Feb. 27, 2010
Contact: Greg Murphy
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio - Catrine Bjerrehus won at No. 1 singles and teamed with Charlotte Gibbons for a win at No. 1 doubles, but Cleveland State dropped a 5-2 decision to Bowling Green on Friday night at the River Oaks Racquet Club.
The loss drops the Vikings to 5-6 overall.
"I thought the effort was there from everyone, but we just couldn't pull out some key points in some key matches," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "It's disappointing to lose this match because we were just a few points away from getting the win. We didn't put enough pressure on our opponents in the middle of the order and didn't close out some close matches at the bottom."
Bjerrehus and Gibbons picked up an 8-6 win at No. 1 doubles, while Sanda Bjelan and Mengdi Lu earned an 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles to give the Vikings a quick 1-0 lead.
"I thought winning the doubles point was huge and gave us a lot of momentum," Etzkin said. "Our No. 1 team played very well and our No. 3 team did a nice job despite only having one day of practice together. I thought they did a nice job of gelling on the court and communicated well.
"It was nice to see Mengdi get her first career doubles win because she has worked so hard to get into the lineup."
Bjerrehus was the lone Viking to win in singles, earning a 7-5, 7-5 win against Christina Chiricosta, an opponent who has defeated her in the past.
"Cat was very focused and did a good job of winning some key points," Etzkin said. "Her opponent really mixed up the pace, but Cat did a nice job of playing her match and staying in control.
BGSU clinched the match by winning the final five singles matches, including three-setters at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.
CSU continues its homestand with a pair of matches on Sunday (Feb. 28). The Vikings will play Toledo at 10:00 a.m. and Oakland at 2:00 p.m.
Bowling Green 5, Cleveland State 2
Feb 26, 2010 at Rocky River, Ohio (River Oaks Racquet Club)
Singles competition
1. Bjerrehus, Catrine (CSU) def. CHIRICOSTA,Christine (BGSU) 7-5, 7-5
2. BABINA, Katia (BGSU) def. Lazaris, Maria (CSU) 6-3, 6-4
3. KINTZEL, Samantha (BGSU) def. Janek, Nicole (CSU) 6-2, 6-3
4. ECCLESTON, Maddy (BGSU) def. Bjelan, Sanda (CSU) 6-1, 6-2
5. EASDALE, Jessica (BGSU) def. Gibbons, Charlotte (CSU) 4-6, 6-4, 6-0
6. JOHNSON, Jade (BGSU) def. LU, Mengdi (CSU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. BJERREHUS, Catrine/GIBBONS, Charlotte (CSU) def. CHIRICOSTA,Christine/ECCLESTON, Maddy (BGSU) 8-6
2. BABINA, Katia/JOHNSON, Jade (BGSU) def. JANEK, Nicole/LAZARIS, Maria (CSU) 8-4
3. LU, Mengdi/BJELAN, Sanda (CSU) def. GRUBB, Katie/KINTZEL, Samantha (BGSU) 8-4
