Saturday, February 9
East Lansing, Mich.
10:00 a.m.
Michigan State University
6
vs
1
University of Connecticut
MSU Women’s Tennis Sweeps Pair of Dual Matches
2/9/2019 9:22:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The Spartans capture wins against UConn and Bowling Green.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's tennis earned a pair of dominating wins Saturday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility, opening with a 6-1 win over UConn and stopping Bowling Green, 4-0, Saturday.
The Spartans are now 5-3 this season overall and have won four of their last five matches.
"We hung in it when we had to today. We handled our 'moments' a little better than we have been, and this second match was tough both physically and mentally. It is hard to come out two times in a row, and Bowling Green really pushed us. There is no question about that. It could have gone either way, and our Spartan women really stepped up. We have got to be proud of that performance," MSU head coach Kim Bruno said.
Michigan State started off the day by securing the doubles point against UConn, with wins on all three courts. Junior Samantha Memije and freshman Nicole Stephens put the Spartans in the lead for the doubles point with a 6-1 victory over Jacquelyn Fitz-Randolph and Luciana Rabines at No. 2 doubles.
The doubles point was clinched simultaneously on courts two and three for the Spartans. Senior Davina Nguyen and freshman Lauren Lemonds teamed up to defeat Mireille Moreau and Cassie Chung, 6-1, on court three, while the No. 56-ranked doubles team of senior Emily Metcalf and freshman Maja Pietrowicz downed Julieanne Bou and Gillian Perrotta, 6-2, at No. 1 doubles.
The Spartans won the next three singles matches on courts two, four and six to take a 4-0 lead. At No. 4 singles, Metcalf defeated Chung in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0, to put the Spartans up 2-0. Nguyen followed suit with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Elizabeth Kozyi on court six.
The match was clinched at No. 2 singles as Memije downed Moreau, 6-1, 6-2. Lemonds defeated Fitz-Randolph, 6-3, 6-2, on court one. Stephens defeated Perrotta in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6), at No. 5 singles. On court three, Pietrowicz battled with Bou to a third-set tiebreaker, but eventually fell, 4-6, 6-2,1-0 (10-7).
In the second match of the day, the Spartans got off to a fast start against Bowling Green capturing the doubles point in under 20 minutes. At the No. 2 doubles spot, Memije and Stephens combined to stop Polina Radeva and Laura Silveira, 6-1. At No. 1, Pietrowicz and Metcalf doubled up Paula Comella and Marharita Tavpash, 6-3 to give the Spartans the 1-0 advantage.
Michigan State upped its lead to 2-0 when Stephens dominated the Falcons' Ayumi Sasaki, 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot. Quickly, the Spartans took a 3-0 lead when Nguyen dropped only three games in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Vanessa Pardo at No. 5 singles.
From that point, it was a race to the finish, as to who would earn the Spartans' fourth point. At No. 3 singles, Pietrowicz clinched the match in a three-set thriller. Pietrowicz took the first set 6-3 before dropping the second 3-6. She battles from being down a break and earned the 6-3 final set win.
Michigan State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 16 in a doubleheader in South Bend. MSU will take on host Notre Dame at 10 a.m. and ends the day against Wright State at 5 p.m.
The Spartans are now 5-3 this season overall and have won four of their last five matches.
"We hung in it when we had to today. We handled our 'moments' a little better than we have been, and this second match was tough both physically and mentally. It is hard to come out two times in a row, and Bowling Green really pushed us. There is no question about that. It could have gone either way, and our Spartan women really stepped up. We have got to be proud of that performance," MSU head coach Kim Bruno said.
Michigan State started off the day by securing the doubles point against UConn, with wins on all three courts. Junior Samantha Memije and freshman Nicole Stephens put the Spartans in the lead for the doubles point with a 6-1 victory over Jacquelyn Fitz-Randolph and Luciana Rabines at No. 2 doubles.
The doubles point was clinched simultaneously on courts two and three for the Spartans. Senior Davina Nguyen and freshman Lauren Lemonds teamed up to defeat Mireille Moreau and Cassie Chung, 6-1, on court three, while the No. 56-ranked doubles team of senior Emily Metcalf and freshman Maja Pietrowicz downed Julieanne Bou and Gillian Perrotta, 6-2, at No. 1 doubles.
The Spartans won the next three singles matches on courts two, four and six to take a 4-0 lead. At No. 4 singles, Metcalf defeated Chung in straight sets, 6-1, 6-0, to put the Spartans up 2-0. Nguyen followed suit with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Elizabeth Kozyi on court six.
The match was clinched at No. 2 singles as Memije downed Moreau, 6-1, 6-2. Lemonds defeated Fitz-Randolph, 6-3, 6-2, on court one. Stephens defeated Perrotta in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-5, 6-4, 1-0 (10-6), at No. 5 singles. On court three, Pietrowicz battled with Bou to a third-set tiebreaker, but eventually fell, 4-6, 6-2,1-0 (10-7).
In the second match of the day, the Spartans got off to a fast start against Bowling Green capturing the doubles point in under 20 minutes. At the No. 2 doubles spot, Memije and Stephens combined to stop Polina Radeva and Laura Silveira, 6-1. At No. 1, Pietrowicz and Metcalf doubled up Paula Comella and Marharita Tavpash, 6-3 to give the Spartans the 1-0 advantage.
Michigan State upped its lead to 2-0 when Stephens dominated the Falcons' Ayumi Sasaki, 6-0, 6-4 at the No. 4 spot. Quickly, the Spartans took a 3-0 lead when Nguyen dropped only three games in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Vanessa Pardo at No. 5 singles.
From that point, it was a race to the finish, as to who would earn the Spartans' fourth point. At No. 3 singles, Pietrowicz clinched the match in a three-set thriller. Pietrowicz took the first set 6-3 before dropping the second 3-6. She battles from being down a break and earned the 6-3 final set win.
Michigan State is back in action on Saturday, Feb. 16 in a doubleheader in South Bend. MSU will take on host Notre Dame at 10 a.m. and ends the day against Wright State at 5 p.m.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
12
J. Fitz-Randolph / 0 [UC]
32
66
#2 Singles Match
12
Mireille Moreau / 0 [UC]
12
66
#3 Singles Match
123
Julieanne Bou / 0 [UC]
461
620
#4 Singles Match
12
Cassie Chung / 0 [UC]
10
66
#5 Singles Match
123
Gillian Perrotta / 0 [UC]
560
741
#6 Singles Match
12
Elizabeth Kozyi / 0 [UC]
00
66
Order of Finish:
4,6,2,1,5,3
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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