| Senior Ryan Berger rallied from a set-down to defeat Iowa's Christian Bierich (2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4)). Berger and the Nittany Lions posted their fifth-straight win by defeating Iowa 7-0. |
IOWA CITY, Iowa; March 30, 2007 ?C In its third road Big Ten match of 2007, the 40th-ranked Nittany Lion men??s tennis team extended its winning streak to five matches by routing Iowa, 7-0, at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex on Friday. The win notches the Lions?? eighth shutout of the season.
Penn State (13-2, 3-1 Big Ten) grabbed an early lead by taking two of the three doubles matches from the Hawkeyes. When the match turned to singles play, the Nittany Lions continued their stellar play, dropping just one set on their way to a sweep over the Iowa. The win marks Penn State??s second Big Ten win on the road this season, with the other being at Northwestern on Feb. 16.
??We were fortunate to win the doubles point, but we pulled through in the end at the No. 2 spot,?? said head coach Todd Doebler. ??In the singles matches, the guys did a nice job fighting and competing. Now we will focus our attention towards Sunday when we face a tough Minnesota team.??
In the No. 1 doubles match, senior Ryan Berger (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and junior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) handed Iowa??s Gregory Holm and Walker Grimes an 8-3 defeat. The Nittany Lion duo gave Penn State an early edge in the battle for the doubles point. Berger and James are now 4-1 as a pairing.
At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) and Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) looked set to take the match with the score reading 7-6, in favor of the Nittany Lions. With Slagter serving for Penn State, Iowa??s J.P. Ritchie and Patrick Dwyer grabbed a break to even the match at seven. However, Slagter and Gormley took the next two games (9-7), sealing the doubles point for the Nittany Lions. Slagter and Gormley moved to 3-1 with the win.
Junior James Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga.) and senior Bradley Hunter (Atlanta, Ga.) dropped the No. 3 doubles match to the Hawkeye team of Christian Bierich and Reinoud Haal (8-5). With the loss, Hunter and Dwyer fall to 3-2 on the season.
After Penn State grabbed a 1-0 lead, the match moved to singles play. At the No. 1 singles spot, James, who is ranked 90th in the latest ITA National Singles Poll, was a straight-set winner over Ritchie. After cruising to a 6-2 win in the first, the Nittany Lion junior found himself in a battle in the second. James prevailed in a tiebreaker (7-6 (4)) to take the match. The win marked the Nittany Lion standout??s eighth-straight win in singles action. He is now an impressive 23-4 overall and 12-2 in duals this season.
Berger gave the Nittany Lions a point at the second singles spot after his three-set win over Bierich. Berger dropped the first set 6-2, before rallying to take the Hawkeye sophomore to a second-set tiebreak. Berger snagged the breaker 9-7 to even the match at one set apiece. In the decisive set, the Nittany Lion veteran took a second tiebreaker to claim the win for Penn State (2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4)). Berger moves to 18-7 overall and 11-3 in duals during his senior season.
Slagter rolled over Haal in the No. 3 singles match by a score of 6-3, 6-3. Slagter??s win marked his fifth-consecutive decision in singles play. The southpaw is now 10-2 on the season in duals. He holds a 15-6 overall mark in his second season as a collegian.
Sophomore Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) ousted Iowa??s Tommy McGeorge in the fourth singles match. After taking the first set by a score of 6-4, Lynch battled to give Penn State the point with a 7-5 triumph in the second. Lynch??s win was his second-straight since his return from injury, boosting his season record to 13-3.
At the No. 5 singles slot, Gormley wasted little time defeating the Hawkeyes?? Holm. Gormley jetted out to a 6-2 edge in the first, before controlling the second by a score of 6-4. Gormley holds a solid 12-2 mark in duals during his rookie season at Penn State.
At No. 6, Dwyer picked up his seventh-straight win in dual matches with his straight-set win over Iowa??s Patrick Dwyer (6-3, 7-5). Dwyer now holds a solid 12-2 record in duals this season.
Iowa falls to 7-6 (0-3 Big Ten) overall on the year. The Hawkeyes will now face Michigan on Sunday in Iowa City.
Penn State will travel to Minneapolis on Sunday for an 11:30 a.m. match with the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. The Nittany Lions will return home on Friday, April 6 for a 3 p.m. match at Sarni Tennis Center against Purdue. Admission is free.
Final Score: #40 Penn State 7, Iowa 0
Doubles
1. Michael James/Ryan Berger (PSU) def. Gregory Holm/Walker Grimes (IOWA), 8-3
2. Adam Slagter/Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. J.P. Ritchie/Patrick Dwyer (IOWA), 9-7
3. Christian Bierich/Reinoud Haal (IOWA) def. Bradley Hunter/James Dwyer (PSU), 8-5
Singles
1. #90 Michael James (PSU) def. J.P. Ritchie (IOWA), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
2. Ryan Berger (PSU) def. Christian Bierich (IOWA), 2-6, 7-6 (7), 7-6 (4)
3. Adam Slagter (PSU) def. Reinoud Haal (IOWA), 6-3, 6-3
4. Brendan Lynch (PSU) def. Tommy McGeorge (IOWA), 6-4, 7-5
5. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. Gregory Holm (IOWA), 6-2, 6-3
6. James Dwyer (PSU) def. Patrick Dwyer (IOWA), 6-3, 9-5