Spartans Sweep Past Ball State, Oakland

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The No. 73 Michigan State women's tennis team swept past Ball State and Oakland in a doubleheader on Saturday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center. The Spartans won both matches 4-0 to improve to 8-5 overall on the season.

"I feel great – we needed this," said Michigan State women's tennis head coach Kim Bruno. "Everything that we talked about, everyone got a chance to play as well, and we came out here and got the job done, and now we're heading into Big Ten play (next week). The girls should take some confidence out of this, they have been playing good all season, and just continue on this path. We'll be ready."

Liisa Vehvilainen and Ria Bhakta recorded two singles wins on the day, while No. 38 Ayshe Can and Nicole Conard won both of their matches in doubles.

Match One Summary: Michigan State 4, Ball State 0

Thanks to a comeback victory on the top court, the Spartans began the dual against Ball State (2-9) by taking the doubles point.

Bhakta and Marley Lambert got things started for the Spartans at No. 2 doubles with a convincing 6-1 win over Elena Malykh and Sydney Hrehor.

Following a Spartan loss on court three, the doubles point came down to the top pairing, and No. 38 Ayshe Can and Nicole Conard rallied from a 5-4 deficit against Isabel Tanjuatco and Sarah Shahbaz to take three straight games in the 7-5 win.

"They have been showing that all year," said Bruno. "Just because we're down, doesn't mean we're out. We can play with anyone, we just have to keep at it, and that's what the girls did a good job of today. They just took care of business."

The Spartans continued their momentum into singles with straight set wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 singles to clinch the 4-0 victory.

Vehvilainen defeated Elena Malykh, 6-0, 6-0, on the second court for the first Spartan singles win, followed by Issey Purser over Sydney Hrehor, 6-2, 6-3, on the fourth court. Bhakta sealed the victory with a 6-0, 6-3 win against Sarah Shahbaz at No. 3 singles.

Match Two Summary: Michigan State 4, Oakland 0

MSU started strong in the back half of the doubleheader against Oakland (3-6) with three doubles wins to claim the doubles point.

Marlo Schiffman and Makenna Martinez beat Alma Orenstain and Aya Orenstain on the third court, 6-1, while the No. 38 duo in the country, Can and Conard, won their second match of the day with a 6-3 victory at No. 1 doubles. Can and Conard are now 6-1 on the season.

Purser and Natalie Stasny wrapped up doubles action with a 6-2 win over Emilia Jarvinen and Tara Montreuil at No. 2, 6-2.

The Spartans cruised to wins at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5 singles to clinch the 4-0 victory over the Golden Grizzlies.

Vehvilainen won her second match of the day with another dominating performance, this time topping Isabelle Popma on the second court, 6-2, 6-0.

Lambert picked up a 6-0, 6-3 decision over Tara Montreuil at No. 5, while Bhakta clinched the dual for the second straight time with a 6-2, 6-1 win against Emma Hultqvist on the third court.

Up Next

Michigan State returns to action for its Big Ten opener at Penn State on Friday, March 15 at 2 p.m.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Ria Bhakta

Ayshe Can

Nicole Conard

Marley Lambert

Issey Purser

Marlo Schiffman

Natalie Stasny

Liisa Vehviläinen