Bobcat Women Ride Momentum to Win over Northern Colorado

Sunday, April 13

Bozeman, MT

10 a.m.

Montana State University

Northern Colorado

Senior Ellie Crum recorded a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles to clinch the match for the Bobcats.

Photo by: Shayne Dwyer/ASU Athletics

Bobcat Women Ride Momentum to Win over Northern Colorado

4/13/2014 4:18:00 PM | Women's Tennis

MSU women's tennis team posts 5-2 win over Northern Colorado on Sunday afternoon.

By: Tom Schulz

Any chance of a crash coming off its upset over Sacramento State on Friday night dissipated as Montana State senior Ellie Crum posted a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles to clinch the match for the Bobcats and lift MSU to a 5-2 victory over Northern Colorado, Sunday afternoon in the Anderson Tennis Center.

"I'd say we had a pretty good weekend," Crum said. "The key was to carry our energy from the Sacramento State win into our match with Northern Colorado. We did a great job of keeping the momentum going."

Montana State (8-10, 5-4) opened the match winning the doubles point as its No. 1 duo of Iva Parapunova and Paulina Lopez persevered for a 9-8 (7-4) win over Northern Colorado's (8-9, 6-4) Stephanie Catlin and Beth Coton. MSU's No. 2 tandem of Crum and Laura Middel continued its Big Sky supremacy winning 8-5 over Chrissie Hoolahan and Laura Wehner. The win was the 11^th straight for the pair, who has also notched an 8-0 league slate.

"I think we have taken the doubles point in the last seven conference matches," MSU head coach Denise Albrecht said. "It is so important to get that first point as it takes a little of the pressure off of us as we head into singles. Iva and Paulina really came through and gave us a nice lift."

The Bobcats quickly went up 2-0 as freshman Middel recorded a 6-2, 6-0 win over Catlin at No. 2 singles. Lopez followed with a straight set 6-1, 6-0 victory over Hoolahan at No. 3 singles to setup Crum's match clinching win over Hilary Walters-West.

Parapunova gave Montana State a commanding 5-0 advantage with a hard-fought 6-3, 7-5 victory at No. 1 singles over Adriana Nieto. UNC got on the board winning at Nos. 5 and 6 singles- both in a third set tie-breaker.

MSU will finish its regular-season schedule when it hosts North Dakota next Sunday.

Montana State 5, Northern Colorado 2. Singles: 1. PARAPUNOVA, Iva (MSU) def. NIETO, Adriana (UNC) 6-3, 7-5; 2. MIDDEL, Laura (MSU) def. CATLIN, Stephanie (UNC) 6-2, 6-0; 3. LOPEZ, Paulina (MSU) def. HOOLAHAN, Chrissie (UNC) 6-1, 6-0; 4. CRUM, Ellie (MSU) def. WALTERS-WEST, Hilary (UNC) 6-3, 6-2; 5. WEHNER, Laura (UNC) def. TSAN, Wena (MSU) 6-0, 4-6, 10-3; 6. COTON, Beth (UNC) def. CRUM, Molly (MSU) 6-3, 4-6, 10-5. Doubles: 1. PARAPUNOVA, Iva/LOPEZ, Paulina (MSU) def. CATLIN, Stephanie/COTON, Beth (UNC) 9-8 (7-4); 2. MIDDEL, Laura/CRUM, Ellie (MSU) def. HOOLAHAN, Chrissie/WEHNER, Laura (UNC) 8-5; 3. NIETO, Adriana/SCHULTE, Courtney (UNC) def. TSAN, Wena/CRUM, Molly (MSU) 8-2.

Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (2,3,4,1,5,6)
T-4:25 A-75