Michigan State University Athletics
Sunday, April 24
East Lansing, Mich.
11 a.m. ET
Michigan State University
1
vs
4
Illinois
Photo by: Sarah Smith
Women’s Tennis Falls on Senior Day to Illinois
4/24/2022 4:42:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Lemonds, Lewis, Pietrowicz and Stephens honored during break
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan State women's tennis team closed out the regular season on Sunday, as No. 47 Illinois came to town and defeated the Spartans, 4-1, to spoil Senior Day festivities at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
Sunday was the final home match for four Spartans, as Mary Lewis, Lauren Lemonds, Maja Pietrowicz and Nicole Stephens were all honored during the break between doubles and singles alongside their families and teammates.
The loss sends MSU to 9-13 overall and 1-10 in Big Ten play, while the Fighting Illini improved to 15-8 on the season and 8-3 in the conference standings.
Illinois struck first in doubles action, with the No. 2 Illini pairing of Josie Frazier and Ashley Yeah getting out to an early advantage that they capitalized on, defeating Stephens and sophomore Ayshe Can by a 6-1 score.
The third doubles court turned into a battle, but the Illinois duo of Emily Casati and Kasia Treiber were able to hold on against freshman Charlotte Gisclon and junior Dagmar Zdrubecka, pulling out a 6-4 victory. The teams abandoned the top court, where Kate Duong and Megan Heuser had a 4-3 lead over Lewis and Pietrowicz when action was halted.
Frazier was the first singles player to pick up a win following the MSU Senior Day intermission, defeating Pietrowicz on the third court via a 6-1, 6-2 score that put Illinois up, 2-0.
The No. 4 singles showdown between Heuser and Lemonds featured a close second set after Heuser took the opening set, but Heuser was able to come out victorious with a 6-1, 6-4 win that left Illinois on the cusp of clinching the match.
Gisclon gave the Spartans a fighting chance at a comeback when she beat Casati in straight sets on the sixth court, earning the 6-4, 6-0 win that moved the rookie to 12-12 in singles play this season.
Treiber prevented a further MSU rally, as the No. 5 Illinois singles player had to make a comeback herself after Stephens won the first set, and she did that by pulling away in the second and third sets for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Stephens that clinched the match for Illinois.
In her final match on the MSU campus, Lewis was on the verge of forcing a third set against Duong before the match was abandoned, with Lewis holding a 4-3 edge in the second-set tiebreaker after dropping the first set, 3-6. For Can, she was trailing Yeah in the third set after the two split the first and second sets in a 6-3, 4-6, 2-1 match, leaving the match unfinished.
The all-time series now shifts to 37-12 in favor of the Fighting Illini.
Michigan State opens the Big Ten Tournament on April 27 against Iowa at 2 p.m. CT.
Sunday was the final home match for four Spartans, as Mary Lewis, Lauren Lemonds, Maja Pietrowicz and Nicole Stephens were all honored during the break between doubles and singles alongside their families and teammates.
The loss sends MSU to 9-13 overall and 1-10 in Big Ten play, while the Fighting Illini improved to 15-8 on the season and 8-3 in the conference standings.
Illinois struck first in doubles action, with the No. 2 Illini pairing of Josie Frazier and Ashley Yeah getting out to an early advantage that they capitalized on, defeating Stephens and sophomore Ayshe Can by a 6-1 score.
The third doubles court turned into a battle, but the Illinois duo of Emily Casati and Kasia Treiber were able to hold on against freshman Charlotte Gisclon and junior Dagmar Zdrubecka, pulling out a 6-4 victory. The teams abandoned the top court, where Kate Duong and Megan Heuser had a 4-3 lead over Lewis and Pietrowicz when action was halted.
Frazier was the first singles player to pick up a win following the MSU Senior Day intermission, defeating Pietrowicz on the third court via a 6-1, 6-2 score that put Illinois up, 2-0.
The No. 4 singles showdown between Heuser and Lemonds featured a close second set after Heuser took the opening set, but Heuser was able to come out victorious with a 6-1, 6-4 win that left Illinois on the cusp of clinching the match.
Gisclon gave the Spartans a fighting chance at a comeback when she beat Casati in straight sets on the sixth court, earning the 6-4, 6-0 win that moved the rookie to 12-12 in singles play this season.
Treiber prevented a further MSU rally, as the No. 5 Illinois singles player had to make a comeback herself after Stephens won the first set, and she did that by pulling away in the second and third sets for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory over Stephens that clinched the match for Illinois.
In her final match on the MSU campus, Lewis was on the verge of forcing a third set against Duong before the match was abandoned, with Lewis holding a 4-3 edge in the second-set tiebreaker after dropping the first set, 3-6. For Can, she was trailing Yeah in the third set after the two split the first and second sets in a 6-3, 4-6, 2-1 match, leaving the match unfinished.
The all-time series now shifts to 37-12 in favor of the Fighting Illini.
Michigan State opens the Big Ten Tournament on April 27 against Iowa at 2 p.m. CT.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3
#1 Singles Match
123
Kate Duong / 0 [ILL]
660
36UF
#2 Singles Match
1234
Ashley Yeah / 0 [ILL]
6420
361UF
#3 Singles Match
12
Josie Frazier / 0 [ILL]
66
12
#4 Singles Match
12
Megan Heuser / 0 [ILL]
66
14
#5 Singles Match
123
Kasia Treiber / 0 [ILL]
266
632
#6 Singles Match
12
Emily Casati / 0 [ILL]
40
66
Order of Finish:
3,4,6,5
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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