Nov. 9, 2007
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - On the first day of play at the Big Ten Indoor Singles Tennis Championship, two Nittany Lion rookies advanced to the tournament main draw at Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center.
Nittany Lion freshman Jake Toole (Sharon, Mass.) struck first for Penn State as he notched a straight sets victory over Iowa's Patrick Dwyer in the qualifying round of 16. Toole picked up a break in the final game of the first set to score a 6-4, one-set edge. Then in the second, the Lion freshman jumped out to a 5-0 lead before scoring a 6-1 victory. With the win, Toole advances into Saturday's main draw. Toole is 2-1 in his first fall at Penn State.
Also in qualifying action, Jamie Cox (Acworth, Ga.) took the court in Michigan against Minnesota's Derek Peterson. Cox cruised past Peterson in the first, 6-2. The Lion southpaw went on to oust Peterson by a score of 6-4 in the second to move into the main draw. Cox is now 3-1 as a collegian.
Action at Michigan will continue on Saturday. In the 64-player main draw, the first and second rounds are slated to begin Saturday (Nov. 10, 8 a.m.). The third round and quarterfinals will be held on Sunday (Nov. 11, 11:30 a.m.), with the semifinals and championship match scheduled on Monday (Nov. 12, 9 a.m.). A consolation bracket will be held for first and second round losers.
Leading the Nittany Lions in the main draw on Saturday will be senior James Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga.), junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.), sophomore Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia). Also in action will be sophomore Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec).
For point-by-point live scoring from the Varsity Tennis Center this weekend, log on to www.MGoBlue.com.
Big Ten Indoor Singles Championship - November 9, 2007
Qualifying Round of 16
Jake Toole (PSU) def. Patrick Dwyer (IOWA), 6-4, 6-1
Jamie Cox (PSU) def. Derek Peterson (MINNESOTA), 6-2, 6-4