| The Penn State men??s tennis team moved up from No. 52 to No. 45 in this week??s FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, following a third-place-tie finish at the Big Ten Championships. The finish was the team's best since 1993. Brendan Lynch (pictured) and the Nittany Lions look for their third all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 1998, as the tournament bracket is set to be announced on May 3. |
State College, Pa. ?C May 2, 2006 ?C The Penn State men??s tennis team moved up from No. 52 to No. 45 in this week??s FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings, following a third-place-tie finish at this past weekend??s Big Ten Championships.
The Nittany Lions carried a 17-6 overall record into the championships, going 15-5 in spring competition and finishing Big Ten play at 5-5. Penn State received the No. 6 seed in the tournament, and faced No. 11 seed Iowa in a first-round match up on April 27. The Lions went on to avenge a mid-season loss to the Hawkeyes, defeating Iowa 5-0 and advancing into quarterfinal action.
Penn State met No. 3 seed and championship host Minnesota in the quarterfinals, looking to avenge a mid-season loss at the hands of the Gophers. The Nittany Lions first found themselves down 3-1 but No. 68 Mark Barry (St. Charles, Ill.), who repeated as a unanimous All-Big Ten selection this season, upset No. 58 D.J. Geatz at No. 1 singles to pull the Lions within one. Junior Ryan Berger (Grand Rapids, Mich.) then came back from a set down to take out Nic Edlefsen at the No. 3 spot, evening the score at three apiece. Freshman Brendan Lynch (North Potomac. Md.) came through in the clutch for Penn State, defeating Sion Wilkins at the No. 6 position to give the Nittany Lions a narrow 4-3 win.
In the Nittany Lions?? first semifinal appearance since 1993, Penn State faced No. 2 seed and defending Big Ten Champion Illinois. The Fighting Illini, ranked No. 6 in the country, defeated the Lions, 4-0 as they continued their quest for a fifth-straight Big Ten Championship. No. 1 seed Ohio State would go on to win the title, defeating Illinois in the championship match, 4-2.
Penn State, who is 19-7 overall and 7-6 vs. Big Ten opponents this season, looks for its third all-time NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 1998 this week. The tournament bracket is set to be announced on May 3 with NCAA regional competition beginning on May 12 and running through May 14 at various campus sites. The NCAA Championships are slated to span from May 20-29 at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.