MORGANTOWN, W.Va – The West Virginia University tennis team (3-2, 0-0 Big 12) fell to Penn State, 6-1, Sunday afternoon at the Summit Tennis Academy, in Morgantown. 

The competition against the Nittany Lions began with doubles play. Junior Momoko Nagato and sophomore Michaela Kucharova fell short to Penn State’s Ioana Gheorghita and Karly Friedland, 2-6. Penn State claimed the doubles point after Fifth-year senior Pei-Ju Hsieh and redshirt freshman Maja Dodik fell short to Yvonne Zuffova and Alexandra Nielsen, 4-6.

Sophomore/senior pair Camilla Bossi and Ting-Pei Chang ended unfinished after Penn State clinched the doubles point.

During singles play, Chang fought through all three sets to defeat Zuffova in front of nearly 100 fans, 4-6, 6-1, 7-5.

Nagato, Kucharova, Hsieh, Bossi, and Dodik all suffered losses in two sets to the Nittany Lions.

Penn State’s Carla Girbau defeated Nagato, 6-3, 6-2. Gheorghita defeated Kucharova, 7-5, 6-4. Alina Lebedova defeated Hsieh, 6-1, 6-3. No. 53 Sofiya Chekhlystova defeated Bossi, 6-4, 6-3.

Dodik fought through two sets, but fell short in a tiebreaker, 4-6, 7-6(1), (4-10).

Doubles Results

  • Camilla Bossi / Ting-Pei Chang (WVU) vs Sofiya Chekhlystova / Carla Girbau (PSU), 5-4, unfinished
  • Ioana Gheorghita / Karly Friedland (PSU) def. Momoko Nagato / Michaela Kucharova (WVU), 6-2
  • Yvonne Zuffova / Alexandra Nielsen (PSU) def. Pei-Ju Hsieh / Maja Dodik (WVU), 6-4

Singles Results

  • No. 53 Sofiya Chekhlystova (PSU) def. Camilla Bossi, (WVU), 6-4, 6-3
  • Ting-Pei Chang (WVU) def. Yvonne Zuffova (PSU), 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
  • Ioana Gheorghita (PSU) def. Michaela Kucharova (WVU), 7-5, 6-4
  • Carla Girbau (PSU) def. Momoko Nagato (WVU), 6-3, 6-2
  • Karly Friedland (PSU) def. Maja Dodik (WVU), 6-4, 6-7(1), (10-4)
  • Alina Lebedeva (PSU) def. Pei-Ju Hsieh (WVU), 6-1, 6-3

Looking Ahead

West Virginia continues its home stint on Friday, Feb. 10, in Morgantown, as the Mountaineers take on in-state foe, Marshall.