UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- The Penn State women's tennis team will begin conference play this weekend welcoming Indiana and Purdue to town. The Nittany Lions (1-0, 0-0 B1G) square off against Indiana (0-0, 0-0 B1G) on Friday, Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. and Purdue (0-0, 0-0 B1G) on Sunday, Feb. 14 at 10 a.m.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, no fans will be permitted in the Indoor Tennis Center.
"We're really excited to be hosting our first Big Ten match for the season," said head coach Alexandra Anghelescu. "It's great to start off with a win on the road and hoping that we use the confidence into this weekend. Indiana and Purdue have been historically tough matches for us, but this is what we've been preparing for since our season last year got cut short. The girls have been looking forward to this for the past 11 months. They've worked so hard to get where they are and are hungry to prove that all their hard work has paid off!"
FOLLOW ALONG
Indiana: Live Stats
Purdue: Live Stats
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions were victorious in the season opener against Michigan State in a 4-3 match, picking up a win against the Spartans for the first time since 2015.
Penn State nabbed the doubles point and secured the victory by splitting the singles matchups. Frederikke Svarre (Copenhagen, Denmark) prevailed in a back-and-forth three-set contest to secure the win for the Nittany Lions. Freshman Alexandra Nielsen (Vancouver, B.C., Canada) earned her first career doubles win with partner Gabby O'Gorman (Gunnedah, N.S. Wales, Australia), while fellow freshman Alina Lebedeva (Moscow, Russia) clinched her first career singles win.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
Indiana has yet to play this season but returns all members of its 2019-20 roster while adding three freshmen. The Hoosiers ended last season with a 10-7 record and a 1-1 record in the Big Ten with the victory coming against the Nittany Lions by a score of 4-1.
Last season, Indiana boasted a strong doubles pair of Annabelle Andrinopou and Jelly Bozovic, who finished the season with a 6-1 record in the spring. Michelle McKamey led the way in singles with an 11-1 record, ending the season on a 10-game win streak.
The Hoosiers have won the last five matches against Penn State, with the last Nittany Lion win coming in 2015.
LOOKING INTO THE BOILERMAKERS
Purdue will begin the season in Columbus to take on the #9 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday, Feb. 12 before squaring off against the Nittany Lions. The Boilermakers ended the 2019-20 season with a 5-8 record and went 0-2 in Big Ten play. Purdue will have an unfamiliar roster with only four returnees and four freshmen.
The Boilermakers saw action at the Purdue Invite. Csilla Fodor led the way in singles with a 4-1 record and also teamed up with Ena Babic to lead Purdue in doubles with a 4-1 record.
Purdue has won the last two against Penn State, with the last Nittany Lion win coming in 2017.
A STRONG START
Penn State begins the season with a 1-0 record for the sixth consecutive year. The Nittany Lions will look to continue the strong play and seek out the second 3-0 start in three years.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will hit the road to face Rutgers on Saturday, Feb. 20 and Maryland on Sunday, Feb. 21.
Keep up with the Penn State women's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to `like' our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewten and follow our twitter @pennstateWTEN.
