Feb. 13, 2008
Penn State ITA National Indoor Championships Match Notes in PDF Format
Click for ITA National Indoor Championships Draw
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the first time in program history, the Penn State men's tennis team (3-2) will head to Seattle this weekend to compete in the 16-team draw at the ITA Intercollegiate Indoor Tennis Championships. The 16th-seeded Nittany Lions will open the tournament with No. 1 Virginia on Friday at 11 a.m. PT at Nordstrom Tennis Center on the campus of the University of Washington.
After claiming the ECAC crown back in October, the Nittany Lions punched their ticket to the indoor championships. The 16-team draw features each of the top 10 teams in the nation, and 12 of the top 13. Each team participating in the draw is guaranteed three matches at the ITA National Indoor Championships. Action will run from Feb. 15-18 at the Nordstrom Tennis Center on the University of Washington campus and the Seattle Tennis Club, located in downtown Seattle. Live scoring will be available all weekend long on GoHuskies.com.
Fresh off defeating Cornell (6-1), second-year head coach Todd Doebler will lead the Nittany Lions into at least three matches against ranked foes this weekend.
"It is very exciting for the Penn State program to be a part of a tournament with such a talented field of teams," said Doebler. "We are looking forward to the challenge of playing some of the best teams in the country. Virginia is an extremely talented team with a lot of experience."
Senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.), who is ranked 51st in the ITA national rankings, rolled over Cornell's Kyle Doppelt (6-3, 6-1) to clinch his 100th career singles victory at Penn State last Saturday. The Lion senior is now 100-30 overall at Penn State. James is 19-5 this season, including 4-1 in duals at the No. 1 spot.
Junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) is still the hottest player in the Penn State lineup. The junior southpaw is a perfect 5-0 in singles and doubles play after a straight sets victory over Marc Asch of Cornell. Lynch is 16-3 on the season, and has won 11 of his last 13 dual outings. Sophomore Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) is also off to a strong start to the dual season. He is 4-1 thus far in 2008.
The top-ranked and undefeated Virginia Cavaliers come into the weekend with very few flaws. Already off to a 7-0 start this spring, the Cavaliers boast a singles lineup with four ranked players, including three in the top 12 nationally. Somdev Devvarman, who won the NCAA Singles Championship in the spring, leads the corps of talented players at the top of the lineup. Devvarman is ranked No. 1 in the country after a stellar fall, which included a singles championship at the ITA National Individual Singles Championship in November. He holds an 18-1 record this season, with 12 victories over ranked opponents. Dominic Inglot is ranked third in the nation for the Cavaliers. He is 16-3 on the season. Treat Huey also plays at the top of the lineup for Virginia. Huey, who is ranked 12th in the nation, is 11-2 on the season. Devvarman and Huey also team up to produce the No. 1 doubles team in the nation.
The Cavaliers have notched seven victories against ranked opponents to begin spring. Virginia defeated Illinois in Champaign (4-3) and Notre Dame (5-2) in South Bend in January. The Cavaliers are coming off a 4-3 decision over Kentucky and a 6-1 triumph against Harvard last weekend. Virginia went a school-best 30-4 last season, and advanced to the semifinals in the NCAA Tournament.
No. 9 Notre Dame will meet No. 8 UCLA on Friday at 11 a.m. PT, with the winner moving on to take on the winner of the No. 16 Penn State/No. 1 Virginia match. The two teams that don't advance will meet in the back draw on Saturday at 11 a.m. PT. The Nittany Lions will also play its third match in three days on Sunday regardless of the outcome on Saturday.
The ITA Indoor Championships will put a cap on a five-match road swing for the Lions, as they will take a week off and return home to take on Northwestern in the Big Ten home opener on March 2. The Lions will once again head back on to the road with a trip to the Blue-Gray Tennis Tournament in Montgomery, Ala., after the home match with Northwestern.