Bowling Green State University Athletics
Bowling Green State University
Detroit
Titans Squeak Past Falcons, 4-3, Sunday Night
February 22, 2009 | Women's Tennis
Feb. 22, 2009
DETROIT, Mich. - The host University of Detroit Mercy took advantage of a short-handed Bowling Green State University tennis team, posting a 4-3 victory over the Falcons Sunday night (Feb. 22). The non-conference dual match was held at the Franklin Athletic Center.
With the win, the Titans improve to 4-5 on the season, while the Falcons fall to 5-2. BGSU's loss was the team's second in a row after a 5-0 start.
For the second match in a row, the Falcons played without sophomore Christine Chiricosta, who was out with an injury. The loss of Chiricosta, as well as the fact that freshman Jessica Easdale remains sidelined due to injury, meant that BGSU had only five healthy players again on Sunday night.
In the singles lineup, as was the case on Saturday at Michigan State, juniors Samantha Kintzel and Katia Babina and seniors Stefanie Menoff and Libby Harrison each moved up one spot from their customary flights. Senior Kelsey Jakupcin remained at flight number one.
Doubles play saw Jakupcin -- who usually is partnered with Chiricosta -- team with Menoff at the top flight. Menoff normally plays at the third flight with Harrison. The Babina/Kintzel team remained intact at the second level.
In doubles action, both matches were decided by narrow 8-6 results. Babina and Kintzel battled back from a 6-1 deficit, reeling off wins in seven-straight games to defeat UDM's Svetlana Flankova and Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrom. But, the Jakupcin/Menoff duo dropped a narrow decision to Annie Moore and Zeljka Minic. That loss, combined with Detroit's win by default at the third flight, gave the Titans the doubles point.
In singles play, the Falcons were forced to default at the sixth flight. Babina made quick work of Aneta Maricevic at the third flight, losing a total of just five games, but Sjoberg-Sundstrom downed Harrison in fifth-flight action.
Kintzel rallied after a first-set loss to defeat Minic in three sets at the second flight, but Moore was able to get past Jakupcin in the top flight, in a match that also went the maximum three sets. That victory gave the Titans the four points needed for the match win.
At the fourth flight, Menoff outlasted Flankova in a super-tiebreaker, after the two competitors had split their first two sets. Menoff captured the 'breaker by a 10-8 score, but the overall match had already been decided.
The Falcons will return to action with a home match Friday evening (Feb. 27). BGSU will meet Butler University in a 6:30 p.m. start at the Perrysburg Tennis Center.
Detroit 4, Bowling Green 3
Feb. 22, 2009, at Franklin Athletic Center
Singles
1 - Annie Moore (UDM) def. Kelsey Jakupcin 6-2, 1-6, 6-4
2 - Samantha Kintzel (BGSU) def. Zeljka Minic 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
3 - Katia Babina (BGSU) def. Aneta Maricevic 6-2, 6-3
4 - Stefanie Menoff (BGSU) def. Svetlana Flankova 7-6 (7), 3-6, 1-0 (10-8)
5 - Sophie Sjoberg-Sundstrom (UDM) def. Libby Harrison 6-1, 6-0
6 - Erin Weldon (UDM) by default
Doubles
1 - Moore/Minic (UDM) def. Jakupcin/Menoff 8-6
2 - Babina/Kintzel (BGSU) def. Flankova/Sjoberg-Sundstrom 8-6
3 - Maricevic/Weldon (UDM) by default
Order of Finish
Doubles: 3,1,2
Singles: 6,3,5,2,1,4
