Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Continue Homestand Against East Tennessee State
2/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 16, 2007
MSU Notes Against East Tennessee State
Download Free Acrobat Reader
EAST LANSING, Mich.-Michigan State will continue play at home on Sunday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. against the East Tennessee State Buccaneers. This will be the first meeting between the two schools.
The Spartans improved their record to 7-0, blanking both Miami (Ohio) and Ball State, 7-0, last weekend. Michigan State finished the weekend 12-0 in singles, and 5-1 in doubles play. The Spartans now boast an overall singles record of 34-7, and an 18-2 doubles mark. Spartan senior Jessica Baron remains undefeated in both singles and doubles through the first seven matches.
National Spotlight
Despite two victories last weekend, MSU dropped from No. 72 to No. 73 in the most recent ITA/FILA Top 75 on Feb. 13. Michigan State moved into the rankings following its 4-0 start to the season, earning the No. 73 spot on Jan. 30. The ranking marked the first time an MSU team had been in the polls since April 12, 2005. The 2005 Spartan team was ranked as high as No. 62. Michigan State will look to remain in the rankings as it continues to face a challenging 2007 schedule, going against five schools that were named to ITA/FILA preseason poll.
The Starting Six
The Spartan starting lineup has been mostly unchanged through the first seven matches. In singles, the top three players have been constant through seven matches, with junior co-captain Christine Bader competing at No. 1, sophomore Stephanie Kebler at No. 2, and senior Pascale Schnitzer rounding out at No. 3. The bottom three positions have been almost as consistent with senior Sarah Andrews, sophomore Ana Milosalvjevic and senior Jessica Baron playing the majority of the matches at No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6, respectively.
The same can be said for doubles, as the lineups have remained constant in six of the first seven matches; Bader and Kebler have played consistently at No. 1, Milosavljevic and Schnizter at No. 2 and Andrews and Baron at No. 3.
The East Tennessee State Buccaneers
East Tennessee State is on a six-match losing streak, falling to five opponents ranked in the top 40 of the ITA Top 75 poll. Despite the tough losses, the Buccaneers return four members from last season's starting lineup, which finished 23-5 under current head coach Steve Brooks. The 2006 team claimed an an Atlantic Sun Championship and earned the school's first-ever bid to the NCAA Championships.
The Buccaneers (2-6) were scheduled to face the College of Charleston on Feb. 13, before meeting the Spartans in East Lansing on Sunday, but the match was cancelled due to inclement weather. The Buccaneers have shown a variety of lineups, with four different players competing at No. 1 singles this season. Junior Olya Batsula has competed at No. 1 most consistently, falling in each match for an 0-4 record at the position. Batsula has also spent some time at No. 2, posting a 1-2 record. She has split those positions with Yevgenia Stupak who holds 0-2 and 2-1 records at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectively. Tara Byrne and Masha Ilina have also spent time at each of the top-four slots in the lineup.
As much as the singles lineups have varied, the Buccaneer doubles pairings have been solidified. Ilina and Stupak have competed together in each of East Tennessee State's matches, compiling a 1-4 record at No. 1, and a 2-6 overall mark. Batsula and Byrne have spent the majority of their time at No. 2 posting a 2-3 record and are 3-5 overall. No. 3 doubles has seen the most changes, but Vita Moskaliova and Elena Volobueva have seen the most playing time, putting together a 1-3 record at that position.
Familiar Territory
With seven members of the 2006 squad returning, it is no suprise the team is finding early success. Last season, MSU opened dual competition with one of the most impressive starts in recent history, going 7-2 before heading into Big Ten matches. The group has returned for an even more remarkable 7-0 start to the 2007 season. The undefeated streak is the longest since the 1998-99 team started 6-0, and matches the best MSU start in history, when the 1972 squad finished the season a perfect 7-0.
An Unblemished Record
Senior Jessica Baron remains undefeated in both singles (6-0) and doubles (5-0) following the first five matches, competing at No. 6 doubles and No. 3 singles. Sarah Andrews and Christine Milliken join Baron as undefeated in doubles play. As a team, Michigan State is 18-2 in doubles, not dropping the doubles point through its first seven matches. Also worth mentioning, Michigan State has yet to drop a match at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, or at No. 3 doubles.
Home Sweet Home
The Spartans are in the midst of a seven-match homestand, which keeps them in East Lansing for the entire month of February. MSU holds the home-court advantage against Toledo (Feb. 3), Miami (Ohio) (Feb 10), Ball State (Feb. 11), East Tennessee State (Feb. 18), and Bowling Green (Feb. 24). Michigan State will not hit the road again until March 3, when the Spartans travel to Dayton, Ohio to face the Flyers at 3 p.m.
Spartans Schedule, No Easy Task
Michigan State will face a tough test in 2007, as the Spartans face five opponents who were ranked in the ITA/FILA Top 75 preseason rankings. Also noteworthy, four of the ranked schools are Big Ten opponents (Michigan, Iowa, Purdue, Indiana), which shows the depth of the conference this season. The challenge for Michigan State will be to compete hard in order to earn a spot in the NCAA Championships. The Spartans have already faced Louisville, the fifth team that was ranked in the preseason; Michigan State came away with its first victory over a ranked team, 5-2, against the No. 70 Cardinals.
In addition to the ranked teams, Michigan State will face competitors who were ranked individually in both singles and doubles in the preseason. Seven of the Spartans competitors are ranked in singles, while MSU is slated to face two ranked doubles teams.
.jpg&height=340&type=webp)
