Jan. 31, 2008
Penn State - Virginia Tech Match Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The 39th-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (2-1) will kick off a five-match road swing at No. 35 Virginia Tech on Saturday. The Nittany Lions and Hokies will meet at noon in the Burrows/Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg.
Coming off a pair of home victories on Saturday, head coach Todd Doebler and the Nittany Lions will head to Virginia Tech looking to top the Hokies for the third time in four seasons. Penn State and Virginia Tech have played to tight 4-3 decisions in the last three meetings.
"The past several matches with Virginia Tech have been great battles and we are preparing for another tough match down in Blacksburg," said coach Doebler. "Virginia Tech is a very good team and we are excited to get another opportunity to play a ranked opponent."
Junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) and sophomore Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) have started the dual season off with perfect records in singles and doubles action. Each Lion has a 3-0 mark in singles play. After recording a pair of straight sets victories over Binghamton and St. Joe's, Lynch has won nine of his last 11 dual outings. The Lion junior boasts a 14-3 overall record this season.
Gormley also chalked up a pair of dominating straight sets victories against Binghamton and St. Joe's. With the two victories, the sophomore is 10-4 on the season. He also holds an 18-6 career record in dual matches as a Nittany Lion. Gormley is 3-0 in doubles play thus far into the dual season, as he has paired with Lynch and Jake Toole (Sharon, Mass.).
Senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.), who is ranked 51st in the ITA national rankings, heads back to his home state this weekend to take on the Hokies. The Lion senior racked up a pair of dominating victories at the No. 1 spot on Saturday against Binghamton and St. Joe's. With the two wins, James is just two victories away from the century mark for his career. He now holds a 98-30 overall record.
The Hokies come into the weekend ranked 35th in the ITA rankings after a 4-0 start to the dual season. Led by head coach Jim Thompson, Virginia Tech headed into the spring off a 13-13 season. Albert Larregola has played at the No. 1 spot for the Hokies in each dual this spring. He is a perfect 4-0 in duals and 19-5 overall this season. Larregola is ranked 42nd in the ITA rankings. Nicolas Delgado and Yoann Re have each played at the No. 2 spot this season. Delgado, who is ranked 87th, is 13-4 on the year. Re is 14-5 thus far during the 2007-08 season. Freshman Sebastien Jacques has started his collegiate career with a 16-4 overall record, including a 3-0 record in dual matches.
The two schools last met on March 4, 2007 in the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center. The Hokies managed a 4-3 victory over the Nittany Lions. Virginia Tech swept a tight doubles point, including a pair of tiebreaks. Penn State managed to split the singles points with the Hokies. Penn State last beat the Hokies on March 19, 2006 in a tight 4-3 decision in Blacksburg.
The Nittany Lions will next travel to Cornell on Feb. 9 to take on the Big Red. Penn State last met Cornell on Feb 3, 2007. The Lions knocked off the Big Red by a score of 6-1. Following the Cornell bout, the Nittany Lions will make the program's first appearance in the ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Championships in Seattle.
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