Michigan State University Athletics
Women's Tennis Heads South For Three Matches
3/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 2, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's team is taking a break from the snow and heading south to Florida for three matches during its spring trip. The Spartans (7-2) will face Jacksonville this Sunday (March 6), Florida A&M on Monday (March 7) and will wrap up play on Thursday in Key Biscayne against Richmond (March 11).
Lucky Seven: After defeating both Toledo and Cleveland State by 7-0 decisions, the Spartans extended their home winning streak to seven and brought their shutout total to five on the year.
Last week, senior Keri Thompson (Clark Lake, Mich.) was named Big Ten Women's Tennis Player of the Week. After sweeping both opponents two weeks ago, Thompson is currently 7-2 at No. 1 singles and 7-0 at home. Included in that record is a 6-1, 0-6, 6-3 victory over No. 60 Victoria Domina of Eastern Michigan. It is the first Big Ten weekly honor of Thompson's career.
Notes:
*MSU's doubles teams have now captured six of the last seven doubles points*Singles No. 1, 2, 3 and 6 all carry perfect home records of 7-0
Scouting The Opponents:
Jacksonville:
This is the first meeting between Michigan State and Jacksonville and the first stop of the Spartans' spring trip. The match will be the opening of a nine-game home stand for Jacksonville, as it carries a 2-3 record (as of March 3). Jacksonville has defeated both Wofford and Georgia at home. JSU will meet Florida A&M and Georgia prior to the MSU match-up.
The Dolphins carry a threat with sophomore Emese Sulyos who was named the Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year in 2004. After a perfect 22-0 performance at No. 1 singles, Sulyos was also named the 2004 Freshman of the Year.
Last year, JSU went undefeated in the ASC and went on to earn the No. 1 seed at the ASC Championship. The Dolphins posted a 14-2 overall record in 2004.
Florida A&M:
In 2004, the Spartans swept the Rattlers, 7-0. Florida A&M is currently 7-4 and will travel to Louisiana for three matches before meeting up with the Spartans on March 8.
Richmond:
After compiling a 14-9 overall record, the 2004 Atlantic 10 Conference Champions also earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Richmond returns head coach Mark Wesselink who was named A-10 Coach of the Year in 2004. The Spiders, currently 7-4, also return the 2004 Most Outstanding Rookie Performer, sophomore Beatrice Grasu.
Player Comments:
Sophomore Sarah Andrews (Darwin, Australia): "Playing on the outdoor courts is going to make our rallies longer. We're going to have to play smarter. I'm excited to get to the warmer weather!"
Sophomore Jessica Baron (Miami, Fla.): "I'm really eager to get to Miami because my family and friends are coming to watch. It'll be nice to be outside on courts I've played on before."
Head Coach Tim Bauer
On staying grounded: "As a coach you have to balance the schedule. This is probably our best start since I've been here and probably the best start in the history of the program. We want to build confidence from our start, but at the same time we can't become smug about it. We don't want to become over-confident. My job is to keep everyone's feet on the ground and prepare them for better players, different environments and bigger challenges. Our goal is to peak at the right time during the year and we're still building towards that. I hope that we will show up when we're facing those tougher teams. Our next goal is to take down some nationally-ranked teams."
On Preparing for Florida: "We'll continue to develop our fitness and style of play so we can improve as the season goes along. When we're outside or away, we take care of our basics and then once we get on the road, we'll practice and work out anything else. For Florida, we'll make sure we're fit enough to play outside in the hot weather and that we're playing good solid tennis."
Schedule:3/6/05 Jacksonville 1 p.m.3/7/05 Tallahassee 3 p.m.3/11/05 Richmond @ Key Biscayne TBA
State opens its Big Ten season against rival Michigan on March 23 in Ann Arbor. MSU's next home match will be against Minnesota on April 2 at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.
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