Women's Tennis Hosts Final Matches against Indiana and Illinois
4/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2010
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Head Coach Simone Jardim
Senior Christine Milliken
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team hosts Indiana on Saturday, April 24 and then Illinois on Sunday, April 25. Weather permitting, both matches will be played at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts and begin at 11 a.m. ET.
Last Time Out
The Spartans last fell, 7-0, to No. 48 Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. on Sunday, April 18, leaving MSU at an overall record of 7-14.
The only win for the Green and White was acquired by the doubles pairing of freshman Michaela Silesova (Topolcany, Slovakia) and sophomore Elena Ivanova (Moscow, Russia) at No. 2 doubles after they defeated Anna Dushkina and Gisella Pere, 9-8 (7-5).
Freshmen Sensations
Currently leading the Spartans at the top of the lineup are freshmen Nicole Herzog (Manilia, Brazil) and Silesova. Together, the two freshmen have recorded 10 wins at the top two positions.
The No. 2 position has tallied seven wins so far this season with Herzog leading the way with individual record of 4-12 at the spot. Herzog battled against Lauren McCarthy of PSU after losing the first set to pick up her most recent win, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Silesova has earned the other three wins at No. 2 singles with her 3-1 record.
With the addition of Barton, who has earned three wins at the No. 4 spot, two at the No. 3 spot and one at No. 5, the freshman class has accounted for every match in the top two positions of the singles lineup for the Green and White.
Barton was the only Spartan to post two wins against Minnesota and Iowa and the only one to post a win over a Minnesota opponent.
Adding Depth
With a combined effort from Barton, Ivanova, Wilson, Noe, Milliken and sophomores Ashley Stockwell (Okemos, Mich.) and Dana Guentert (Lilburn, Ga.) in the lower portion of the lineup, the No. 4 and 5 singles positions have acquired 11 and 10 wins, respectively.
An overall record of 11-10 has been accumulated at the No. 4 spot with four wins coming from Wilson, three from Ivanova, one from Milliken and the three most recent from Barton.
The No. 5 singles spot stands at 10-11 on the season with six wins coming from Ivanova, while one win each was posted by Guentert, Noe, Wilson and Barton.
Doubles Delight
Doubles action has proven to be an asset for the Spartans. MSU has attained the doubles point in 11 of 21 matches so far this season, four of those resulting in losses for the Green and White. Also, No. 2 and No. 3 doubles have winning overall records.
Herzog and Noe have made the greatest contribution to the overall 10-11 mark at the No. 1 spot as they sit at 5-1 overall, while Ivanova and Silesova have added with a 3-3 record. The tandems of Barton and Wilson, and Herzog and Wilson have each added one win to the overall 10.
Barton and Wilson are currently 8-0 at the No. 2 spot in addition to the 1-4 record the pairing has posted at No. 1 doubles. The other four positional wins were gained by the doubles tandem of Silesova and Ivanova who tally a 5-4 mark on the season, bringing the No. 2 doubles spot to 13 wins overall.
At No. 3 doubles, Herzog and Milliken have joined forces to tally a 5-3 record. Also posting wins at the position is the tandem of Barton and Wilson (2-2), the pairing of Ivanova and Milliken (2-0), Ivanova and Silesova (1-0) and most recently the doubles team of Noe and Milliken (1-3).
Around the World
Of the 12 girls on the women's tennis roster, six different countries are represented; Brazil, Slovakia, Russia, Australia, France and the United States of America. The Spartans are also represented by four different states; Texas, Indiana, Michigan and Georgia.
Among the coaching staff, head coach Simone Jardim is from Santa Maria, Brazil, assistant coach Shelley Godwin hails from Birmingham, Alabama, and former Spartan, and volunteer assistant coach Ana Milosavljevic arrives from Johannesburg, South Africa.
No. 43 Indiana
The Hoosiers are 43rd in the country in the latest ITA rankings with an overall record of 14-7, and a conference record of 4-4. IUs doubles pairing of Lindsey Stuckey and Evgeniva Vertesheva have claimed the 70th spot nationally. The last meeting between IU and MSU ended in Indiana's favor, 5-2, in the spring of 2009. Lin Loring is in his 33rd season leading the Hoosiers.
No. 21 Illinois
The Fighting Illini is currently 21st in the country with Megan Fudge holding the 83rd spot in singles action. Fudge has also teamed with Leigh Finnegan in doubles action to claim the 61st place. Illinois has compiled an overall record of 13-7 and a Big Ten record of 7-1, falling only to Northwestern. In the spring of 2009, Illinois defeated Michigan State, 7-0. Head coach Michelle Dasso is in her third season with Illinois.
Up Next
The Spartans travel to Iowa City, Iowa where they will face a yet to be determined opponent in the first round of the Big Ten Championship on Thursday, April 29.
Players Mentioned
