Spartan Women's Tennis Welcomes Maryland, Rutgers
4/8/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's tennis welcomes Maryland and Rutgers for a pair of home matches this weekend at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility. The Spartans face off with the Terrapins on Saturday, April 9, at 11 a.m., before hosting the Scarlet Knights on Sunday, April 10, at 11 a.m.
"Maryland is a very good team, along with Rutgers," said head coach Simone Jardim. "Our conference is strong, so there is nobody that will be a walk in the park. It'll be good to be back home and get some confidence. We have played well and fought really hard. As we prepare for Maryland and Rutgers, we know that they are tough teams. I think this will be a great opportunity for us."
Last time out, MSU (9-8, 1-4 B1G) took to the road for a pair of Big Ten road contests at No. 70 Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Spartans opened the trip with a 5-2 loss in Minneapolis. Junior Athena Trouillot and sophomore Aslina Chua notched victories in the defeat. At Wisconsin, MSU and the Badgers went back-and-forth before UW clinched, 4-3, with wins on courts one and two. Chua went 2-0 in singles over the weekend, while freshman Emily Metcalf and senior Emily Meyers rebounded with wins against the Badgers.
"We have had lots go our way this season, but this isn't the first time it hasn't," Jardim said. "It isn't always about the last match, but what goes into the others. Against Indiana, we needed more from all six courts, and against Wisconsin we needed that doubles point. When it comes down to 4-3 matches, sometimes the momentum shifts. I think we can win three singles against anybody, so we will be in any match. We just have to take advantage when our opportunities come."
After beginning the year at No. 69 in the ITA's Top-75 Poll, MSU has spent the past five weeks unranked. The five-week spell is the longest since the Spartans found themselves on the outside looking in for the first 11 polls of the 2014 season. MSU first fell out of the rankings in the Top-75 after being ranked for 14-straight polls, dating back to March 10, 2015. After a brief time out, the Spartans had their highest ranking of the season at No. 67 on March 1. The bottom of the Spartans' lineup has recorded an impressive 34-14 (.708) mark through 14 matches, as No. 1-3 singles have gone 21-29 (.420). No. 5 singles has been MSU's most reliable slot in the lineup, going 12-4. Freshman Emily Metcalf is 4-0 at No. 5, while recording 9-5 overall record this spring.
The Terrapins come into the weekend 7-9 with a 4-3 mark in conference play. Maryland has lost two of its last three outings, falling to Illinois and Ohio State. One of the Terps biggest wins this spring came against then-No. 62 Purdue, 6-1. Alexandra Stanova garnered Big Ten Player of the Week honors after her effort. Stanova and doubles partner Kristina Hovsepyan were ranked No. 89 in the country in the latest ITA poll.
The Scarlet Knights enter the weekend 6-11, 0-7 in the Big Ten. Before arriving in East Lansing on Sunday, April 10, Rutgers takes on No. 11 Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Scarlet Knights are on a five-match losing streak dating back to March 16. Gina Li paces the team with a 10-7 mark this spring. Li has played all 17 matches at No. 1 singles and has gone 3-4 in Big Ten competition. She is the only Scarlet Knight with a winning record. Ksenija Tihomirova and Chloe Lee are 9-7 in doubles to lead Rutgers.
Players Mentioned
