Michigan State University
Illinois
Michigan State Drops Close Match To Illinois
4/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 8, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's tennis team fell to 11-7 overall and 2-4 in conference today as the Fighting Illini earned their first Big Ten win, beating the Spartans, 4-3. Illinois is now 6-10 and 1-4 in the Big Ten. MSU won the doubles point, but the Illini took four of six singles matches.
MSU took the doubles point behind wins from the No.2 and No. 3 doubles spots. At No. 2, Jessica Baron (Miami, Fla.) and Stephanie Kebler (Okemos, Mich.) defeated Shivani Dave and Brianna Knue, 8-5, while freshman Marianne Eelens (Noord, Aruba) and junior Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile) downed Momei Qu and Alejandra Meza Cuadra, 9-7, at No. 3.
The Spartans' only doubles loss came when Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.) and Sarah Andrews (Darwin, Australia) fell to the No. 37 team of Emily Wang and sophomore Macall Harkins at No. 1.
Harkins took on Bader in singles play at the No.1 spot, defeating Bader in straight sets. Harkins, the No. 95 singles player in the nation took the first set, 6-3, and the second, 6-4. With her win today, Harkins remains undefeated in Big Ten play.
Kebler's match was the next to finish as she defeated Dave, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 4. The Spartans fell behind Illinois though, as they dropped the next two matches. At No. 6, Eelens lost in straight sets to Meza Cuadra, 6-4, 6-1, while Schnitzer lost 7-6 (8), 6-4 to Qu in a hard fought match at No. 2.
Sarah Andrews kept hope for a Spartan victory alive when she battled to a three-set victory over Emily Wang. After loosing the first set, 6-3, Andrews took the next set, 6-2 and the third set 7-6 (6), tying the team score at 3-3.
The deciding match saw junior Jessica Baron face senior Brianna Knue. Baron won the first set handily, 6-1, but Knue battled back to take the second set 7-5. In the third and match deciding set, Knue defeated Baron, 6-1, giving Illinois the victory.
The Spartans return to action Sunday against No. 43 Purdue, with play beginning at 10 a.m. The Boilermakers, sporting a record of 8-7 overall and 3-1 in the Big Ten will take on the University of Michigan Saturday before coming to East Lansing.
Illinois 4 Michigan State 3
Doubles
No. 1 No. 37 Macall Harkins/Emily Wang (Ill.) def. Christine Bader/Sarah Andrews (MSU), 9-7
No. 2 Jessica Baron/Stephanie Kebler (MSU) def. Brianna Knue/Shivani Dave (Ill.), 8-5
No. 3 Pascale Schnitzer/Marianne Eelens (MSU) def. Momei Qu/Alejandra Meza Cuadra (Ill.), 9-7
Singles
No. 1 No. 95 Harkins (Ill.) def. Bader (MSU), 6-3, 6-4
No. 2 Qu (Ill.) def. Schnitzer (MSU), 7-6 (8), 6-4
No. 3 Knue (Ill.) def. Baron (MSU), 1-6, 7-5, 6-1
No. 4 Kebler (MSU) def. Dave (Ill.), 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 Andrews (MSU) def. Wang (Ill.), 3-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6)
No. 6 Meza Cuadra (Ill.) def. Eelens (MSU), 6-4, 6-1
Players Mentioned
