MADISON, Wis. – In each of her first two matches of the ITA National Indoors this weekend, Lauren Chypyha had a top-ranked player on the ropes before her match was abandoned. Faced with a similar situation on Sunday against No. 30 Fresno State, Chypyha took measured into her own hands.

On the No. 1 singles court, Chypyha sprinted to a 6-1 first set victory over FSU's Mayar Sherif Ahmed (No. 26 in the nation). But it was in the second set that the senior showed her mettle.

Trailing 5-4 in the second frame, Chypyha would push the match it into a tie-breaker. With the overall team match finish drawing closer and closer to a clinch, Chypyha went on the attack and closed out the win, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4).

"I knew that after the first set she wasn't going to go away," Chypyha said after posting the highest-ranked win of her career. "Good players never go away. So I just stayed aggressive and fought for every point. I wanted to show her that I wanted it more. It came down to some big moments in the tiebreaker where I pulled the trigger before her to stay offensive, and I think that really helped me in terms of momentum."

Notching the 84th victory of her career, Chypyha is now tied for eighth on UW's all-time wins list, tying Andrea Nathan and Marija Pientka (Neubauer). On the weekend, Chypyha faced three players ranked in the top 60 and won all four of the sets that finished. 

"I tried to use my matches on Friday and Saturday as motivation even though it's always tough to be up in matches and not be able to finish," Chypyha added. "But I just accepted it as part of college tennis, and went into today's match knowing I've been on top of some of the best girls in the country. Today I wasn't 100 percent sure I would be able to finish again but I just kept my mind on my court while cheering on my teammates. I'm super happy I got the opportunity to close it out today."

Unfortunately, Chypyha would record the only win for Wisconsin (2-3), as the Badgers fell 4-1 to Fresno State, rounding out their run in the 2016 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship.  

On the doubles court, Mayar Sherif Ahmed and Rana Sherif Ahmed teamed up to take down the duo of Chypyha and Kendall Kirsch, 6-4. Sofya Maylsheva and Olivia Noble paired up to take down Lauren Burich and Kelsey Grambeau, 6-3, to win the doubles point for Fresno State.

On the singles courts, the Badgers dropped courts 2 and 3, Ekaterina Stepanova and Kirsch, which gave Fresno State a 3-0 lead. The Badgers had to turn to their four remaining players to make a late push.  

In addition to Chypyha's victory, Maria Avgerinos, Kelsey Grambeau, and Sydney Rider all took their matches to third sets. Unfortunately, the Badgers were unable to pick up another point as Anneka Watts knocked off Sydney Rider by a score of 3-6, 6-1, 6-1.  

"This weekend was very important for the growth of this program," stated head coach Tina Samara. "I think we now realize that the goals we have are attainable, but they will require us to raise our level and expectations of each other on a daily basis."  

The 2016 ITA National Women's Team Indoor Championship will conclude tomorrow, Feb. 8, at 11:00 a.m. as North Carolina matches up against California in the championship. The Badgers will take the court next on Friday, Feb. 12, against No. 17 Texas Tech at Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The match is set to begin at 4 p.m.  

Results
Fresno State 4, Wisconsin 1
Doubles
1. Ahmed / Ahmed (FSU) def. Lauren Chypyha / Kendall Kirsch (UW), 6-4
2. Ekaterina Stepanova / Sydney Rider (UW) vs. Watts / Watts (FSU), 3-5
3. Maylsheva / Noble (FSU) def. Lauren Burich / Kelsey Grambeau (UW), 6-3

Singles
1. #66 Lauren Chypyha (UW) def. #26 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (FSU), 6-1, 7-6 (4)
2. Sophie Watts (FSU) def. Ekaterina Stepanova (UW), 6-1, 6-4
3. Rana Sherif Ahmed (FSU) def. Kendall Kirsch (UW), 6-3, 6-3
4. Maria Avgerinos (UW) vs. Galia Bykova (FSU), 6-2, 3-6, 3-4 (unfinished)
5. Kelsey Grambeau (UW) vs. Sofya Maylsheva (FSU), 6-2, 4-6, 4-5 (unfinished)
6. Anneka Watts (FSU) def. Sydney Rider (UW), 3-6, 6-1, 6-1