Lakeland College

Muskies split two more close NAC women's tennis matches

Athletics - posted on 9/15/2012

RIVER FOREST, ILL. - The Lakeland College women's tennis team was involved in two more close Northern Athletics Conference matches Saturday and gained a split against Concordia University Chicago and Dominican (Ill.) University.

The Muskies defeated Concordia 5-4 before falling to Dominican 6-3. The split leaves Lakeland at 4-5 overall on the season (2-5 NAC) and means the team has already surpassed its win total from 2011, when the squad finished 3-8 overall and in conference.

The Muskies did their best work at singles, with both Lynn Pipke (Fr.-Greenfield, Wis.) and Brittany Jurek (Jr.-Gladstone, Mich.) finishing undefeated. Pipke blanked Kamili Udrenaite of Concordia 6-0, 6-0 and also defeated Dominican's Jillian Metcalf 6-4, 6-3, with both wins at No. 3 singles. Jurek continued to dominate at No. 5 singles, breezing past Concordia's Hannah Kaul 6-0, 6-1, and also sweeping Monica Budzak of Dominican 6-3, 6-2.

Erica Hoffmann (Jr.-Sheboygan Falls, Wis.) nearly went undefeated at No. 4 singles, defeating Kristy Heimsoth of Concordia 6-0, 6-0 before falling in three sets against Dominican's Marbeya Berner. Hoffmann lost the first set 6-3 before evening the match with a 6-4 win, but Berner came back to win the deciding set 6-2.

Lakeland's other wins on the day came at doubles. Hoffmann and Jurek posted an 8-2 win over Concordia's Udrenaite and Heimsoth at No. 2 doubles while Jenna Oberthaler (Jr.-Iron Mountain, Mich.) and Alissa Stephani (So.-Appleton, Wis.) defeated Kaul and Molly Maas of Concordia 8-5 at No. 3 singles. Pipke also teamed with April Schmitz (Sr.-Sheboygan, Wis.) for a 9-7 win over Dominican's Metcalf and Rachel Taddy at No. 1 singles. Schmitz also lost a three-set match at No. 1 singles against Taddy of Dominican, winning the first set 6-3 before losing the final two sets 6-4 and 6-1.

The Muskies also were in action Sunday and faced McHenry (Ill.) Community College, picking up a 5-4 win. Hoffmann blanked Ashley Donahue 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4 singles, and Stephani moved up to No. 5 singles and won a hard-earned 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 batlle over Maggie Friday.

Lakeland also picked up a win at No. 1 doubles with Schmitz and Hoffmann defeating Nyssa Fetzner and Brianna Roeser 8-3. The Muskies' other two wins came at No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles as forfeits, as McHenry only had five players competing. Pipke was on pace to add another win for Lakeland, leading 6-1, 1-0 at No. 2 singles before retiring due to an ankle sprain.

Lakeland is back in NAC play Tueday when it faces Marian University at 4 p.m. at the Sports Core in Kohler in a match originally scheduled for Thursday before weather forced its postponement.