The Penn State women's tennis team shut out Bucknell last night with a score of 7-0. This is the second sweep in a row for the Lions, who defeated Lehigh 7-0 last Friday.

Top scores included sophomore Jenny Shular and junior Katelyn BeVard, taking the doubles win over Mills and Globerman of Bucknell, 8-0. Junior Andreea Niculescu took the singles crown over her opponent, 6-1 and 6-0.

"The team did a good job of going out and getting it done without being too flashy," BeVard said.

She said that a well played doubles match gave the team momentum going into singles play. Penn State women's tennis coach Buffy Baker said that the team tends to relax and "check-out" when playing against squads like Lehigh and Bucknell.

"We did that but we recovered and recognized -- I'm pleased with our ability to recognize and refocus," Baker said.

BeVard made note of the times she struggled during the match.

"I had to find a way to get balls in and I didn't have all my shots," BeVard said. "But I still got it done."

The Lions benefited by making a slight change to their line up, taking their No.1 player, Sasha Abraham, out of the singles competition because of a strained quad.

"It's important when you take your No.1 player out of the singles match," BeVard said. "Everyone on the team has to move up a spot."

Baker said taking Abraham out of the No.1 spot allowed the rest of the team to gain exposure in higher spots.

" They played the ball, not the spot," Baker said.

Coming off two solid wins is very important for the Lions at this point in the season. Baker said that the team must remain mentally alert as they move into tougher competitions like Illinois and Purdue coming up this weekend.

"At this stage, they want to compete. They are tired of practicing," Baker said.

Niculescu said this win was a confidence booster as well as an assessment of what the team can do. She predicts that the Lions will be among the top three contenders in the Big Ten competition.

"We can do pretty well against Indiana," Niculescu said. "We know what we can do, we just have to apply it in matches."

The Lions will host two tough Big Ten schools this weekend

They will play Illinois on Friday at 5 p.m.

Free pizza will be served for all in attendance.