Rutgers University
Penn State
Tennis Defeats Penn State, 5-2
Apr 02 | Women's Tennis
UNIVERSITY Park, Pa. - Behind strong play in both singles and doubles, Rutgers tennis defeated Penn State, 5-2, Sunday afternoon in University Park, Pennsylvania. The win marked the first Big Ten Conference victory of the season and the first since the Scarlet Knights joined the conference in 2015.
"This was truly a team effort," said head coach Hilary Ritchie. "The team has worked hard and they earned this victory. We know we need to keep working, but I'm very proud of what they were able to do out there today."
Junior Mingxiu Du clinched the match for RU in the No. 1 singles position. After she claimed a 7-6 (3) come-from-behind, first-set victory over Devan McCluskey, Du added a 6-4 result in the second to help Rutgers claim it first conference victory of the spring campaign.
"Before this afternoon, I believed this would be the day that we won our first conference match," Du said. "I was down in the first set but never gave up. As a result, I was able to hold on to secure the team match for our entire program."
Three other Scarlet Knights claimed their singles matches, including senior Ksenija Tihomirova. Tihomirova won in straight sets, 6-1, 7-5 over Jacqueline Zuhse in the No. 2 position for her first conference singles win of the season.
Senior Farris Cunningham picked up her third-straight Big Ten singles victory with her 6-1, 6-2 defeat of Liyin Xu in the No. 6 position. Cunningham also had wins over her opponents from No. 2 Ohio State on Friday and from then-No. 47 Northwestern last Sunday.
Rookie Katherine Muzik also contributed to overall result with her 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win over Shannon Hanley in the fourth slot.
Rutgers started fast in doubles, as Du and Muzik paired for a 6-1 decision over Dunn and Zuhse in the No. 1 position. Moving up from the No. 3 position, Cunningham and freshman Jacqueline Cochrane added a 6-4 win over McCluskey and Shannon Hanley in the No. 2 spot.
Rutgers returns to action on April 7 when it hosts No. 9 Michigan at 1 p.m.
Rutgers 5, Penn State 2
Singles competition
1. Mingxiu Du (RU) def. Devan McCuskey (PSU), 7-6 (3), 6-4
2. Ksenija Tihomirova (RU) def. Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU), 6-1, 7-5
3. Samantha Smith (PSU) def. Chloe Lee (RU), 6-4, 6-2
4. Katherine Muzik (RU) def. Shannon Hanley (PSU), 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
5. Bennet Dunn (PSU) def. Jacqueline Cochrane (RU), 6-4, 6-1
6. Farris Cunningham (RU) def. Liyin Xu (PSU), 6-1, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 3, 2, 5, 1, 4
Doubles competition
1. Du/Muzik (RU) def. Zuhse/Dunn (PSU), 6-1
2. Cunningham/Cochrane (RU) def. McCluskey/Hanley (PSU), 6-4
3. Blik/Smith def. Lee/Levy (RU), 6-2
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
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Players Mentioned
