March 30, 2012
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IOWA CITY, Iowa — The University of Iowa women’s tennis team earned its first Big Ten win of the season on Friday under the lights of the Klotz Outdoor Tennis Courts. The Hawkeyes (7-8, 1-3 Big Ten) upset No. 46 Penn State (10-5, 2-2), 4-3, to improve to a perfect 6-0 at home this season. Iowa last started 6-0 at home in 2008.
“We battled well tonight,” said head coach Katie Dougherty. “Penn State is a good team and we did a great job of playing our best tennis at the end. I see improvement every match and we will need to be ready to go against a very good Ohio State team on Sunday.”
The Hawkeyes jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a 2-1 victory in doubles. Senior Ally Majercik and freshman Shelby Talcott earned their first dual win as a pair at the No. 3 spot. The duo defeated Marie-Frederique Bedard and Nina Sertic, 8-6. Freshmen Ellen Silver and Katie Zordani secured the doubles point with an 8-6 win over Sarah Henderson and Fernanda Perrotta at the No. 2 position. Silver and Zordani improved their team-best dual record to 8-4. The tandem is 4-2 at both the No. 2 and 3 positions.
Penn State quickly evened the score in singles before Zordani regained the Iowa lead (2-1) with a 6-4, 6-1 victory against Perrotta at the No. 4 spot. The Lake Forest, Ill., native is 7-8 in dual play.
After a second Nittany Lion triumph, senior Sonja Molnar defeated Petra Januskova, 6-4, 6-4, at the top spot to give the Hawkeyes a 3-2 advantage. Molnar topped Januskova, ranked No. 61 by the ITA, to earn her second straight victory against a nationally-ranked opponent. Molnar defeated No. 92 Allison Falkin of Illinois on March 25. Molnar, ranked No. 115 by the ITA, leads the team with an 11-4 dual mark. The victory was the 95th of Molnar’s Hawkeye career.
Freshman Morven McCulloch clinched an Iowa victory for the third time this season, as she downed Carmen Sandor, 6-1, 4-6, 6-2, at the No. 3 position. McCulloch improved to 8-7 during dual play.
The Hawkeyes host Ohio State at 11 a.m. (CT) on Sunday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
Iowa (7-8, 1-3) – 4
#46 Penn State (10-5, 2-2) – 3
Singles
1. #115 Sonja Molnar (IOWA) def. #61 Petra Januskova (PSU), 6-4, 6-4
2. Chelsea Utting, Chelsea (PSU) def. Shelby Talcott (IOWA), 6-3, 6-1
3. Morven McCulloch (IOWA) def. Carmen Sandor (PSU), 6-1, 4-6, 6-2
4. Katie Zordani (IOWA) def. Fernanda Perrotta (PSU), 6-4, 6-1
5. Marie-Frederique Bedard (PSU) def. Christina Harazin (IOWA), 6-4, 6-4
6. Nina Sertic (PSU) def. Ellen Silver (IOWA), 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
1. Petra Januskova/Chelsea Utting (PSU) def. Sonja Molnar/Morven McCulloch (IOWA), 8-3
2. Ellen Silver/Katie Zordani (IOWA) def. Sarah Henderson/Fernanda Perrotta (PSU), 8-6
3. Ally Majercik/Shelby Talcott (IOWA) def. Marie-Frederique Bedard/Nina Sertic (PSU), 8-6