Spartans Down No. 60 Penn State on Senior Day

Sunday, April 16

East Lansing, Mich.

11 AM

Michigan State University

Penn State

Photo by: Kelly Branigan

4/16/2023 3:22:00 PM | Women's Tennis

Box Score

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State women's tennis finished the Big Ten regular season in dramatic fashion, defeating #60 Penn State on Senior Day, 4-3. The win snaps a six-dual losing streak and pushes MSU to 9-13 (2-9 Big Ten) while Penn State falls to 11-12 (3-6 Big Ten) this spring.

"I am so proud of this team," said head coach Kim Bruno. "We have been chasing this for a while now and it feels really good. The girls kept fighting and I am so proud of them."

The Spartans started the dual strong, taking the doubles point in dramatic fashion once again. MSU would take an early advantage as the duo of Nicole Conard and Issey Purser earned their sixth win of the season, taking down Penn State's Karly Friedland and Alexandra Nielsen, 6-0. The Nittany Lions would strike back at No. 1 doubles as the pairing of Sofiya Chekhlystova and Carla Girbau defeated MSU's Ayshe Can and Liisa Vehvilainen, 6-2.

The Spartans would clinch the first point of the match with a comeback at No.3 doubles as Dagmar Zdrubecka and Juliette Nask remained undefeated as a pair this spring, dispatching PSU's Ioana Gheorghita and Alina Lebedeva, 7-5, to give the Spartans the first point of the day.

MSU started strong in singles as Nask earned her third-straight victory, doubling the Spartan lead with a 6-0, 6-2 win over PSU's Friedland at the No. 5 slot. Penn State would fight back at No. 4 singles as freshman Marley Lambert could not hold off PSU's Olivia Dormer, falling 3-6, 3-6 as the Nittany Lions earned their first point of the day.

Penn State would tie things up as MSU's Can could not win the first-set tiebreak, ultimately capitulating to the Nittany Lions' No. 63 Sofiya Chekhlystova, 6-7 (3), 2-6 at the No. 1 slot in her return to the singles lineup. MSU would later regain the lead as Zdrubecka claimed a 7-6 (6), 6-3 win at the No. 6 slot over PSU's Lebedeva for her third singles win this spring.

In another nail-biter at the No. 3 slot, MSU's Purser battled hard but could not complete the comeback, falling to PSU's Gheorghita in a three-set thriller, 2-6, 6-4, 4-6 as the match became deadlocked at 3-3. The Spartans would come out victors as Vehvilainen utilized a three-set comeback to clinch the match, defeating PSU's Yvonne Zuffova 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, after the Nittany Lion double-faulted on match point.

"We are definitely at a place where we need to be heading into the Big Ten tournament and we are going to take care of business when we get there," said Bruno. "We are a good team and I can guarantee that we can knock off a couple teams there."

UP NEXT
Michigan State will head to West Lafayette, Ind. to participate in the Big Ten Tournament beginning on April 26. The date and opponent for MSU's first match will be determined at a later date.

RESULTS
DOUBLES
1. Sofiya Chekhlystova/Carla Girbau (PSU) def. Ayshe Can/Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) 6-2
2. Issey Purser/Nicole Conard (MSU) def. Karly Friedland/Alexandra Nielsen (PSU) 6-0
3. Dagmar Zdrubecka/Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Ioana Gheorghita/Alina Lebedeva (PSU) 7-5

SINGLES
1. #63 Sofiya Chekhlystova (PSU) def. Ayshe Can (MSU) 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
2. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU) def. Yvonne Zuffova (PSU) 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-3
3. Ioana Gheorghita (PSU) def. Issey Purser (MSU) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
4. Olivia Dorner (PSU) def. Marley Lambert (MSU) 6-3, 6-3
5. Juliette Nask (MSU) def. Karly Friedland (PSU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU) def. Alina Lebedeva (PSU) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (5,4,1,6,3,2)