Lambert Lifts Michigan State Past Illinois State

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Competing in her fourth straight three-set match, freshman Marley Lambert clinched Michigan State women's tennis' fifth dual match victory in the past six opportunities as MSU downed the Illinois State Redbirds in a 4-1 showing on Sunday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.

Following Sunday's win, the Spartans climb to 6-3 overall with just two weeks remaining in the 2023 non-conference slate. The Green & White have won five of their last six matches dating to Feb. 5, including a 2-1 showing this weekend in East Lansing. MSU dropped a narrow 4-3 decision to the Xavier Musketeers in the first half of a doubleheader before defeating Chicago State in a 5-2 contest later Friday evening. In defeat, Illinois State drops to 5-3 following a pair of losses this weekend in mid-Michigan to Xavier and MSU.

A tightly contested doubles point opened Sunday's action, as the Spartans capitalized on wins at the bookend positions to take the opening score of the match. On court one, the pairing of Ayshe Can and Liisa Vehvilainen struck once again, dominating the Redbird tandem of Tara Damnjanovic and Tijana Zlatanovic in a 6-2 result for MSU's opening win of the day. After a grueling pair of matches at the bottom two positions, each contest entered a tiebreaker at 6-all. The battle on court two went Illinois State's way, as Alexandra Abyasova and Silvia Pomarolli defeated Nicole Conard and Marley Lambert in a 7-6(4) match. With the doubles point on the line, Michigan State earned a clutch 7-6(6) win from Juliette Nask and Dagmar Zdrubecka over Elena Jankulovska and Nevena Kolarevic.

After a brief intermission, action resumed on the singles courts with each squad taking a trio of first sets apiece. Three individual contests ended in straight sets on the odd courts, beginning with Nask's impressive 6-2, 6-3 defeat of Pomarolli on court five to put MSU ahead by a 2-0 margin. The Redbirds avoided the shutout on court three, as Kolarevic toppled Conard in a 6-3, 6-4 outing, but the Green & White snapped back at the No. 1 spot when Vehvilainen downed Zlatanovic in a 7-5, 6-2 finish. All three remaining courts split sets, forcing decisive final frames to determine the outcome of Sunday's dual.

Needing just one more point to secure the match, Michigan State turned to freshman Marley Lambert on court four. The Corona, California, native found herself in a three-set battle for the fourth-straight match, and her tenacity in the final stanza secured the 4-1 victory for MSU. Lambert battled back from a 6-2 loss in the first set to round off a 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 win over Damnjanovic. On court two, Can maintained a solid 4-6, 6-3, 4-1 edge against Abyasova, while Issey Purser led Jankulovska, 7-5, 3-6, 3-0 in her final set. Both remaining matches were abandoned after the dual was clinched for the Spartans.

Lambert is currently tied for the longest active singles win streak on Michigan State's roster with four, winning each in three-sets. The Spartan first-year starter owns a 9-7 overall record this season with a 5-3 ledger in dual match play. Meanwhile, Vehvilainen continues her reign of dominance at the top line, improving to 5-1 in matches played at the No. 1 singles position in addition to an 11-5 overall record coupled with a 7-2 mark in dual match play.

On the doubles courts, the top-line tandem of Can and Vehvilainen continue to pace the Green & White with an 11-4 overall record and 7-1 start to the dual match season. The Spartan headliners have won six straight matches, the best active win streak in either discipline at MSU so far this season. Additionally, the duo of Nask and Zdrubecka made their season debut together on Sunday, starting the year off with a 1-0 record after clinching the doubles point against the Redbirds.

UP NEXT
Michigan State women's tennis hits the road for its annual spring break trip in the coming weeks, as the Spartans return to action in Miami, Florida, against host FIU on Tuesday, March 7, with first serve slated for 12 p.m. Stay tuned for MSUSpartans.com for the latest schedule information.

POSTMATCH QUOTES
MICHIGAN STATE QUOTES
Head Coach Kim Bruno
On the team's resiliency and the importance of Sunday's win…
"This win feels good. It was definitely needed. It was just emotional ups and downs for us, and it was good to see the players continue to work through stuff on the court. They stood up and fought. They kept competing, and I think it was a really good team win today. It's all about getting in the point right now. Once we're in the point, we're really, really dangerous. When we give away plus-one balls or returns, or when we go for things that are too big too early, we get ourselves behind. The lesson right now is just to stay in the point and make better decisions. I thought we did a good job of that today, even when we were down at different points in our matches."

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State #, Illinois State #
MSU Indoor Tennis Center – East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1. Ayshe Can / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Tara Damnjanovic / Tijana Zlatanovic (ILST) 6-2
2. Alexandra Abyasova / Silvia Pomarolli (ILST) def. Nicole Conard / Marley Lambert (MSU) 7-6(4)
3. Juliette Nask / Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) def. Elena Jankulovska / Nevena Kolarevic (ILST) 7-6(6)

SINGLES
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Tijana Zlatanovic (ILST) 7-5, 6-2
2. Ayshe Can (MSU) vs. Alexandra Abyasova (ILST) 4-6, 6-3, 4-1, unfinished
3. Nevena Kolarevic (ILST) def. Nicole Conard (MSU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Tara Damnjanovic (ILST) 2-6, 6-4, 6-3
5. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Silvia Pomarolli (ILST) 6-2, 6-3
6. Issey Purser (MSU) vs. Elena Jankulovska (ILST) 7-5, 3-6, 3-0, unfinished

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

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.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Ayshe Can

Nicole Conard

Marley Lambert

Juliette Nask

Issey Purser

Liisa Vehviläinen

Dagmar Zdrubecka