Spartans Dominate Marquette for Third Straight Win

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's tennis won its third straight dual match and utilized a dominant performance in the singles competition to topple the Marquette Golden Eagles by a 6-1 score on Sunday inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

MSU climbs to 4-2 overall through its first six matches of the season, maintaining a 3-1 record at home in East Lansing. The Spartans' three-match win streak is the longest for the Green & White since last season's team rattled off six consecutive victories over DePaul, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Arizona, Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green. In defeat, Marquette drops its sixth straight match and falls to 0-6 overall this year.

Michigan State opened Sunday's matinee with a solid showing in the doubles competition, as the Green & White utilized wins at the bookend positions to take the opening point of the match. The pairing of Ayshe Can and Liisa Vehvilainen started things off with their fourth straight dual match win together, publishing a 6-2 result over the Golden Eagle duo of Elisabeth Demarais and Emilija Kojcic. Although Marquette struck back with a 6-2 win of their own on court two, the Spartans sealed the opening score with yet another 6-2 decision from Juliette Nask and Issey Purser defeating Giulia Turconi and Tiana Windbuchler.

The turn to singles brought closely contested matches throughout the facility, as the two teams split first sets down the middle, 3-3. Michigan State turned on the jets on court one, with Vehvilainen rolling over Julieanne Bou by a 6-2, 6-1 margin that put the Spartans ahead by two. The Golden Eagles replied on court two with their only singles victory of the match, as Kojcic defeated Can in a steady 6-3, 6-3 result. Leading the match by a 2-1 margin, both teams looked to snag another score after all but one remaining court split sets.

Purser turned a slow start into a dominant finish after her first set wrapped up, culminating in a 2-6, 6-3, 6-0 showing that put Michigan State one point away from the team clinch. Spartan senior Tia Mukherjee was called on for the clinch victory, and she responded with one of the grittiest straight set wins of her 2022-23 season. The Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, native rattled off a 7-5, 7-6(3) result to seal the victory for MSU. On court three, Nicole Conard wrapped up a 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory over Desmarais and Nask toppled Lara Kaiser by a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4) to seal the 6-1 Spartan win.

On an individual basis, Vehvilainen continues to roll in both doubles and singles play, extending her overall win streak to eight after ratting off four straight victories in both disciplines. The Turku, Finland, native remains tied for the overall win lead at MSU with Conard and Nask at nine victories in singles. Vehvilainen also owns a team-leading 5-1 dual match record, followed closely by Conard who stands at 4-2. In doubles, Can and Vehvilainen continue to pace the Spartan squad with an impressive 9-4 start to the 2022-23 campaign.

UP NEXT
Michigan State women's tennis remains on the Banks of the Red Cedar for the final match of its five-dual home stand, as the Spartans welcome the Marshall Thundering Herd to the MSU Indoor Tennis Center for a 3 p.m. contest on Friday, Feb. 17.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Kim Bruno
On the mentality after the team won its third straight match…
"I think when we talked last time, we discussed how we need to create winning habits in how we play and how we train. Really, everything we do needs to be grounded in those winning habits. I have been seeing more of that. It's never easy to win. Everyone is out there and has a high level, so we have to continue to bring it. There were fewer holes out there today. Even though we dropped some sets, we were able to tough it out and come back even when we were behind. That is a testament to our players, and their ability to get better, gain confidence and play a bit smarter."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State 6, Marquette 1
MSU Indoor Tennis Center – East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1. Ayshe Can / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Elisabeth Desmarais / Emilija Kojcic (MARQ) 6-2
2. Julieanne Bou / Lara Kaiser (MARQ) def. Nicole Conard / Marley Lambert (MSU) 6-2
3. Juliette Nask / Issey Purser (MSU) def. Giulia Turconi / Tiana Windbuchler (MARQ) 6-2

SINGLES
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Julieanne Bou (MARQ) 6-2, 6-1
2. Emilija Kojcic (MARQ) def. Ayshe Can (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Nicole Conard (MSU) def. Elisabeth Desmarais (MARQ) 4-6, 6-3, 6-4
4. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Lara Kaiser (MARQ) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)
5. Issey Purser (MSU) def. Emma Davis (MARQ) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
6. Tia Mukherjee (MSU) def. Giulia Turconi (MARQ) 7-5, 7-6(3)

Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (1,2,5,6,3,4)

FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_WTennis.

Next Event

Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Ayshe Can

Nicole Conard

Marley Lambert

Tia Mukherjee

Juliette Nask

Issey Purser

Liisa Vehviläinen