Fans were treated to over four hours of the ‘Fudge and Flower’ showdown Saturday.
In an overall match that stretched about five and a half hours, Illinois senior Megan Fudge and Ohio State senior Kristen Flower vied for the final point in a 3-3 standstill between No. 26 Illinois and No. 33 Ohio State.
In a third-set tiebreaker, Fudge pulled out a 7-6 (6) score and lifted the Illini to a 4-3 win.
“If that didn’t sum up Fudge’s career, in a nutshell, I don’t know what else is going to,” head coach Michelle Dasso said. “Her heart, her competitiveness and her passion for the game was on display (Saturday) as it is everyday. And to watch her comeback and battle on senior weekend, it was fitting. It was perfect.”
A loss of the doubles point but wins at Nos. 6, 5 and 4 singles set the stage for Fudge and Flower at No. 1 singles. After dropping the first set 5-7 and taking the second 6-4, Fudge found herself in a discouraging situation down 15-40 in a 4-5 third set. Flower’s overhead shots proved a threat as she consistently played up at the net.
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Fudge said that her motivation was “just seeing that three-all on the scoreboard: Illinois 3. Visitors 3.”
“I was not going to let Ohio State go home with a win,” Fudge said. “Home match. Senior weekend. We were not going to lose. That was my determination,” she added.
“I was telling myself to enjoy the moment. This is what college tennis is about. I should not get down on myself. (Flower’s) going to hit good shots. She’s going to hit big, and I was going to stay down and fight for every shot, for every ball. I mean, what else should I do? If not now, then when should I?”
When the third set came down to 6-6, Flower collapsed on the court from cramps on both quadriceps but was able to return to play.
The wind-biting chills only amplified heated disputes between the judges, teams watching from the side and even the crowd over line calls.
The atmosphere and situation at stake didn’t seem to nudge Dasso from showing any expressions.
“I was completely confident,” Dasso said. “Megan was the perfect person to have out there cause she’s just an absolute warrior.”
Though the Illini’s 7-0 win over Penn State (4-16, 0-8) on Sunday wasn’t as climatic, the reality was emotional for seniors Fudge, Kristina Minor and Christine Stromberg, who played in their final home matches — unless Illinois happens to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.
“It actually really hasn’t sunk in yet,” said Stromberg, who paired with freshman Breanne Smutko at No. 3 doubles on Sunday.
“It’s just kind of a weird time right now ‘cause I’m excited for what’s to come, but just sad for what we’re going to be leaving behind,” she added.
Immediately following their win over Penn State, the Illini had a quick team meeting to talk about where the weekend wins place them — in a race for a share of the Big Ten title as they face conference-leading No. 4 Michigan on Saturday.
“My freshman year, you can check the records, it was awful,” Minor said. “We won one Big Ten match … Honestly, my freshman year, we didn’t think we’d be fighting for the title. And we are this year. And it’s awesome to see how far we’ve come every year.”
