April 8, 2000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Taking five out of six singles, the No. 28 Fighting Illini came from behind to defeat Penn State 5-2 on Saturday afternoon.

At the No. 1 singles, freshman Eldina Fazlic downed Pilaz Montgomery 6-0, 6-1, and at the No. 2 position, junior Simone Kung defeated Rebecca Ho 6-3, 6-4. Sophomore Brooke Ferney outlasted Alison Barnett 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 at No. 3, and junior Carla Rosenberg came through with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Judy Wang at No. 4. At No. 6, senior Megan Wise took the 6-2, 6-2 victory over Teresa Whiteside. Senior Natalia Manasova fell 6-3, 6-1 to Martina Kopacova at No. 5.

"I give lots of credit to Penn State," said Head Coach Sujay Lama. "We were a little flat to start, but we really, really upped our intensity going into singles and I am extremely pleased with our performance."

In doubles, the No. 1 duo of Ferney and freshman Natascha Loebnitz were defeated by Barnett and Montgomery , and at the No. 2 position, the Illini tandem of Kung and Michelle Webb fell 8-5 to Ho and Kopacova. At No. 3, Manasova and Rosenberg were bested 8-5 by Wang and Whiteside.

This win marks the Illini's first return to the .500 mark since the beginning of the season when they were 1-1. Illinois is now 6-0 in the Big Ten and 9-9 overall. The Fighting Illini are on the road again tomorrow when they visit Ohio State. The match is slated for 10 a.m.

1. Eldina Fazlic(IL) def. Pilaz Montgomery 6-0. 6-1
2. Simone Kung (IL) def. Rebecca Ho 6-3, 6-4
3. Brooke Ferney (IL) def. Alison Barnett 6-2, 1-6, 6-1
4. Carla Rosenberg (IL) def. Judy Wang 6-3, 6-2
5. Martina Kopacova (PSU) def. Natalia Manasova 6-3, 6-1
6. Megan Wise (IL) def. Teresa Whiteside 6-2, 6-2

Doubles
1. Barnett/Montgomery (PSU) def. Loebnitz/Ferney 8-1
2. Ho/Kopacova (PSU) def. Kung/Webb 8-5
3. Wang/Whiteside (PSU) def. Manasova/Rosenberg 8-5