March 28, 2012
Contact: Renee Adam
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QUICK SETS
After a six-match road swing the Vikings will finally return home this weekend, as they host Horizon League opponent Youngstown State at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 31. Cleveland State enters the weekend with a 9-7 overall record and a 1-0 mark in league play, while the Penguins (0-11, 0-1 HL) are still trying for their first win of the season.
THE OPPONENT
Youngstown State enters the week on an 11-match losing skid, posting just four points over the past five contests. YSU also opened Horizon League play at Detroit last weekend, falling to the Titans, 6-1. Freshman Marta Burak leads the Penguins with a 7-3 record this spring, also picking up YSU's lone victory against the Titans at No. 1 singles.
Under head coach Brian Etzkin the Vikings are 5-6 against Youngstown State, winning the past five regular season meetings between the two teams. During the 2010-11 and 2009-10 seasons CSU posted 6-1 victories over the Penguins, with Maria Lazaris and Mengdi Liu capturing wins both years.
LIU LEADING THE WAY
Mengdi Liu enters Saturday's contest on a seven-match win streak, which dates back to the February 25 match against Oakland. Two of Liu's victories during that streak have come by default, while she was the only Viking to record a victory at No. 66 Indiana.
POWER ON TARGET FOR 20-WIN SEASON
Sophomore Alex Power enters the week with an overall singles record of 18-11 (includes fall and spring seasons) and is on target for her first 20-win season. Power's 18-wins is a team-high, while she also ranks second with a 9-7 record during spring matches only.
LAZARIS CAPTURES 50th CAREER VICTORY
With her No. 2 singles win at Detroit last weekend, junior Maria Lazaris notched the 50th win of her career. Lazaris became the seventh Viking to notch 50 career wins, joining teammate Catrine Bjerrehus as the only current Vikings to reach the milestone.
...JANEK CLOSING IN ON 50 WINS
Nicole Janek is also closing in on the 50 career win mark, as she enters the week with an overall record of 48-38. This spring Janek leads the league with a 12-4 singles record, and has won three out of her last four matches. Overall this year Janek has a 17-10 record, just three wins shy of her first 20-win season.
BJERREHUS ON ALL-TIME WINS LIST
Following her victory at Detroit last week, Catrine Bjerrehus is now tied for fourth all-time at CSU with 57 career singles wins. With one more win, Bjerrehus will take over fourth place which is currently held by Jenn Myers (2004-08), who posted a 57-34 record during her career.
NEXT UP
The Vikings will stay at home next weekend, hosting Green Bay and Milwaukee in a pair of Horizon League contests. CSU will first face Green Bay at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 6 before taking on the Panthers at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 7.
