Spartans Conclude Regular Season at Home

Friday, April 14

East Lansing, Mich.

5 PM

Michigan State University

Ohio State

Photo by: Megan Crain

4/13/2023 1:56:00 PM | Women's Tennis

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State women's tennis returns home this weekend, concluding the Big Ten regular season with a weekend doubleheader against No. 7 Ohio State and No. 60 Penn State. The Spartans are set to take on the Buckeyes for Youth Night on Friday, April 14 at 5 p.m. and finish the weekend by taking on the Nittany Lions for Senior Day on Sunday, April 16 at 11 a.m.

Live scoring and streaming will be available on MSUSpartans.com.

#UNMATCHED APPROACH
MSU returns to play at 8-12 (1-8 Big Ten) after finishing a season-long, four-dual road stretch over the last two weeks. Sophomore Liisa Vehvilainen continues to lead the Spartans with a 17-11 record this spring, including an 8-4 record in singles. Freshman Juliette Nask is currently riding a two-match win streak and is second on the team with seven singles wins.

In doubles, the duo of Vehvilainen and junior Ayshe Can lead the Spartans with a 9-5 record at the No. 1 doubles slot while the pairing of Issey Purser and Nicole Conard ranks second with 5-4 mark.

LAST POINT
The Spartans faced tough opposition last weekend in the Hoosier State but could not come out victorious, falling to Indiana 4-0 on Saturday, April 8 before providing a scare to No. 47 Purdue in what was a 4-2 victory for the Boilermakers.

Against Indiana, the Spartans fell at the No. 2 and No. 1 slots as the Hoosiers claimed the dual's opening point. In singles, the Spartans battled but could not overcome first-set deficits at No. 2 and No. 3 singles as MSU fell behind 3-0. The Hoosiers would take the match with a win at No. 4 singles before the Spartans could earn a point.

The Spartans provided a scare to No. 47 Purdue early, taking an early advantage in doubles with a win at the No. 3 slot. However, the Boilermakers would take the point with a grueling 7-5 win at the No. 1 position to take the 1-0 lead. In singles, the teams would trade blows as the Spartans claimed their lone two points with wins at the No. 5 and No. 4 positions. Purdue would ultimately claim the match with a three-set victory at the No. 3 slot to clinch the 4-2 win.

ON OHIO STATE
No. 7 Ohio State enters the weekend at 15-5 (7-0 Big Ten), taking on the Spartans before facing No. 6 Michigan to finish the weekend. Ohio State is riding a season-long, seven-dual win streak, dispatching No. 58 Iowa last Sunday, 4-0. The Buckeyes are co-led by No. 90 Shelly Bereznyak and Lucia Marzal who have identical 13-1 records in singles play this season. In doubles, the pairing of Kolie Allen and Danielle Wilson have a clinical 10-2 mark this spring. Ohio State took last season's meeting between the two squads with a 4-0 win in Columbus.

ON PENN STATE
No. 60 Penn State hits the court at 11-10 (3-4 Big Ten), having won three of its last five matches including a 4-2 win over Nebraska last weekend. In singles, the Nittany Lions are led by Olivia Dorner with a 13-5 mark this spring, as well as Sofiya Chekhlystova, whose 11-6 record sees her ranked No. 63 in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association Women's Division I singles rankings. In doubles, the duo of Chekhlystova and Carla Girbau lead the Nittany Lions with an 8-2 record. Penn State took last season's meeting, 4-1, in University Park.

FOLLOW THE SPARTANS
Visit MSUSpartans.com for more information on Michigan State women's tennis. Fans can keep up to date with the Spartans women's tennis team on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter by following @MSU_WTennis.