| After knocking off his second straight ranked opponent on Saturday against No. 21 Michigan, junior Michael James was named Big Ten Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; March 16, 2007 ?C For the first time in his Nittany Lion career, junior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) earned the honor of being named the Big Ten Men??s Tennis Athlete of the Week on Thursday for his efforts in the Nittany Lions?? 4-3 triumph over then No. 21 Michigan on March 10.
For the second consecutive match, James knocked off a player ranked in the Top 40 of the ITA National Singles Poll against the Wolverines. He was also instrumental in knocking off the nation??s second-best doubles team against Michigan.
??It is a great honor for Michael to receive this recognition,?? said head coach Todd Doebler. ??I am really proud of him because he has really stepped up against some very good players. It is exciting to see how much he has improved since the fall. I am looking forward to seeing how much he improves this spring.??
In Ann Arbor on Saturday, James and senior Ryan Berger (Grand Rapids, Mich.) were pitted against the second-ranked doubles team in the nation made up of Michigan??s Brian Hung and Matko Maravic in the No. 1 doubles match. 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 edge for the Nittany Lions. The Nittany Lion duo then served out the match to upset the top Wolverine doubles team, 9-7.
After the racking up the win in doubles action, James moved to singles play. The Nittany Lion junior battled the Wolverines?? Hung, who is ranked 39th in the latest ITA National Singles Poll. James, who is also ranked 93rd in the nation, 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 late in the set to take the second 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. The win marked James?? second straight win over a ranked opponent. On March 4, James was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over then No. 39 Arvid Puranen of Virginia Tech.
With his 6-4, 6-4 victory over Army??s Michael Good on Wednesday in Winter Park, Fla., James is now 20-4 in his junior season at Penn State. Playing much of the season at the No. 1 spot, James also boasts an impressive 9-2 mark in dual matches this year. He has also won his last five singles bouts. James, a 2006 Academic All-Big Ten selection, is 74-21 in his three seasons as a Nittany Lion.
James is the first Nittany Lion to collect the Big Ten Athlete of the Week honor since Mark Barry was selected on March 22, 2006. The Nittany Lions will wrap up their spring break trip in Florida on Friday with a noon match at South Florida in Tampa. Penn State will return home on March 21 at 3 p.m. against Duquesne. Admission is free.