Falcons Capture Battle Of I-75 Victory Sunday

Sunday, March 21

Toledo, OH

1:00 PM

Bowling Green State University

Toledo

Photo by: Isaiah Vazquez/BGSU Athletics

March 21, 2021 | Women's Tennis

By: by Kyle Edmond, BGSU Athletics

TOLEDO, Ohio– The Bowling Green State University tennis program came away with the victory in the Battle of I-75 on Sunday (March 21) topping Toledo in a 4-3 final. All four of the points for the Falcons came in singles play, seeing wins at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 6 singles to clinch the win. With the win over Toledo, the Falcons move to 7-3 on the season while being 3-1 in the MAC. The Falcons will be back on the court on Friday (March 26) as they travel to face Ball State before returning to their home court on Sunday (March 28) to host Miami.

BGSU Results
Sunday, March 21, 2021 - Toledo, Ohio

SINGLES
1 - Marharita-Sophia Tavpash (BGSU) def. Cassie Alcala (UT), 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
2 - Ioanna Tsadari (BGSU) def. Sloane Teske (UT), 6-4, 6-2
3 - Ayumi Sasaki (BGSU) def. Eileen Carney (UT), 6-4, 6-1
4 - Julia Kuszynski (UT) def. Yulia Kapitanova (BGSU), 6-1, 6-4
5 - Patricia Panta (UT) def. Selina Karg (BGSU), 7-6 (5), 1-6, 6-3
6 - Marta Bettinelli (BGSU) def. Shalini Tallamraju (UT), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4

DOUBLES
1 - Alcala/Teske (UT) def. Tavpash/Silveira (BGSU), 6-1
2 - Morera/Panta (UT) def. Tsadari/Sasaki (BGSU), 6-3
3 - Bettinelli/Karg (BGSU) def. Fuller/Kuszynski (UT), 5-4 (Unfinished)

Making Of The Match

In singles, the Falcons got out to a quick start with Ioanna Tsadari capturing the No. 2 singles point. Tsadari jumped out to a 4-1 lead in both sets before securing the win.
After the Rockets answered with a singles point, the Falcons quickly responded with a win at No. 3 singles. Ayumi Sasaki was able to pick up 6-4 and 6-1 scores. After falling behind 3-0 in the first set, Sasaki battled back to win 6-4 before taking the second set handedly at 6-1.
The Falcons would pick up another singles win at No. 1 singles as well, seeing Marharita-Sophia Tavpash claim a three-set win. Tavpash won the first set at 6-4 before coming up short in the second 6-3. However, she dominated in the third to a 6-1 score after beginning 1-1.
With the match knotted up at 3-3, Marta Bettinelli came through for the Falcons to clinch the victory, going three sets at No. 6 singles. With all three sets finishing up at 6-4, Bettinelli won the first and third sets for the win.

Falcon Stat Facts

Picking up a singles win, Marharita-Sophia Tavpash moved her career singles win total to 62, taking sole possession of 22nd all-time. The win also moved Tavpash up the combined career wins list, now tied for 10th all-time with Cindy Mikolajewski with 143 wins each.
Ayumi Sasaki also made progress on the all-time lists, moving up to a tie for 23rd on the singles list with Polina Radeva, each having 61 career singles wins.

Quote From Coach

"I am so proud of the grit this team showed today to be able to come back after losing the doubles point. We held each other accountable to the tennis we know we can play. To watch Marta clinching the match at the end is a memory we will never forget."

Up Next

Bowling Green will be on the road this coming Friday (March 26) for a match against Ball State, set for a 1 p.m. start.
The Falcons next home match will be March 28 against Miami, also set for a 1 p.m. start.

Follow the Falcons
Be sure to follow the Falcons' tennis team throughout the season on social media.
Twitter – @BGAthletics and @BGSUTennis
Instagram – 'bgfalcons' and 'bgsuwtennis'
Facebook – 'BGSU Athletics'
YouTube – 'Falcon Athletics'