Netwomen fare 1-1 on Michigan road trip

By KATE BLASCHAK
Collegian Sports Writer

The women's tennis team had a tough weekend of competition on the road, playing back-to-back matches with Michigan (8-5,4-1 Big Ten) and Michigan State (4-7, 0-3).

Although Penn State fell to the Wolverines on Saturday by a score of 8-1, the Lady Lions came back to defeat the Spartans, 6-3, to take their first Big Ten win of the season.

The only win in Saturday's competition came from the No. 3 doubles team of sophomore Melissa Feeney and junior Kim Nelson.

Penn State took five of the six matches in the singles competition yesterday. Nelson, sophomores Olga Novikova and Kim Bolduc and junior Robyn Reagan were all victorious. Also winning was freshman Kellie Murphy, who took her first Big Ten win of the season.

Coming out strong with a 5-1 lead in the singles competition, the Lady Lions succeeded in taking one more win in doubles. The No. 1 team of Novikova and sophomore Tricia Lehman walked away with a tough victory.

Lehman said although she and Novikova started off a little slow, they were able to pull it together. She added the team wasn't too upset with its loss to Michigan the previous day.

"We knew we could win (against Michigan State)," Lehman added. "We did anything we could to get the win."

Her thoughts echoed those of Coach Sue Whiteside. She said her team was really determined and the players felt like they could win.

"They pulled out all the weapons and put up a fight," Whiteside added. "Even though they were a little flat from (Saturday's) match, they really came through in singles competition."

Whiteside also said the win over Michigan State makes her team tougher and better able to handle pressure.

"To lose a match on the road and then come back a day later is tough to do," she said. "It's so nice -- no matter what you have to do to get it -- to get a win on the road. It shows that the team's hard work is paying off."

The Lady Lions will take a break from competition next weekend, but will make another tough road trip the following weekend. They will compete against two more Big Ten schools back to back -- Indiana and Ohio State.