Sept. 16, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - In a rare singles bout featuring two Nittany Lions, junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) defeated freshman Eddie Bourchier (Tasmania, Australia) in the finals of the White flight on the final day at the University of Virginia Fall Classic on Sunday.
Lynch jumped out to a one-set advantage over Bourchier after notching the first by a score of 6-4. The Nittany Lion junior ousted the Australian freshman 6-2 in the final set to score the White singles draw crown. Lynch and Bourchier found their way into the finals after scoring three victories in the 16-player draw.
"It was great to see Eddie and Brendan in the finals," said head coach Todd Doebler. "The match was played a high level, but Brendan just played with a little more experience."
In doubles action, senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) and junior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas), who were the No. 3 seed in the A-1 draw, pounded the Wake Forest team of Forman and Brasseaux in the draw's semifinals (8-1) to earn a shot at the No. 1 doubles team in the nation. James and Slagter, who are ranked 36th in the ITA doubles rankings, were pitted against the top-ranked Virginia duo of Somdev Devvarman and Treat Hueyin the A-1 flight finals.
After dropping an early break, the Nittany Lion team fell into a hole against the talented UVA duo. Devvarman and Hueyin used the break to their advantage, and cruised to an 8-2 victory.
"Adam and Michael had a good run through their doubles draw," said Doebler. "They just ran into a very talented UVA team."
The Nittany Lion team of Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) and sophomore Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) also competed in a semifinal match in doubles play. St-Maurice and Gormley were ousted by the William & Mary duo of Zuck and Wardell by a score of 8-3 in the B-2 draw.
Freshman Jamie Cox (Acworth, Ga.) teamed with Virginia's Leif Sunderland to score a 9-7 victory over the Binghamton team of Danielsson and Bonnet in the consolation semifinals of the B-2 doubles flight. Cox and Sunderland suffered an 8-3 setback at the hands of Harvard's team of Guzick and Clayton in the consolation finals.
Sunday's action concludes the UVA Fall Classic.
"Overall, we were pleased with how the weekend went," Doebler said. "It was a good chance for us to play some solid competition. Early in the fall, it is all about playing as many matches as you can, and we were able to do that. We are looking forward to two weeks of hard practice and improvement to get ready for our next tournament at the end of the month."
After a strong showing in Charlottesville, the Nittany Lion tennis team will next travel to New York for the ECAC Championships from Sept. 28-Oct. 1.