Friday, February 24
East Lansing, Mich.
10 AM
Michigan State University
3
vs
4
Xavier
Photo by: Sarah Smith
Doubles Shines as Women’s Tennis Splits Friday Doubleheader
2/24/2023 5:58:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Can and Vehvilainen Win Fifth-Straight Doubles Match
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State women's tennis dominated in doubles and split a pair of dual matches on Friday at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center, dropping a 4-3 decision to the two-time defending Big East Champion Xavier Musketeers before defeating the Chicago State Cougars in a 5-2 result.
Following Friday's action at home, the Spartans move to 5-3 overall with two weeks remaining in the non-conference slate. The Spartans have won four of their last five matches, clinching the doubles point in three of those wins. In defeat, Chicago State drops to 6-8, while the victorious Musketeers climb to 5-4 overall with a neutral site test against the Illinois State Redbirds on tap for Saturday, Feb. 25, inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
The Spartans started their first match of the day with a crucial doubles point win, as MSU took the top two courts to secure the opening point. Ayshe Can and Liisa Vehvilainen continued their dominance in doubles with a 6-0 win over Xavier's Kat Lyman and Abby Nugent on court one. The Musketeers battled back to even the doubles competition, as Emily Flowers and Paulina Franco toppled Juliette Nask and Issey Purser in a 6-2 contest on the bottom line. With all eyes trained on court two, Nicole Conard and Marley Lambert locked in a clutch 7-6(5) win against Imani Graham and Blessing Nwaozuzu to give Michigan State the early 1-0 lead.
After a brief intermission, both teams battled back-and-forth for control early in the singles competition as each squad picked up a trio of first sets. Purser was the first off for MSU, dismantling Nwaozuzu in a 6-2, 6-0 outing that put the Spartans ahead by a 2-0 margin in short order. Xavier snapped back on court four, with Nugent defeating Nask in a 6-4, 6-4 outing to make the score 2-1 in favor of MSU.
The remaining four singles courts all split sets, with Xavier taking the next two courts off to pull ahead, 3-2. Flowers topped Tia Mukherjee, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, on court six, while Graham got the better of Vehvilainen, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Michigan State knotted things up after Lambert bested Siminski in a 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3 result, but the Musketeers clinched the match on court two after Lyman won a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) match against Conard. Xavier escaped their first match of the weekend in mid-Michigan with a 4-3 victory.
After a short break between matches, the Spartans got back to work in doubles against Chicago State and took the doubles point with wins on the bottom two courts. Charlotte Gisclon and Dagmar Zdrubecka kicked things off on court two with a 6-2 win over Cali Fuller and Sofiya Sedovich. The Spartans clinched the opening point of the match for the second time on Friday with a 6-3 win from Mukherjee and Monique Karoub over Ethel Li and Katerina Dukic. Lambert and Vehvilainen led Manuella Eloundou Nga and Kristina Pukhaeva by a 5-4 margin, but their match went unfinished after the doubles point was secured.
For the second match in a row, neither team managed to build a decisive advantage through the first sets of the singles competition, with both squads taking three first frames apiece. Chicago State managed to tie the match at 1-all after Li defeated Makenna Martinez in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, on court six. MSU responded with two more wins to go up 3-1, with Zdrubecka logging a steady 6-3, 6-4 victory against Sedovich on court four just before Vehvilainen wrapped up a strong 6-0, 6-4 match against Fuller on the top line.
The Cougars made things interesting on court three, as a raucous straight-set match went Chicago State's way following a 6-3, 7-6(1) win from Dukic over MSU's Purser. Leading the match 3-2, the Green & White called upon freshman Sarah Fazlagic, who clinched the team victory in her first career dual match appearance. Fazlagic defeated Eloundou Nga in a tough 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 result on court five to take a 4-2 lead in the match. Lambert closed the evening out with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 come-from-behind victory on court two against Pukhaeva to finalize the 5-2 victory for MSU.
Vehvilainen became the first individual on Michigan State's roster to crack the 10-win threshold in singles, improving to 10-5 overall after splitting her matches on Friday. The Turku, Finland, native leads the team in dual match victories with six and maintains a 4-1 mark at the top position. Lambert led the way in the singles lineup in both matches Friday, going 2-0 individually while rising to 8-7 overall and 4-3 in duals. In doubles, the pairing of Can and Vehvilainen became the first Spartan tandem to crack the 10-win mark this season, winning their fifth-straight match together against Xavier en route to a 10-4 overall record and 6-1 start to the dual match campaign.
UP NEXT
Michigan State women's tennis remains at home in East Lansing on Sunday, Feb. 26, as the Spartans welcome the Illinois State Redbirds to the MSU Indoor Tennis Center for an 11 a.m. matinee.
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State 3, Xavier 4
MSU Indoor Tennis Center – East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1. Ayshe Can / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Kat Lyman / Abby Nugent (XU) 6-0
2. Nicole Conard / Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Imani Graham / Blessing Nwaozuzu (XU) 7-6(5)
3. Emily Flowers / Paulina Franco (XU) def. Juliette Nask / Issey Purser (MSU) 6-2
SINGLES
1. Imani Graham (XU) def. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. Kat Lyman (XU) def. Nicole Conard (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)
3. Abby Nugent (XU) def. Juliette Nask (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Abigail Siminski (XU) 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3
5. Issey Purser (MSU) def. Blessing Nwaozuzu (XU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Emily Flowers (XU) def. Tia Mukherjee (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,3,6,1,4,2)
Michigan State 5, Chicago State 2
MSU Indoor Tennis Center – East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1. Marley Lambert / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) vs. Manuella Eloundou Nga / Kristina Pukhaeva (CHST) 5-4, unfinished
2. Charlotee Gisclon / Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) def. Cali Fuller / Sofiya Sedovich (CHST) 6-2
3. Monique Karoub / Tia Mukherjee (MSU) def. Ethel Li / Katerina Dukic (CHST) 6-3
SINGLES
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Cali Fuller (CHST) 6-0, 6-4
2. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Kristina Pukhaeva (CHST) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Katarina Dukic (CHST) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-3, 7-6(1)
4. Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) def. Sofiya Sedovich (CHST) 6-3, 6-4
5. Sarah Fazlagic (MSU) def. Manuella Eloundou Nga (CHST) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
6. Ethel Li (CHST) def. Makenna Martinez (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,1,3,5,2)
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_WTennis.
Following Friday's action at home, the Spartans move to 5-3 overall with two weeks remaining in the non-conference slate. The Spartans have won four of their last five matches, clinching the doubles point in three of those wins. In defeat, Chicago State drops to 6-8, while the victorious Musketeers climb to 5-4 overall with a neutral site test against the Illinois State Redbirds on tap for Saturday, Feb. 25, inside the MSU Indoor Tennis Center.
The Spartans started their first match of the day with a crucial doubles point win, as MSU took the top two courts to secure the opening point. Ayshe Can and Liisa Vehvilainen continued their dominance in doubles with a 6-0 win over Xavier's Kat Lyman and Abby Nugent on court one. The Musketeers battled back to even the doubles competition, as Emily Flowers and Paulina Franco toppled Juliette Nask and Issey Purser in a 6-2 contest on the bottom line. With all eyes trained on court two, Nicole Conard and Marley Lambert locked in a clutch 7-6(5) win against Imani Graham and Blessing Nwaozuzu to give Michigan State the early 1-0 lead.
After a brief intermission, both teams battled back-and-forth for control early in the singles competition as each squad picked up a trio of first sets. Purser was the first off for MSU, dismantling Nwaozuzu in a 6-2, 6-0 outing that put the Spartans ahead by a 2-0 margin in short order. Xavier snapped back on court four, with Nugent defeating Nask in a 6-4, 6-4 outing to make the score 2-1 in favor of MSU.
The remaining four singles courts all split sets, with Xavier taking the next two courts off to pull ahead, 3-2. Flowers topped Tia Mukherjee, 6-3, 4-6, 6-4, on court six, while Graham got the better of Vehvilainen, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. Michigan State knotted things up after Lambert bested Siminski in a 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3 result, but the Musketeers clinched the match on court two after Lyman won a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4) match against Conard. Xavier escaped their first match of the weekend in mid-Michigan with a 4-3 victory.
After a short break between matches, the Spartans got back to work in doubles against Chicago State and took the doubles point with wins on the bottom two courts. Charlotte Gisclon and Dagmar Zdrubecka kicked things off on court two with a 6-2 win over Cali Fuller and Sofiya Sedovich. The Spartans clinched the opening point of the match for the second time on Friday with a 6-3 win from Mukherjee and Monique Karoub over Ethel Li and Katerina Dukic. Lambert and Vehvilainen led Manuella Eloundou Nga and Kristina Pukhaeva by a 5-4 margin, but their match went unfinished after the doubles point was secured.
For the second match in a row, neither team managed to build a decisive advantage through the first sets of the singles competition, with both squads taking three first frames apiece. Chicago State managed to tie the match at 1-all after Li defeated Makenna Martinez in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, on court six. MSU responded with two more wins to go up 3-1, with Zdrubecka logging a steady 6-3, 6-4 victory against Sedovich on court four just before Vehvilainen wrapped up a strong 6-0, 6-4 match against Fuller on the top line.
The Cougars made things interesting on court three, as a raucous straight-set match went Chicago State's way following a 6-3, 7-6(1) win from Dukic over MSU's Purser. Leading the match 3-2, the Green & White called upon freshman Sarah Fazlagic, who clinched the team victory in her first career dual match appearance. Fazlagic defeated Eloundou Nga in a tough 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 result on court five to take a 4-2 lead in the match. Lambert closed the evening out with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 come-from-behind victory on court two against Pukhaeva to finalize the 5-2 victory for MSU.
Vehvilainen became the first individual on Michigan State's roster to crack the 10-win threshold in singles, improving to 10-5 overall after splitting her matches on Friday. The Turku, Finland, native leads the team in dual match victories with six and maintains a 4-1 mark at the top position. Lambert led the way in the singles lineup in both matches Friday, going 2-0 individually while rising to 8-7 overall and 4-3 in duals. In doubles, the pairing of Can and Vehvilainen became the first Spartan tandem to crack the 10-win mark this season, winning their fifth-straight match together against Xavier en route to a 10-4 overall record and 6-1 start to the dual match campaign.
UP NEXT
Michigan State women's tennis remains at home in East Lansing on Sunday, Feb. 26, as the Spartans welcome the Illinois State Redbirds to the MSU Indoor Tennis Center for an 11 a.m. matinee.
TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State 3, Xavier 4
MSU Indoor Tennis Center – East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1. Ayshe Can / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Kat Lyman / Abby Nugent (XU) 6-0
2. Nicole Conard / Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Imani Graham / Blessing Nwaozuzu (XU) 7-6(5)
3. Emily Flowers / Paulina Franco (XU) def. Juliette Nask / Issey Purser (MSU) 6-2
SINGLES
1. Imani Graham (XU) def. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-3
2. Kat Lyman (XU) def. Nicole Conard (MSU) 3-6, 6-1, 7-6(4)
3. Abby Nugent (XU) def. Juliette Nask (MSU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Abigail Siminski (XU) 7-6(4), 1-6, 6-3
5. Issey Purser (MSU) def. Blessing Nwaozuzu (XU) 6-2, 6-0
6. Emily Flowers (XU) def. Tia Mukherjee (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Order of Finish: Doubles (1,3,2); Singles (5,3,6,1,4,2)
Michigan State 5, Chicago State 2
MSU Indoor Tennis Center – East Lansing, Mich.
DOUBLES
1. Marley Lambert / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) vs. Manuella Eloundou Nga / Kristina Pukhaeva (CHST) 5-4, unfinished
2. Charlotee Gisclon / Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) def. Cali Fuller / Sofiya Sedovich (CHST) 6-2
3. Monique Karoub / Tia Mukherjee (MSU) def. Ethel Li / Katerina Dukic (CHST) 6-3
SINGLES
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Cali Fuller (CHST) 6-0, 6-4
2. Marley Lambert (MSU) def. Kristina Pukhaeva (CHST) 4-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Katarina Dukic (CHST) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-3, 7-6(1)
4. Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) def. Sofiya Sedovich (CHST) 6-3, 6-4
5. Sarah Fazlagic (MSU) def. Manuella Eloundou Nga (CHST) 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
6. Ethel Li (CHST) def. Makenna Martinez (MSU) 6-4, 6-3
Order of Finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (6,4,1,3,5,2)
FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartan women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter by following @MSU_WTennis.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
1,3,2
#1 Singles Match
123
Imani Graham / 0 [XU]
646
363
#2 Singles Match
123
Kat Lyman / 0 [XU]
367
616
#3 Singles Match
12
Abby Nugent / 0 [XU]
66
44
#4 Singles Match
123
Abigail Siminski / 0 [XU]
663
716
#5 Singles Match
12
Blessing Nwaozuzu / 0 [XU]
20
66
#6 Singles Match
123
Emily Flowers / 0 [XU]
646
364
Order of Finish:
5,3,6,1,4,2
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ 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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