4/5-Fudge, Illini women top Hawkeyes

URBANA, Ill. – The 40th-ranked Illinois women’s tennis team wrapped up the weekend on a positive note, as the Illini battled past the 69th-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, 5-2, at Atkins Tennis Center this afternoon. The Orange and Blue grabbed an early lead as they swept all three matches in doubles. The Illini faced challenges in singles, with the match tight until the end, but Illinois showed great tenacity and finished strong to secure the victory. “I think we’ve done a good job this year of preparing and expecting the best from everyone we’ve played,” Illinois head coach Michelle Dasso said. “Iowa is a very good team and you have to give credit to everyone on our team. They never gave up and their hard work is paying off.” The Illini are on a seven match-winning streak when playing at home this season. Their only home loss this season was their first match back on Jan. 24 against Tennsessee. With the win over Iowa, Illinois improves to 14-4 this season and 5-1 in league play, while the Hawkeyes fall to 7-11 and 2-5 in the Big Ten. At No. 3 doubles the tandem of sophomore Annie McCarthy and freshman Amy Allin handled Iowa’s Lynne Poggensee-Wei and Ally Majercik, 8-4, finishing first for the Illini. Meanwhile on court two, Illinois junior Megan Fudge and sophomore Marisa Lambropoulos followed suit with an 8-4 victory over Kelcie Klockenga and Alexis Dorr (IOWA) to clinch the doubles point for the Orange and Blue. Freshman Chelcie Abajain and redshirt-sophomore Leigh Finnegan wrapped up the doubles sweep with another 8-4 win over the Hawkeye’s Sonja Molnar and Jessica Young in the No. 1 slot. Iowa was quick to fight back, taking a win at No. 1 singles. No. 111 Leigh Finnegan (ILL) gave a valiant effort against Iowa’s 87th-ranked Sonja Molnar took a victory on court one. Sophomore Annie McCarthy regained the lead for the Orange and Blue in the number six slot as she took down Ally Majercik (IOWA) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3. No. 108-ranked junior Megan Fudge extended the Illini advantage above the Hawkeyes to 3-1 as she defeated Alexis Dorr (IOWA) at No. 2 singles 6-3, 6-1. Freshman Chelcie Abajain put up a fight on court four, falling just short to Iowa’s Kelcie Klockenga 7-6 (7-3), 6-4. As Illinois looked to seal the victory, both Marisa Lambropoulos and freshman Amy Allin battled in their third sets. Ultimately, sophomore Marisa Lambropoulos clinched the match victory for the Illini, dominating Iowa’s Lynne Poggensee-Wei, 6-3, 2-6, 6-1. At No. 5 singles Amy Allin displayed admirable perseverance in a hard-fought match against Iowa’s Jessica Young. Allin dropped the first set 6-3, but stole the second set in a tiebreaker 7-6 (7-5). Allin maintained the momentum to take the match with a 7-5 win in the third set. The victory gave Allin her 20th win of the season, making the freshman the third Illini to hit the 20-win mark in the 2008-09 campaign. The Fighting Illini continue their stint of home matches on Tuesday, April 7th when the squad welcomes No. 3 Notre Dame into town. Match time is set for 3:30 p.m. CT. Livestats will be available at fightingillini.com. . Match Results #40 Illinois 5, #69 Iowa 2 April 5, 2009 Atkins Tennis Center Singles Competition 1) 1. #87 Sonja Molnar (IOWA) def. #111 Leigh Finnegan (ILL) 6-1, 6-0 2) #108 Megan Fudge (ILL) def. Alexis Dorr (IOWA) 6-3, 6-1 3) Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (IOWA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-1 4) Kelcie Klockenga (IOWA) def. Chelcie Abajian (ILL) 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 5) Amy Allin (ILL) def. Jessica Young (IOWA) 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5 6) Annie McCarthy (ILL) def. Ally Majercik (IOWA) 7-6 (8-6), 6-3 Order of Finish 1,6,2,4,3,5 Doubles Competition 1) Chelcie Abajian/Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Sonja Molnar/Jessica Young (IOWA) 8-4 2) Megan Fudge/Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) def. Kelcie Klockenga/Alexis Dorr (IOWA) 8-4 3) Annie McCarthy/Amy Allin (ILL) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei/Ally Majercik (IOWA) 8-4 Order of Finish: 3,2,1