| No. 93 Michael James knocked off No. 39 Brian Hung for his second consecutive win over a ranked opponent in singles action. James' win fueled the Nittany Lions to a 4-3 victory at No. 21 Michigan. |
ANN ARBOR, Mich.; March 10, 2007 ?C For the second time this season, the 54th-ranked Penn State men??s tennis team rallied on the road in the Big Ten to defeat a ranked opponent. On Saturday, the Nittany Lions ousted No. 21 Michigan, 4-3, at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, marking Penn State??s second win over a ranked opponent this season.
After knocking off the second-ranked doubles team in the nation, Penn State (9-2, 2-1 Big Ten) failed to capitalize on an opportunity to take the doubles point. Trailing 1-0 heading to singles play, the Nittany Lions took four singles bouts, which handed Penn State the win. In a hotly contested match that saw three singles bouts go to a third set, Penn State defeated Michigan for the second straight season.
??I am so proud of how hard these guys are working and how they have bonded,?? said head coach Todd Doebler. ??There are so many guys who deserve individual credit, but it is so impressive how we fought as a team. The match at certain points looked like it was going to swing in Michigan??s favor, but that is when our guys stepped up in positions like Dwyer being down two breaks in the third, Michael being down a break in the third and Gormley being down set points in the first set.??
At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) and freshman Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.),who were paired together for the first time this season, fell to the Wolverine duo of Ryan Heller and Andrew Mazlin, 8-3. The two teams were on serve until the fifth game when the Wolverine pair broke Slagter and Gormley and did not look back. Heller and Mazlin won six of the next seven games to give the Wolverines the No. 1 match.
In the No. 1 doubles match, senior Ryan Berger (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and junior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) faced off against the second-ranked doubles team in the nation made up of Michigan??s Brian Hung and Matko Maravic. For the first time this season, Berger and James were paired together at the No.1 doubles spot. The Nittany Lion duo got off to a slow start, trailing the Wolverine team 5-2 after seven games. However, Berger and James rallied to win five of the next seven games to even the match, 7-7. The second-ranked Michigan team had the opportunity to serve to an 8-7 lead, but Berger and James snagged a break to take an 8-7 lead for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lion duo then served out the match to upset the top Wolverine doubles team, 9-7. This squared the doubles at one, leaving the point up for grabs in the No. 3 match.
With the pressure riding on the third doubles match, junior James Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga.) and senior Bradley Hunter (Atlanta, Ga.) were knotted at seven with Michigan??s George Navas and Mike Sroczynski. The Wolverine duo broke the Nittany Lion team in the 15th game to give Michigan the edge. Navas and Sroczynski served out the bout (9-7), handing Michigan a 1-0 lead in the match.
With Michigan leading 1-0, the match moved to singles action. At No. 3, Slagter picked up a point for the Nittany Lions with straight-set victory over Heller. The Nittany Lion sophomore jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set. Slagter then cruised to a 6-1 win in the first. In the second, Heller and Slagter were on-serve until the eighth game, when Slagter got the break he needed to take the match (6-4). His win squared the match at one. Slagter moves to 6-2 in duals in his second season as a collegian.
Berger faced 52nd-ranked Maravic at the No. 2 spot. Maravic controlled the match from the outset. After the first set was tied at two, Maravic rattled off four straight games to take a convincing one-set lead (6-2). Berger hung tough in the second, but the veteran Maravic maintained his high level of play. Maravic sealed the Wolverines?? second point of the match with a 6-4 win in the second set. Berger falls to 7-3 in duals on the year. Maravic??s win gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead.
At the No. 5 spot Gormley and Navas faced off. Gormley and Navas played to a first-set tiebreak, with the Nittany Lion rookie taking the breaker (7-6 (2)). Gormley cruised in the second (6-1) to give Penn State its second point in the match. Gormley moves to an impressive 8-2 mark in duals. He also holds a 2-1 mark in Big Ten play in his first collegiate season. Gormley??s victory once again squared the match at two.
At the No. 1 singles spot, James faced Hung, who is ranked 39th in the latest ITA National Singles Poll. James, who is also ranked 93rd in the nation, knocked off a ranked opponent for the second consecutive week. The Nittany Lion junior took the first set in commanding fashion (6-1). Despite dominating the first set, James found himself in a battle in the second with the veteran from Michigan. Hung broke James to take the second set by a margin of 7-5. With both players struggling with cramps, and James being down a break, the third set proved to be one of attrition. James came out on top after a hard-fought set, 6-3, to clinch the point for the Nittany Lions. James is now 8-2 in duals this season. James?? win gave Penn State its first lead of the night, 3-2.
For the second time this season in the Big Ten, Dwyer sealed a win for the Nittany Lions on the road. Dwyer was a three-set winner at the No.6 spot against Scott Bruckmann (6-2, 3-6, 7-6(4)). Dwyer jetted out to a 4-1 lead in the first set on his way to a 6-2 edge. Nevertheless, Bruckmann fought back in the second to take a 6-3 edge to square the match. In the third set, the Nittany Lion junior battled Bruckmann to a tiebreaker after trailing by two breaks. In the tiebreak, Dwyer grabbed a break and served out the breaker to take the set and the match for Penn State. Dwyer??s ninth dual-match win gave the Nittany Lions a 4-2 edge in the match, sealing Penn State??s second win in the Big Ten this season.
With the match in hand for the Nittany Lions, Hunter fell to Mazlin at the No. 4 spot. Hunter dropped the first set by a score of 6-4, but came back in the second (7-5) to knot the match at one set. In the third, Mazlin and Hunter played to a tiebreaker, with the Wolverine sophomore taking the breaker by a score of 7-2. Mazlin??s win pushed the final score to 4-3. Hunter falls to 9-4 in his senior season.
??Michael and Berger beat one of the best doubles teams in the country,?? Doebler said. ??For Michael to get his second straight big win in singles should help him see how much potential he has. It is a great win for the program, and now we will face the tough transition of outdoor tennis, starting tomorrow.??
Michigan falls to 9-4 on the season and 1-1 in the Big Ten.
Penn State will head on spring break this week in Florida with a pair of matches against Army and South Florida. The Nittany Lions and the Black Knights will meet on Wednesday, March 14 in Orlando. Two days later, Penn State will travel to Tampa for a match at South Florida slated for noon.
Final Score: #54 Penn State 4, #21 Michigan 3
Doubles
1. Ryan Berger/Michael James (PSU) def. #2 Brian Hung/Matko Maravic (U-M), 9-7
2. Ryan Heller/Andrew Mazlin (U-M) def. Ryan Gormley/Adam Slagter (PSU), 8-3
3. George Navas/Mike Sroczynski (U-M) def. James Dwyer/Bradley Hunter (PSU), 9-7
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3
Singles
1. #93 Michael James (PSU) def. #39 Brian Hung (U-M), 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
2. #52 Matko Maravic (U-M) def. Ryan Berger (PSU), 6-2, 6-4
3. Adam Slagter (PSU) def. Ryan Heller (U-M), 6-1, 6-4
4. Andrew Mazlin (U-M) def. Bradley Hunter (PSU), 6-4, 5-7, 7-6(2)
5. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. George Navas (U-M), 7-6 (2), 6-1
6. James Dwyer (PSU) def. Scott Bruckmann (U-M), 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (4)
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 5, 1, 6, 4