Feb. 3, 2008
Box Score
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Illinois women's tennis team played a strong match on the road, but a tough Florida State tennis squad was too much in the end as the Illini dropped a 7-0 decision to the home Seminoles on Sunday afternoon. Illinois sophomore Megan Fudge displayed one of the closest matches of the afternoon on court one, taking the thriller into a third set. Yet, despite winning the opening set, Fudge could not hold on in the end, dropping the three-set marathon to Florida State's Lauren Macfarlane.
With the loss, Illinois dropped below .500 for the first time this season at 2-3 overall, while Florida State improved to 2-0 on the young season.
In today's affair, the Illini found themselves facing a ranked opponent for the third straight match, the second straight on the road. With an intense battle in doubles brewing from the start, the Illini could not find their footing in the early goings. The duo of Marisa Lambropoulos and Shivani Davé (ILL) teamed for the first time this season, battling toe-to-toe with FSU's Ania Rynarzewska and Katie Rybakova on court two. In the end, the Seminoles had the last reply, taking the match in the tiebreaker, 9-8(0) to sweep the doubles.
In singles, FSU did not lose any steam, closing out the day with wins on courts Nos. 2, 3 and 6 to seal the victory for the home Seminoles. On the day, despite strong showings for the young Illini, Florida State was able to sweep the singles contests.
With their match against Florida State, the Illini have ended a two-match road swing. Illinois now returns home on Feb. 8, when they take on No. 59 DePaul for a 6 p.m. match at the Atkins Tennis Center in Urbana, Ill. All of Illinois' home matches can be followed through livestats, available by clicking on the live scoring link on the women's tennis home page at www.fightingillini.com.
#21 FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY 7, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 0
2/3/2008 AT TALLAHASSEE, FLA. (SPEICHER TENNIS CENTER)
Singles competition
1. Lauren Macfarlane (FSU) def. Megan Fudge (ILL) - 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (9)
2. Katie Rybakova (FSU) def. Leigh Finnegan (ILL) - 6-3, 6-1
3. Carolin Walter (FSU) def. Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) - 6-3, 6-2
4. Jessica Wente (FSU) def. Momei Qu (ILL) - 6-4, 6-1
5. Ania Rynarzewska (FSU) def. Kristina Minor (ILL) - 6-2, 6-2
6. Federica Suess (FSU) def. Shivani Davé (ILL) - 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Lauren Macfarlane / Jessica Wente (FSU) def. Megan Fudge / Leigh Finnegan (ILL) - 8-4
2. Ania Rynarzewska / Katie Rybakova (FSU) def. Marisa Lambropoulos / Shivani Davé (ILL) - 9-8(0)
3. Carolin Walter / Federica Suess (FSU) def. Momei Qu / Annie McCarthy (ILL) - 8-0
Match Notes
University of Illinois 2-3, 0-0 Big Ten
Florida State University, 2-0
Order of finish: Doubles (3, 2, 1); Singles (2, 3, 6, 4, 5, 1)
