Women's Tennis Prepares for Big Ten Championship
4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 21, 2009
Complete Release in PDF Format 
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team (8-15, 1-9 Big Ten) will return to action on Thursday, April 23 when it faces sixth-seeded Purdue in the first round of the Big Ten Championship. Earlier this season, the Spartans fell in a 4-3 heartbreaker to Purdue. The winner of the first-round match will face the third-seeded Illinois on Friday, April 24, at 3 p.m. ET.
Last Time Out
MSU concluded the regular season on the road with matches against No. 33 Illinois and No. 43 Indiana. On Saturday, the Spartans fell to Illinois, 7-0. MSU dropped a tough 5-2 decision to Indiana on Sunday. Earning the lone victories for the Spartans were Stephanie Kebler (Okemos, Mich.) and Whitney Wilson (Evansville, Ind.).
Frosh. Of the Year?
Dana Guentert (Lilburn, Ga.) has started her Spartan career with an impressive record of 18-8 on the season. Guentert is 7-3 in her last 10 singles matches and she leads the team with a .692 win percentage; her 18 wins are second-best. Guentert has posted a perfect 5-0 record at the No. 5 singles spot, and is 5-2 at the No. 6 spot this season. Her 10 wins in the spring are tied for first on the team, and her .714 win percentage is tops in dual play.
Conference Honors
Elena Ivanova (Moscow, Russia) was honored as the Big Ten Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week on March 31. This was the first Big Ten weekly honor for the freshman. The honor marked the first laurel for the Spartans since Feb. 14, 2007, when Christine Bader was named Big Ten Athlete of the Week. Ivanova now boasts a 17-17 singles mark, seeing most of her action this season at No. 3 singles. 10 of Ivanova's wins have come during the dual season, leading the team in that span.
Recapping the 2008 Big Ten Championship
The Spartans concluded the 2008 season with a first-round defeat to No. 73 Wisconsin. MSU entered the 2008 Big Ten Championship as the sixth-seed in the tournament, while Wisconsin received the No. 11-seed. Kebler and Milosavljevic earned the lone wins for MSU in the 4-2 loss to the Badgers at Purdue University last season.
Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State enters the weekend matches with a record of 8-15. Pacing the Spartans is Wilson, who has an individual record of 20-15; her 20 wins leads the team. Anchoring the Spartans at No. 1 singles is Kebler. On the spring, Kebler is one of three Spartans who have posted at least 10 wins, joining both Guentert and Ivanova during the spring season. In each of the team's eight wins this season, the Spartans have earned a win at the No. 5 singles position - Guentert, Wilson and Lindsey Lonergan (Cincinnati, Ohio) have competed to pick up these wins. Overall, MSU has a .591 win percentage in that spot this season, the best of any singles position.
Doubles Success
The Spartans have picked up the doubles point in 12 matches on the season, including all eight wins. The doubles tandem of Manon Noe (Liancourt, France) and Wilson is 9-7 on the dual season. Compiling a 7-3 record in doubles play is the pairing of Ivanova and Kebler. The pair has mostly seen action in the No. 2 doubles spot during the season, but boasts a 2-1 record at the No. 1 spot. The tandem's most notable win was an upset of the 35th-ranked doubles tandem of Wisconsin's Elizabeth Carpenter and Angela Chupa.
Sophomore Sensations
The Spartans have received contributions this season from several sophomores. Leading the way for the class is Wilson, who leads the team with a 20-15 singles record. Also contributing to the Spartans is Noe, who partners with Wilson to form the No. 1 doubles tandem for the Spartans. Together, the pair is 9-7 on the spring, with 13 victories overall this season.
Road Warriors
The mileage that the team will encompass by the end of the spring season is 13,262 total miles. In that span, one could drive from East Lansing, Mich., to Santa Maria, Brazil, the home of Spartan Head Coach Simone Jardim, and back.
Scouting the Boilermakers
At the reigns of the Boilermakers is second-year head coach Laura Glitz. Purdue enters the Big Ten Championships after finishing the regular season with a record of 8-12 overall and 4-6 in the conference, good enough for a sixth-place finish. The Boilermakers are paced by freshman Jennifer Rabot and junior Tatiana Ganzha; both have eclipsed the 20-win plateau this season for the Boilermakers; Rabot has tallied 24 and Ganzha has won 23. Rabot and Ganzha have spent their time in the middle of the lineup this season. At No. 1 singles for the Boilermakers is Michelle Sammons. On the spring, Sammons has recorded seven wins, with five of those occurring against Big Ten opponents. Leading the doubles portion of the lineup at the No. 1 spot is the tandem of Stephanie Wooten and Michelle Sammons. Together, the pair is 16-10 on the season, with 11 of its wins coming during the spring season.
Scouting the Illini
No. 34 Illinois is led by third-year head coach Michelle Dasso. Illinois enters the weekend with a record of 17-6 overall and is 8-2 in the Big Ten. The Illini are paced by junior Megan Fudge. Fudge has tallied 20 wins this season, eight of which occurred against Big Ten opponents. The 77th-ranked ITA singles player, Fudge has spent all of her time in the top of the lineup this season. Leading the doubles portion of the lineup at the No. 1 spot is the tandem of Chelcie Abajian and Leigh Finnegan. Together, the pair is 10-7 this spring, with five of its wins coming against Big Ten opponents.
Purdue Connection
MSU's volunteer assistant coach, Missy Wright is a `03 graduate of Purdue. Her collegiate career highlights include defeating the third-ranked and defending national champion pairing of Amanda Augustus and Amy Jensen from Cal with partner Jennifer Embry. Wright earned a doubles ranking of 10th in the 1999 preseason ITA poll, the highest of her career. Wright is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection and was the Boilermakers team captain during her senior season. She was ranked nationally in doubles for three consecutive seasons and ranked as high as 24th in doubles during the regular season.
Spartans by Position (Probable Lineup)
No. 1 Singles (Stephanie Kebler)
Spartans at No. 1 singles: 10-13 (.435)
Kebler at No. 1 singles: 10-13 (.435)
Spartans record when winning No. 1 singles: 7-2
Pacing the Spartans at No. 1 singles is Kebler. Kebler enters the Big Ten Championships with 10 wins during the spring, which is tied for the team lead. She also provides much needed championship experience to the young Spartan roster. This marks her fourth Big Ten Championship appearance in as many years. Kebler has a Big Ten Championship record of 1-2 in singles and 0-3 in doubles.
No. 2 Singles (Ana Milosavljevic)
Spartans at No. 2 singles: 6-16 (.273)
Milosavljevic No. 2 singles: 0-2 (.000)
Spartans record when winning No. 2 singles: 6-0
The 2009 Big Ten Championship will mark Milosavljevic's fourth-consecutive appearance. Milosavljevic enters the weekend with 15-overall wins this season, with three of those against Big Ten opponents. Milosavljevic is one of two Spartans that have posted wins in previous Big Ten Tournaments, earning a win in 2008.
No. 3 Singles (Elena Ivanova)
Spartans at No. 3 singles: 10-12 (.455)
Ivanova at No. 3 singles: 8-8 (.500)
Spartans record when winning No. 3 singles: 6-4
Ivanova has provided the Spartans with depth all season, no matter what position she was slotted in. Playing in the heart of the lineup all season, Ivanova has posted 10 wins this spring, with eight of those at No. 3 singles. This is her first appearance in the Big Ten Championship.
No. 4 Singles (Dana Guentert)
Spartans at No. 4 singles: 10-13 (.435)
Guentert at No. 4 singles: 0-2 (.000)
Spartans record when winning No. 4 singles: 7-3
Guentert leads all Spartans this season with a .714 win percentage during the spring season. Guentert boasts a perfect 5-0 record when slated in the No. 5 spot of the lineup and she is 7-3 record in her last 10-matches.
No. 5 Singles (Whitney Wilson)
Spartans at No. 5 singles: 13-9 (.591)
Wilson at No. 5 singles: 5-7 (.417)
Spartans record when winning No. 5 singles: 8-5
Wilson currently leads the Spartans with 20-wins overall. This is the first time Wilson has eclipsed the 20-win plateau in her career. Five of her wins have come in the No. 5 singles position, while three have occurred at No. 3 singles and one at No. 6 singles.
No. 6 Singles (Lindsey Lonergan)
Spartans at No. 6 singles: 9-11 (.450)
Lonergan at No. 6 singles: 3-7 (.300)
Spartans record when winning No. 6 singles: 7-4
Lonergan has moved into the regular lineup after Noe was sidelined with an injury. In Noe's absence, Lonergan has tallied eight wins this spring, with two of those coming against Big Ten opponents - Dana Larson of Wisconsin, and the latest against Remi Martin of Purdue.
No. 1 Doubles (Stephanie Kebler and Whitney Wilson)
Spartans at No. 1 doubles: 12-10 (.545)
Kebler and Wilson at No. 1 doubles: 1-2 (.333)
Kebler and Wilson head the top of the Spartan doubles lineup. Together the tandem is 1-2 on the season. Kebler leads the Spartan attack with 20 doubles wins this season, which leads the team. Wilson has tallied 10 wins in the No. 1 doubles position this spring.
No. 2 Doubles (Ana Milosavljevic and Elena Ivanova)
Spartans at No. 2 doubles: 11-12 (.478)
Milosavljevic and Ivanova at No. 2 doubles: 3-2 (.600)
Milosvljevic and Ivanova pace the middle of the doubles lineup for MSU. Together, the two are 3-2 this spring in this position, also posting a 3-3 record at No. 3. Ivanova has been the most consistent doubles player for MSU in Big Ten play, as she has posted six wins in conference action.
No. 3 Doubles (Dana Guentert and Lindsey Lonergan)
Spartans at No. 3 doubles: 9-12 (.429)
Guentert and Lonergan at No. 3 doubles: 2-3 (.400)
Guentert and Lonergan will both be making their doubles debut at the Big Ten tournament. Together, they have posted two wins this spring season, with both occurring against Big Ten opponents. Combined, the two have recorded 21 doubles victories this season - Longeran with 14 and Guentert with 7.
Players Mentioned
