Sunday, February 5
East Lansing, Mich.
10 AM
Michigan State University
4
vs
3
Miami of Ohio
Spartans Sweep Doubleheader at Home
2/5/2023 5:10:00 PM | Women's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State women's tennis earned its first home victories, taking down Miami (OH) and Bowling Green, 4-3 and 7-0, respectively, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility Sunday.
"It's hard in tennis because it's really individual but this was a team win for sure," said head coach Kim Bruno. "Everyone participated and that's what we need. We need to look for depth in our bench, so today was a great opportunity for the whole team to step up. It's not easy to win and I am very proud of them."
The Spartans move to 3-2 (0-0 B1G) after starting the weekend with a tough 4-2 loss to Liberty in East Lansing on Friday. Miami moves to 3-6 (0-0 MAC) while Bowling Green drops to 1-5 (0-0 MAC) this season.
To begin the day, the Spartans found themselves in a hole early as the Redhawks took the doubles point with a hard-fought victory at the No. 2 slot after both teams split doubles wins. At No. 3 doubles, the Spartans fought hard with Issey Purser and Dagmar Zdrubecka falling to Miami's Nishitha Saravanan and Jutte Van Hansewyck, 6-0. The Spartans made things interesting at No. 1 with junior Ayshe Can and sophomore Liisa Vehvilainen rattling off five-straight game wins on their way to a 6-2 routing of Miami's Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek and Laura Rico. Spartans Nicole Conard and Marley Lambert fought back at No. 2 doubles but could not pull of the win, falling 6-4 to the Redhawks pairing of Emilia Valentinsson and Sara Zalukar, giving Miami an early 1-0 lead.
In singles, the Spartans came roaring back, taking two quick points at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. Freshman Juliette Nask earned her first singles victory of the season at No. 4 singles, breaking serve to take a straight sets victory over Miami's Valentinsson, 6-3, 6-1. At No. 5 singles, a double-fault by Miami's Van Hansewyck gave Conard her first win of the weekend.
The Redhawks would reclaim the lead with straight set victories at No. 3 and No. 6 singles. Miami's Saravanan and Zalukar earned wins over Spartan freshmen Lambert and Issey Purser, respectively, giving the Redhawks a 3-2 advantage with two matches left.
In a drawn-out match at No. 1 singles, Vehvilainen picked up her second victory of the weekend, dispatching Miami's Laura Rico with a break point en route to a straight sets victory, setting up a dual-clinching scenario at No. 2 singles. After dropping her second set against Denysiewicz-Slowek, Can picked up her first win of the spring in a three-set thriller, winning the third-set tiebreaker, 7-4 to clinch the match for the Green and White.
MSU looked to further the momentum in the afternoon, this time picking up the doubles point with a clinical victory at the No. 1 slot. The Spartans rolled out two new doubles pairings with the senior duo of Tia Mukherjee and Monique Karoub giving the Spartans an early advantage, defeating BGSU's Letica Fonseca and Diana Ivanikhina 6-2 at the No. 3 position. The Falcon's would claw back with Lucy Furness and Hannah Neuman taking down the Spartan duo of sophomore Charlotte Gisclon and freshman Makenna Martinez, 6-3. The Spartans would pick up the doubles point with Can and Vehvilainen earning their third doubles win of the weekend, taking down BGSU's Eloise Saraty and Maru Poppe on a double-fault, 6-4.
In singles, the Spartans continued to dominate picking up all six points against the Falcons. Spartans Tia Mukherjee, who currently ranks No. 117 in the ITA rankings, and Nask picked up identical 6-2, 6-0 decisions at No. 6 and No. 4 singles, with wins over BGSU's Ivanikhina and Hannah Neuman, pushing the Spartans to within one point of a clinch. Mukherjee's win was her first of the spring while Nask picked up her second win of the day, going 2-1 over the three-dual weekend.
The Spartans would clinch the match at the No. 5 slot when Gisclon followed up her doubles loss with a straight sets victory over BGSU's Poppe, 6-1, 6-0. The Spartans continued to dominate in singles play with Vehvilainen earning her second victory of the day at No. 1 singles with a 6-4, 6-1 result over Saraty. Vehvilainen went undefeated over the weekend with three-consecutive straight set victories.
The Spartans would earn the sweep over the Falcons with a grueling victory at No. 2 singles as Lambert picked up her first victory since Jan. 15, defeating BGSU's Furness in a third-set super-tiebreak, 11-9.
Up next, the Spartans will host Marquette University at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on Sunday, Feb. 12.
RESULTS – Miami (OH)
Singles
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Laura Rico (MIA) 6-3, 6-2
2. Ayshe Can (MSU) def. Cat. Denysiewicz (MIA) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Nishitha Saravanan (MIA) def. Marley Lambert (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
4. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Emilia Valentinsson (MIA) 6-3, 6-1
5. Nicole Conard (MSU) def. Jutte Van Hansewyck (MIA) 6-4, 6-2
6. Sara Zalukar (MIA) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 4,5,6,3,1, 2
Doubles
1. Ayshe Can/Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Cat. Denysiewicz/Laura Rico (MIA) 6-2
2. Emilia Valentinsson/Sara Zalukar (MIA) def. Nicole Conard/Marley Lambert (MSU) 6-4
3. Nishitha Saravanan/Jutte Van Hansewyck (MIA) def. Issey Purser/Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) 6-0
Order of finish: 3,1,2
RESULTS – Bowling Green
Singles
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Eloise Saraty (BGSU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Lucy Furness (BGSU) 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
3. Nicole Conard (MSU) def. Maru Poppe (BGSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Hannah Neuman (BGSU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Charlotte Gisclon (MSU) def. Letica Fonseca (BGSU) 6-1, 6-0
6. #117 Tia Mukherjee (MSU) def. Diana Ivanikhina (BGSU) 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: 6,4,5,1,3,2
Doubles
1. Liisa Vehvilainen/Ayshe Can (MSU) def. Eloise Saraty/Maru Poppe (BGSU) 6-4
2. Lucy Furness/Hannah Neuman (BGSU) def. Charlotte Gisclon/Makenna Martinez (MSU) 6-3
3. Tia Mukherjee/Monique Karoub (MSU) def. Letica Fonseca/Diana Ivanikhina (BGSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2,1
"It's hard in tennis because it's really individual but this was a team win for sure," said head coach Kim Bruno. "Everyone participated and that's what we need. We need to look for depth in our bench, so today was a great opportunity for the whole team to step up. It's not easy to win and I am very proud of them."
The Spartans move to 3-2 (0-0 B1G) after starting the weekend with a tough 4-2 loss to Liberty in East Lansing on Friday. Miami moves to 3-6 (0-0 MAC) while Bowling Green drops to 1-5 (0-0 MAC) this season.
To begin the day, the Spartans found themselves in a hole early as the Redhawks took the doubles point with a hard-fought victory at the No. 2 slot after both teams split doubles wins. At No. 3 doubles, the Spartans fought hard with Issey Purser and Dagmar Zdrubecka falling to Miami's Nishitha Saravanan and Jutte Van Hansewyck, 6-0. The Spartans made things interesting at No. 1 with junior Ayshe Can and sophomore Liisa Vehvilainen rattling off five-straight game wins on their way to a 6-2 routing of Miami's Catherine Denysiewicz-Slowek and Laura Rico. Spartans Nicole Conard and Marley Lambert fought back at No. 2 doubles but could not pull of the win, falling 6-4 to the Redhawks pairing of Emilia Valentinsson and Sara Zalukar, giving Miami an early 1-0 lead.
In singles, the Spartans came roaring back, taking two quick points at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. Freshman Juliette Nask earned her first singles victory of the season at No. 4 singles, breaking serve to take a straight sets victory over Miami's Valentinsson, 6-3, 6-1. At No. 5 singles, a double-fault by Miami's Van Hansewyck gave Conard her first win of the weekend.
The Redhawks would reclaim the lead with straight set victories at No. 3 and No. 6 singles. Miami's Saravanan and Zalukar earned wins over Spartan freshmen Lambert and Issey Purser, respectively, giving the Redhawks a 3-2 advantage with two matches left.
In a drawn-out match at No. 1 singles, Vehvilainen picked up her second victory of the weekend, dispatching Miami's Laura Rico with a break point en route to a straight sets victory, setting up a dual-clinching scenario at No. 2 singles. After dropping her second set against Denysiewicz-Slowek, Can picked up her first win of the spring in a three-set thriller, winning the third-set tiebreaker, 7-4 to clinch the match for the Green and White.
MSU looked to further the momentum in the afternoon, this time picking up the doubles point with a clinical victory at the No. 1 slot. The Spartans rolled out two new doubles pairings with the senior duo of Tia Mukherjee and Monique Karoub giving the Spartans an early advantage, defeating BGSU's Letica Fonseca and Diana Ivanikhina 6-2 at the No. 3 position. The Falcon's would claw back with Lucy Furness and Hannah Neuman taking down the Spartan duo of sophomore Charlotte Gisclon and freshman Makenna Martinez, 6-3. The Spartans would pick up the doubles point with Can and Vehvilainen earning their third doubles win of the weekend, taking down BGSU's Eloise Saraty and Maru Poppe on a double-fault, 6-4.
In singles, the Spartans continued to dominate picking up all six points against the Falcons. Spartans Tia Mukherjee, who currently ranks No. 117 in the ITA rankings, and Nask picked up identical 6-2, 6-0 decisions at No. 6 and No. 4 singles, with wins over BGSU's Ivanikhina and Hannah Neuman, pushing the Spartans to within one point of a clinch. Mukherjee's win was her first of the spring while Nask picked up her second win of the day, going 2-1 over the three-dual weekend.
The Spartans would clinch the match at the No. 5 slot when Gisclon followed up her doubles loss with a straight sets victory over BGSU's Poppe, 6-1, 6-0. The Spartans continued to dominate in singles play with Vehvilainen earning her second victory of the day at No. 1 singles with a 6-4, 6-1 result over Saraty. Vehvilainen went undefeated over the weekend with three-consecutive straight set victories.
The Spartans would earn the sweep over the Falcons with a grueling victory at No. 2 singles as Lambert picked up her first victory since Jan. 15, defeating BGSU's Furness in a third-set super-tiebreak, 11-9.
Up next, the Spartans will host Marquette University at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on Sunday, Feb. 12.
RESULTS – Miami (OH)
Singles
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Laura Rico (MIA) 6-3, 6-2
2. Ayshe Can (MSU) def. Cat. Denysiewicz (MIA) 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4)
3. Nishitha Saravanan (MIA) def. Marley Lambert (MSU) 7-5, 6-4
4. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Emilia Valentinsson (MIA) 6-3, 6-1
5. Nicole Conard (MSU) def. Jutte Van Hansewyck (MIA) 6-4, 6-2
6. Sara Zalukar (MIA) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
Order of finish: 4,5,6,3,1, 2
Doubles
1. Ayshe Can/Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Cat. Denysiewicz/Laura Rico (MIA) 6-2
2. Emilia Valentinsson/Sara Zalukar (MIA) def. Nicole Conard/Marley Lambert (MSU) 6-4
3. Nishitha Saravanan/Jutte Van Hansewyck (MIA) def. Issey Purser/Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) 6-0
Order of finish: 3,1,2
RESULTS – Bowling Green
Singles
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Eloise Saraty (BGSU) 6-4, 6-1
2. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Lucy Furness (BGSU) 7-5, 4-6, 1-0 (11-9)
3. Nicole Conard (MSU) def. Maru Poppe (BGSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Hannah Neuman (BGSU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Charlotte Gisclon (MSU) def. Letica Fonseca (BGSU) 6-1, 6-0
6. #117 Tia Mukherjee (MSU) def. Diana Ivanikhina (BGSU) 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: 6,4,5,1,3,2
Doubles
1. Liisa Vehvilainen/Ayshe Can (MSU) def. Eloise Saraty/Maru Poppe (BGSU) 6-4
2. Lucy Furness/Hannah Neuman (BGSU) def. Charlotte Gisclon/Makenna Martinez (MSU) 6-3
3. Tia Mukherjee/Monique Karoub (MSU) def. Letica Fonseca/Diana Ivanikhina (BGSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3,2,1
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3,1,2
#1 Singles Match
12
Laura Rico / 0 [MIA]
32
66
#2 Singles Match
123
Cat. Denysiewicz / 0 [MIA]
166
627
#3 Singles Match
12
Nishitha Saravanan / 0 [MIA]
76
54
#4 Singles Match
12
Emilia Valentinsson / 0 [MIA]
31
66
#5 Singles Match
12
Jutte Van Hansewyck / 0 [MIA]
42
66
#6 Singles Match
12
Sara Zalukar / 0 [MIA]
66
44
Order of Finish:
4,5,6,3,1,2
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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