. The Spartans' other loss on the day came when sophomore Bader lost in three sets to Abraham, 2-6, 6-3, 6-2.
"Being successful in three-set matches is a combination of mental toughness and conditioning," said interim coach Brett Page. "The girls do a good job of keeping it fun and working hard. They believe that they deserve to win these closes matches and everyone believes that they can be clutch."
At the No. 2 slot, Schnitzer took her first set against Andrea Niculescu, 6-2, but dropped her next, 6-3. Schnitzer battled back, taking the third and final set, 6-3. Schnitzer's doubles partner, Milosavljevic, won her No. 6 match in three sets as well. Milosavljevic defeated Leyla Morzan, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4.
Rounding out the day's action, at the No. 3 spot, Baron beat BeVard after dropping the first set, 6-3, Baron took the next two, 6-4, 6-2. Kebler was also victorious today, defeating Shular, 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3.
"Winning three out of our last four matches is big for us," said Page. "The team's really happy. I felt like they deserved to win some matches, especially after dropping some close ones to start the Big Ten season. Hopefully it will carry over to the Big Ten Tournament."
The women's tennis team returns to action, at the Big Ten Championships, in Champaign, Ill. Play starts on April 27 and will run through April 30. Northwestern has clinched the top seed with its perfect conference record.
Michigan State 5 Penn State 2
Doubles
No. 1 Sasha Abraham/Jenny Schular (PSU) def. Christine Bader/Sarah Andrews (MSU), 8-4
No. 2 Jessica Baron/Stephanie Kebler (MSU) def. Katelyn BeVard/Lauren Holzberg (PSU), 8-5
No. 3 Pascal Schnitzer/Ana Milosavljevic (MSU) def. Dorthy Dohanics/Andreea Niculescu (PSU), 8-5
Singles
No. 1 Abraham (PSU) def. Bader (MSU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 Schnitzer (MSU) def. Niculescu (PSU), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
No. 3 Baron (MSU) def. BeVard (PSU), 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
No. 4 Kebler (MSU) def. Schular (PSU), 6-3, 6-7 (2), 6-3
No. 5 Holzberg (PSU) def. Andrews (MSU), 6-2, 6-0
No. 6 Milosavljevic (MSU) def. Morzan (PSU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
Players Mentioned
