May 11, 2010

Season Recap
The Michigan State women's tennis team concluded the 2009-10 season with an overall record of 7-17. They were 7-7 at home, but faced some adversity on the road posting a 0-9 record. The Spartans went 1-9 in Big Ten play with its lone with over Penn State late in the season, 6-1. This year's roster loses only one senior and returns nine players for next season.

Early Season Success
Prior to Big Ten play the Spartans earned five dominating wins, giving up only seven total points to their opponents. MSU defeated Cleveland State, Detroit and Evansville, by the same 6-1 margin. In similar fashion, the Green and White defeated Toledo and Bowling Green, 5-2.

Heartbreak Loss
The Spartans began Big Ten play with a close loss to No. 18 Iowa, 4-3. As hard as the Green and White fought, they came up short.

"The Iowa match hurt the most," said head coach Simone Jardim. "We barely let it slip away to such a highly ranked team. Earning that win would have been a huge confidence booster, but we were so close that it was still a confidence booster. We had the opportunity in our grasp and we had chances against so many opponents."

Iowa dominated in doubles action, picking up all three contests over MSU. However, the Spartans responded in singles play as they gave a valiant effort against the Hawkeyes. Junior Whitney Wilson (Evansville, Ind.), freshman Amy Barton (Brisbane, Australia) and sophomore Elena Ivanova (Moscow, Russia) all posted wins for the Green and White.

Wilson dominated Merel Beelen, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 3 singles while Barton was able to top Jessica Young at the No. 4 spot, 6-4, 6-3. Ivanova picked up the third Spartan win over Kelcie Klockenga, 6-2, 6-3.

Big Ten Win
Conference play was highlighted by a dominating win over Penn State, 6-1.

"Penn State was a definite high spot for us this season," said Jardim. "We had been fighting hard against all Big Ten opponents and this match showed we are getting there. We are getting better."

The Spartans came out strong to earn the doubles point. Freshman Michaela Silesova (Topolcany, Slovakia) teamed with sophomore Elena Ivanova (Moscow, Russia) to defeat Lauren McCarthy and Denisa Zobeideh, 8-6, at No. 2 doubles. At the No. 3 slot, junior Manon Noe (Liancourt, France) and senior Christine Milliken (Traverse City, Mich.) topped Michaela Stracar and Maria Prishlyak, 8-5.

Singles action saw similar success as the Green and White earned five of the six matches to defeat their Penn State opponents. Herzog fought back against McCarthy after losing the first set to defeat her, 2-6, 6-3, 6-3.

Wilson posted a win at No. 3 singles over Prishlyak, 7-6 (0), 6-4, while Ivanova picked up her second win of the day over Zobeideh, 6-2, 7-5. Freshman Amy Barton (Brisbane, Australia) defeated Sarah Henderson at the No. 5 spot, 6-2, 6-3, and classmate Renata de Paiva battled at the No. 6 spot to top Stracar, 6-4, 5-7, 6-3.

Depth and Versatility
"Girls this year were willing to play wherever they needed to for the team," said Jardim. "Numerous players played all over the lineup. It didn't matter if they didn't get to play at No. 1 and No. 2, they wanted to play."

Three different Spartans played at four different spots in the singles lineup - Barton, Ivanova and Wilson.

Barton went 6-10 in dual play and 3-4 in the conference. Ivanova contributed with a 12-11 mark in dual play, six of which were at the No. 5 spot, and went 5-5 in the Big Ten. Wilson had a similar 12-10 record in spring play, contributing the most at the No. 3 slot with six wins. She also posted four wins in conference play.

Four Spartans played at three different positions throughout the season - Paiva, Milliken, Noe and Silesova.

Paiva and Milliken played at the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 positions. Milliken added three wins to the No. 6 spot. Noe saw action at the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 spot and Silesova played at the No. 1, 2 and 3 positions, posting wins in all three spots.

Dynamic Doubles
The Spartans picked up the doubles point in nine of the 12 matches prior to conference play, including four matches that resulted in losses. No. 2 doubles compiled the most successful record, 13-10, with the greatest contributions from the tandem of Barton and Wilson who went 8-0 at the position. Ivanova and Silesova also added a 5-4 mark to No. 2 doubles.

No. 1 doubles finished the 2009-10 campaign with an overall mark of 11-12. Noe and Heraog added with a 5-1 record, while Ivanova and Silesova tallied an even 4-4 mark.

No. 3 doubles concluded action with an 11-13 record. Five of those wins were posted by the doubles pairing of Herzog and Milliken. Two wins each were posted by the tandems of Milliken and Ivanova, as well as Barton and Wilson.

"We did well and saw some consistency," said Jardim. "If people played together for a long time, they did better than the ones that hadn't. It was harder for those who hadn't played as much together, it would take a few matches to get into it. Doubles was a definite strong spot for us."

Award Winners
Awards were given to three individual players as voted on by the rest of the team. The Most Valuable Player Award went to Whitney Wilson, while Nicole Herzog received the Most Improved Award and receiving the Heather Mactaggart Spirit Award was sophomore Dana Guentert (Lilburn, Ga.).

Wilson was a versatile weapon for the Spartans this season playing at the No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 singles positions. She tallied 12 wins throughout all four spots, with the majority (6) coming at No. 3 singles. Wilson also partnered with four different doubles partners. Along with Barton, Wilson posted 11 wins in dual play, eight of which came at the No. 2 spot, while two were at No. 3 doubles and one at No. 1.

"It wasn't just the wins," said Jardim. "Her leadership, she was a team player and it was important for her to build the leadership role going into her senior year. She has come a long way and has not just matured as a young woman, but as a tennis player as well."

"She has learned to trust herself and her game and she was ready to play 99% of the time," said assistant coach Shelley Godwin. "She is one of the most solid players we have and no matter what, we knew we could put her on the court."

Herzog entered the 2009-10 season in the fall and faced some adversity early on. By spring play, she was playing at first the No. 1 spot, and then had a more stable stance in No. 2 singles. She went 2-3 at No. 1 singles and 4-12 at the No. 2 spot including her lone conference win over Lauren McCarthy of Penn State.

"Nicole arrived in the fall and had a rough time," said Jardim. "She wasn't expected to play that high in the lineup, but it was a pleasant surprise and she exceeded our expectations as well as her own. She has the game and all of the tools to be a very talented player. She needs that confidence still, but that will come with experience."

Guentert received the Heather Mactaggart Spirit Award. The recipient of this award must portray both motivation and spirit. Guentert saw little action in the spring due to injury, but did post a win at No. 5 singles over Melanie Capuano of Detroit early on in the season.

"Dana didn't really play this year," said Jardim. "She didn't travel a whole lot either, but when we were at home, she was always there. A lot of the girls could count on her for the support from someone on the outside. We were successful at home and she played a key part in that. Next year, with her energy on the court as well, we will see great things."

Leaving Big Shoes to Fill
The 2009-10 campaign marks the end of the collegiate career for senior Christine Milliken. Milliken was the only four-year Spartan on the team and according to Jardim, she brought a lot to this year's' lineup.

"Chrsitine helped out in every way she could and she showed a lot of heart," said Jardim. "She also showed great commitment and she played a lot this year. We really appreciate everything she gave us throughout her whole career."

Milliken has one semester left at Michigan State and will most likely attend medical school.

Acing Breast Cancer
This year, the Spartans took it upon themselves to Ace Breast Cancer, literally. The fundraiser raised money to go towards the cure for cancer. The team kept track of every ace that was made at home then money could be donated or pledged to the cause.

Godwin headed the fundraiser that began at the beginning of the season. "It teaches the girls that we are so blessed and we are in a great position to give back."

The fundraiser raised over $1,000, which more than doubled what was expected when the program began.

Youthful Expectations
Nine Spartans will return for the 2010-11 season and great things are expected from this youthful team, namely the freshman class.

"We have three freshmen who all played high in the lineup," said Jardim. "You usually don't expect that girls that young will play that high right away. They had to face all of those challenges right off the bat and they handled it very well for being so young."

Silesova was the primary No. 1 singles player, Herzog was the primary No. 2 singles player and Barton was versatile at the No. 2, 3, 4 and 5 spots.

"Because they gained experience, they can build from that," said Godwin. "We threw them right into the fire and they had to not just play but play at a high level. Freshmen don't always experience that. They are young but they will be experienced. They know what to expect."