Spartans Return to Win Column Against Middle Tennessee

MIAMI – Aided by a dominant trio of straight-set singles victories, Michigan State women's tennis returned to the win column in its Spring Break finale against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders, registering a 4-0 victory at the FIU Tennis Courts on Thursday afternoon.

Michigan State concludes the non-conference portion of its dual match schedule with a 7-4 overall record, publishing a 5-2 record at home with a 1-2 road mark in addition to a 1-0 record in neutral site matches following Thursday afternoon's victory. The Spartans have won six of their last eight matches dating to a 4-3 win over Miami of Ohio on Sunday, Feb. 5, running through this week's 1-1 outing in South Florida. In defeat, Middle Tennessee drops to 8-6 overall and 0-1 in Conference USA matches after dropping a 4-0 contest to FIU on Wednesday.

The Spartans and Blue Raiders started things off in the doubles competition, with the Spartans taking the doubles point on wins at the bookend positions. Nicole Conard and Issey Purser got the first win of the match on court three, defeating Noelle Mauro and Lilly-Sophie Schmidt in a 6-1 match. The Spartans followed that up with a clinch victory on court one, as Ayshe Can and Liisa Vehvilainen downed Love-Star Alexis and Muskan Gupta with a 6-2 showing. Marley Lambert and Dagmar Zdrubecka held a dominant 5-3 lead over Sana Garakani and Cara Szilasi, but the match went unfinished after the doubles point was clinched.

The match turned to singles after a short intermission, with Michigan State setting the tone for its dominant win by securing five-of-six first sets. Purser was first off for the Green & White on court six, as the Ascot, United Kingdom, native logged a steady 6-3, 6-3 win over Camila Barragan to put MSU ahead by a 2-0 margin. Can was next to finish, as the junior from Weston, Florida, booked a 6-4, 6-3 straight-set win over Garakani on court two. Freshman Juliette Nask hauled in the fourth and final point for MSU, downing Schmidt on court five in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1.

On court one, Vehvilainen was one game away from splitting sets with Alexis, as the Turku, Finland, native Spartan led 6-3, 3-5 in the headline matchup. Court three pitted Lambert against Gupta, with the Spartan holding a 6-3, 3-4 edge in the overall match after the dual was suspended. Finally, Conard was locked in a battle with Mauro on court four, trailing 4-6, 4-5 heading into the end of the second set, but the match was finished before Middle Tennessee could secure their opening score.

UP NEXT
Michigan State women's tennis opens the Big Ten Conference dual match season this weekend, as the Green & White challenge the in-state rival Michigan Wolverines on Saturday, March 11. First serve from the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor is slated for 1 p.m.

TENNIS MATCH RESULTS
Michigan State 4, Middle Tennessee 0
FIU Tennis Courts – Miami, Fla.
DOUBLES
1. Ayshe Can / Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Love-Star Alexis / Muskan Gupta (MTSU) 6-2
2. Marley Lambert / Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) vs. Sana Garakani / Cara Szilasi (MTSU) 5-3, unfinished
3. Nicole Conard / Issey Purser (MSU) def. Noelle Mauro / Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (MTSU) 6-1

SINGLES
1. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) vs. Love-Star Alexis (MTSU) 6-3, 3-5, unfinished
2. Ayshe Can (MSU) def. Sana Garakani (MTSU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Marley Lambert (MSU) vs. Muskan Gupta (MTSU) 6-3, 3-4, unfinished
4. Nicole Conard (MSU) vs. Noelle Mauro (MSTU) 4-6, 4-5, unfinished
5. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Lilly-Sophie Schmidt (MTSU) 6-4, 6-1
6. Issey Purser (MSU) def. Camila Barragan (MTSU) 6-3, 6-3

Order of Finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (6,2,5)

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.

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Team Stats

Players Mentioned

Ayshe Can

Nicole Conard

Marley Lambert

Juliette Nask

Issey Purser

Liisa Vehviläinen

Dagmar Zdrubecka