Michigan State University
Penn St
No. 74 Women's Tennis Defeats Penn State, 5-2
4/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 6, 2002
East Lansing, Mich. - The No. 74 Michigan State women's tennis team won in dramatic fashion over Penn State, 5-2, Saturday (April 6) at the Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans improved to 11-7 overall and 3-3 in the Big Ten, while the Nittany Lions drop to 6-8, 1-4. MSU's three Big Ten wins marks the team's most since the Spartan's won four Big Ten matches in the 1992-93 season.
Head coach Tim Bauer said, "this is a match we would have lost 4-3 earlier in this season. We had some people struggle, but today they managed to come back and get the win. Physically and mentally we are beginning to come through."
Penn State took the lead winning the doubles point, but MSU battled back winning five of six singles matches. Freshman Dora Vastag (Okemos, Mich.) rolled at the top flight 6-1, 6-1, over Rebecca Ho while junior Caroline Lay (Brisbane, Australia) was also victorious at No. 3 singles 6-2, 6-1, over Maaria Husain. The Spartans built off the momentum of Lay and Vastag, as MSU won three of the remaining four matches in come-back fashion.
Junior ?sa Lid?n (Vanersborg, Sweden) posted a tough 1-6, 6-3, 6-4, victory over Megan Marton at No. 2 singles and sophomore Trine Lise Juliussen (Oslo, Norway) also rebounded from a first set loss to win 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4, over Sarah Spence. The most impressive comeback came at the fifth flight by freshman Keri Thompson (Clark Lake, Mich.), who amazingly battled from a 5-0 deficit in the last set to post a 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(2) victory over Megan Marton.
"My coach just told me to take it one point at a time," said Thompson.
"Winning three matches in three sets shows how much courage the team has," said MSU assistant coach Brett Page. "We told our players that its up to them to step up and improve their game and today are players were focused."
The Spartans will be back in action Sunday, April 7, when MSU will host Ohio State at 10 a.m.
Michigan State 5, Michigan 2Singles1 - Dora Vastag (MSU) def. Rebecca Ho (PSU), 6-1, 6-12 - ?sa Lid?n (MSU) def. Megan Marton (PSU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-43 - Caroline Lay (MSU) def. Maaria Husain (PSU), 6-2, 6-14 - Leigh Ann Merryman (PSU) def. Mandy Caldemeyer (MSU), 4-6, 6-25 - Keri Thompson (MSU) def. Judy Wang (PSU), 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(2)6 - Trine Lise Juliussen (MSU) def. Sarah Spence (PSU), 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4
Doubles1 - Ho/Spence (PSU) def. Vastag/Lay (MSU), 8-42 - Wang/Marton (PSU) def. Caldemeyer/Thompson (MSU), 8-63 - Merryman/Husain (PSU) def. Lid?n/Juliussen (MSU), 8-4
