Huskers Fall to 0-2 in Big Ten Play With Loss to MSU

East Lansing, Mich. -- The Nebraska women’s tennis team fell just short to the Michigan State Spartans today at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center in East Lansing, Mich. The Spartans came away with a hard-fought, 4-3 victory. With the loss, the Huskers fall to 8-10 (0-2 Big Ten) while the Spartans move to 11-6 (2-0 Big Ten).

 

The Spartans took the doubles point after winning at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. NU got its three wins in singles play as Jeannie Lozowski (No. 3), Jessica Aragon (No. 5) and Hayley Haakenstad (No. 6) earned victories in their respective matches.

 

Doubles:

Vasanti Shinde and Marina Cozac fell to Maja Pietrowicz and Emily Metcalf by the score of 4-3 at No. 1 singles. Hayley Haakenstad and Jeannie Lozowski lost 6-2 to Samantha Memije and Nicole Stephens of Michigan State while Jessica Aragon and Claire Reifeis did not complete their match at No. 2.

  

Singles:

In singles action, Michigan State took a 2-0 lead when Marina Cozac fell at No. 2 singles to the Spartans’ Maja Pietrowicz. Pietrowicz outlasted Cozac, 7-5, 6-0. The Spartans tacked on another team point when Lauren Lemonds defeated NU’s Claire Reifeis, 6-3, 7-6. Reifeis is a team-best 11-5 in singles play this season.

 

Jeannie Lozowski did her best to try and bring the Huskers back with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 victory at the No. 3 spot over MSU’s Davina Nguyen. Lozowski has now won four of her last six singles matches.

 

The Spartans clinched the dual meet when Samantha Memije defeated NU’s Vasanti Shinde, 1-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 1. The two teams decided to play out the rest, however, and the Huskers took victories at both the No. 5 and No. 6 singles spots.

 

Jessica Aragon and Hayley Haakenstad both dropped their first sets before storming back to take the final two. Aragon went down 0-1 after losing the first set, 3-6. She went on to win the final two sets six games to four.

 

Hayley Haakenstad was defeated handily in set one, losing 1-6 to MSU’s Nicole Stephens. However, she came back to win the next two and earn her eighth singles victory of the season.

 

Up Next:

NU will return to Lincoln to host the No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes at 4 p.m. on Friday, March 22. The Huskers hit the road to take on Penn State in State College, Pa., with a dual meet scheduled for 8 a.m. CT on Sunday, March 24.

 

Results vs. Michigan State:

 

Singles

1. Samantha Memije (MSU) def. Vasanti Shinde (NEB), 1-6, 6-2, 6-3

2. Lauren Lemonds (MSU) def. Claire Reifeis (NEB), 6-3, 7-6

3. Jeannie Lozowski (NEB) def. Davina Nguyen (MSU), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2

4. Maja Pietrowicz (MSU) def. Marina Cozac (NEB), 7-5, 6-0

5. Jessica Aragon (NEB) def. Emily Metcalf (MSU) 3-6, 6-4, 6-4

6. Hayley Haakenstad (NEB) def. Nicole Stephens (MSU), 1-6, 7-6, 7-5

 

Doubles

1. Maja Pietrowicz/Emily Metcalf (MSU) def. Vasanti Shinde/Marina Cozac (NEB), 6-3

2. Claire Reifeis/Jessica Aragon (NEB) vs. Samantha Memije/Nicole Stephens (MSU), 4-5, unfinished

3. Lauren Lemonds/Davina Nguyen (MSU) def. Hayley Haakenstad/Jeannie Lozowski (NEB), 6-2

 

Order of Finish:

Doubles (3,1)

Singles (4,2,3,1,6,5)