Michigan State Women's Tennis Wins Fifth-Straight Match

Feb. 13, 2005

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team stayed on a roll at home as it defeated Ball State, 6-1, Sunday, Feb. 13, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility. The victory marked the fifth-consecutive win for the Spartans at home as State improved to 5-2 on the season while Ball State dropped to 5-2 for the year.

Michigan State doubles continued to see success as they swept all three matches. MSU has now won five of the last seven doubles points of the 2005 season.

At No. 1 doubles, senior Keri Thompson (Clark Lake, Mich.) and freshman Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.) downed Jenny Batty and Stephanie Farrar in a perfect 8-0 set. Senior Karen Gustafson (East Lansing, Mich.) and sophomore Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile), who primarily played No. 3 in the past, grabbed their first win at the No. 2 spot as they defeated Jessica Thompson and Katie Owens, 8-5. At No. 3, junior Shelley Brady (Grand Blanc, Mich.) and sophomore Sarah Andrews (Darwin, Australia) allowed only one game against Haly Calderwood and Jennifer Pollack to lock up an 8-1 victory.

Singles also fared well for Michigan State today as they picked up all but one point.

Sophomore Jessica Baron (Miami, Fla.) and Brady both bounced back after losing in singles to Miami (Ohio) Saturday with wins Sunday. Brady defeated Pollack, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 4 and Baron defeated Farrar, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 5.

"I was disappointed in the way I played yesterday and I wanted to come back today with a win," said Baron. "At the end of my match today I knew that I needed to stay positive in order to win. I decided that I was going to put pressure on her instead of myself."

Bader continues to see success in singles at the No. 2 spot as she clinched her fifth-straight singles victory by defeating BSU's Thompson, 7-6, 6-3.

"I think the team is doing really well here at home and I've been fortunate to see the success that I have," said Bader. "When I was down 5-2 in the first set I was kind of nervous. I knew I needed to relax in order to grab the win today. Luckily I was able to refocus and pull it out."

Thompson and Andrews both dominated their opponents as Thompson won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 and Andrews posted a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6.

MSU's only point given up came at No. 3 singles as Schnitzer withdrew in the second set due to an injury. Schnitzer defeated Calderwood in the first set, 6-1, and was up 2-1 in the second set before retiring.

"I'm really pleased with our performance today," said head coach Tim Bauer. "Yesterday was not our best performance even though we grabbed the win. I was set to measure our weekend by how we came back today. Jessica and Shelley both had much better performances today than yesterday. Overall I was looking for a better performance and we saw that today."

Notes:

*MSU now leads the series 6-1 since 1997*Last year, State defeated the Cardinals, 5-2 on the road in Muncie, Ind.*Michigan State defeated Miami (Ohio) yesterday, 5-2 in East Lansing

The Spartans return to action next Sunday, Feb. 20, as they host their second doubleheader of the season. The first match will begin at 10 a.m. against Toledo followed by Cleveland State at 3 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.

Tennis Match Results Ball State Vs. Michigan State Feb 13, 2005 at East Lansing, Mich.

Michigan State 6, Ball State 1Singles competition:1. Keri Thompson (MSU) def. Jenny Batty (BSU) 6-2, 6-12. Christine Bader (MSU) def. Jessica Thompson (BSU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-33. Haly Calderwood (BSU) def. Pascale Schnitzer (MSU) 1-6, 1-2, retired4. Shelley Brady (MSU) def. Jennifer Pollack (BSU) 6-0, 6-25. Jessica Baron (MSU) def. Stephanie Farrar (BSU) 6-4, 6-26. Sarah Andrews (MSU) def. Allison Thompson (BSU) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition:1. Christine Bader/Keri Thompson (MSU) def. Jenny Batty/Stephanie Farrar (BSU) 8-02. Pascale Schnitzer/Karen Gustafson (MSU) def. Allison Thompson/Katie Owens (BSU) 8-53. Sarah Andrews/Shelley Brady (MSU) def. Haly Calderwood/Jennifer Pollack (BSU) 8-1