Oct. 1, 2007
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y.; October 1, 2007 - For the first time in program history, the top-seeded Penn State men's tennis team downed Princeton, 5-2, in the ECAC Championship final at the USTA National Tennis Center on Monday, which garners the program's first appearance in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships this February.
It was a tail of two matches in the finals of the ECAC Championships. Princeton struck first after grabbing a hard fought doubles point by winning the first and third bouts. Nonetheless, Penn State came out firing in the singles bouts, taking the first four completed matches, which handed the Nittany Lions their first-ever ECAC crown .
"Today was a very exciting day for Penn State men's tennis," said second-year head coach Todd Doebler. "Princeton came out and played strong doubles, but our guys did a tremendous job coming out in singles by winning every first set. Michael and Adam really gave us a boost by coming out and winning quickly. Brendan battled in a tough first set, and then was able to win a decisive set. Eddie played a great match and came up big in the third to clinch the match."
In doubles, Princeton's team of Ryan Kim and Ilya Trubov grabbed two breaks on their way to a 4-0 lead on junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) and sophomore Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) at No. 3. The early deficit proved to be all the Tiger team needed, as they cruised to an 8-2 victory.
However, senior James Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga.) and freshman Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) squared the doubles action by claiming the No. 2 bout against the Princeton duo of Alex Vuckovic and Mark Gober, 8-3. Dwyer and Bourchier used a 3-0 advantage right out of the gate to secure the match.
With the finished doubles bouts split between the two teams, the point came down the No. 1 match. Senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) and junior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas), who are ranked 36th in the ITA national doubles rankings, ¬ scuffled with Princeton team of George Carpeni and Alex Krueger-Wyman. Both teams rode big serves to a 6-6 tie. In the 13th game, Princeton secured the first break of the pro-set to take a 7-6 lead. Krueger-Wyman's big serve finished off the match, 8-6, which gave Princeton the doubles point.
With Princeton up 1-0, the match turned to singles action. James got Penn State on the board with dominating victory over Carpeni at the No. 1 spot, 6-0, 6-3. James grabbed a break in the second game of the match and never looked back. He cruised to the shutout victory in the first. James then used stout groundstrokes throughout the second to secure the 6-3 victory, which knotted the match at one.
Slagter gave the Nittany Lions their first lead on the day with a straight sets win at No. 2 against Krueger-Wyman. Slagter secured a break in the first game of the match. He rode that momentum to a 6-2 edge in the first. In the second, the Nittany Lion junior used consistent all-around play to build a 4-1 edge. He maintained his momentum to oust Krueger-Wyman by a score of 6-4, which gave Penn State a 2-1 edge in the match.
At No. 3, Lynch notched a straight sets victory over Vuckovic, 7-6, 6-1, which set the score at 3-1. Despite trailing Vuckovic in the first-set, Lynch clawed his way back to score the tiebreaker victory. Lynch used the momentum to his advantage in the second, as he secured a break midway through the set to take a 4-1 lead. From there, the Nittany Lion junior slammed the door to take the match with a dominating 6-1 performance in the second set.
The No. 4 bout proved to be the deciding match on the day. Freshman Bourchier managed to grind his way to a three-set victory over Kim, which clinched the championship for Penn State. Bourchier controlled the pace in the first set, which allowed him to secure a 6-2 victory. Kim came storming back in the second. He cruised to a 6-1 win, sending the match to a decisive third set. Bourchier jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the third. The 3-0 cushion proved to be all the Australian needed to score the match-sealing win. Bourchier closed out the championship when a Kim forehand sailed wide.
At No. 6, Gormley garnered Penn State's fifth point when Princeton's Leslie retired with leg cramps while leading the third set, 5-3. The match went to a third after Gormley took the first, 6-2, and Leslie snagged the second 6-3.
Dwyer also retired with leg cramps against Princeton's Charlie Brosens in the third set of the final set. Dwyer won a first-set tiebreaker, but Brosens came right back with a 6-1 edge in the second. With the score set at two all in the third, Dwyer retired, which handed the Tigers their second point. After Dwyer's retirement, the final score read 5-2 in favor of Penn State.
"I am really proud of our guys, and how hard they fought," said Doebler. "It is a great honor to win the ECAC crown. Earning the right to play at the National Indoors is an honor, and will be a great experience for our guys."
James and Slagter will now head to the Polo Ralph Lauren All American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. on Thursday. James will take part in the main singles draw. He will also team up with Slagter in the main doubles draw.
Final Score: Penn State 5, Princeton 2
Doubles:
1. George Carpeni/Alex Krueger-Wyman (PRINCETON) def. #36 Michael James/Adam Slagter (PSU), 8-6
2. James Dwyer/Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Alex Vuckovic/Mark Gober (PRINCETON), 8-3
3. Ryan Kim/Ilya Trubov (PRINCETON) def. Brendan Lynch/Ryan Gormley (PSU), 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles:
1. #35 Michael James (PSU) def. George Carpeni (PRINCETON), 6-0, 6-3
2. Adam Slagter (PSU) def. Alex Krueger-Wyman (PRINCETON), 6-2, 6-4
3. Brendan Lynch (PSU) def. Alex Vuckovic (PRINCETON), 7-6, 6-1
4. Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Ryan Kim (PRINCETON), 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
5. Charlie Brosens (PRINCETON) def. James Dwyer (PSU) def., 7-6, 1-6, 2-2, ret.
6. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. Leslie (PRINCETON), 6-2, 3-6, 3-5, ret.
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 5