Sunday, 01/18/2009

The No. 65 Michigan State women’s tennis team fell in its spring opener to No. 40 Louisville, 6-1, at the Bass-Rudd Tennis Center in Louisville, Ky. Picking up the lone win for the Spartans was freshman Elena Ivanova (Moscow, Russia) who defeated Natalia Baez 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-6 in the No. 4 singles spot.

“Elena is a fighter and today was no different,” said Michigan State head coach Simone Jardim. “She figured out a way to win, and it is exciting to see that from a freshman.”

Louisville marked the first ITA preseason-ranked opponent, out of a potential 12 opponents, for the green and white during the spring campaign.

“For the first match of the season, it was an eye opener for us all,” Jardim added. “In order to beat teams like Lousville we are going to have to get better as a whole. We are going to have another tough week of practice in order to get ready for Eastern Michigan. We just have to keep working hard and results will come.”

The Spartans return to action Friday, January 24, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility for their spring home opener against Eastern Michigan University.

Singles
1.) Lauren Imre (UL) def. Stephanie Kebler (MSU), 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (6)
2.) Bianca Gorbea (UL) def. Manon Noe (MSU), 6-3, 6-7 (4), 6-4
3.) Lindsey Jones (UL) def. Ana Milosavljevic (MSU), 6-4, 6-3
4.) Elena Ivanova (MSU) def. Natalia Baez (UL), 6-7 (2), 6-4, 10-6
5.) Sarah Miller (UL) def. Lindsey Lonergan (MSU), 1-6, 6-2, 6-0
6.) Amelia Harris (UL) def. Whitney Wilson (MSU), 6-0, 3-6, 6-3


Doubles
1.) Gorbea/Harris (UL) def. Noe/Wilson (MSU), 8-3
2.) Jones/Jo-Ann Van Aerde (UL) def. Kebler/Lonergan (MSU), 8-7 (5)
3.) Imre/Harris (UL) def. Ivanova/Milosavljevic (MSU), 8-5