Feb. 17, 2008
SEATTLE, Wash. - The 38th-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (3-5) lost a tight doubles point and fell to No. 4 Baylor (8-2), 4-1, on Sunday in the consolation draw of the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships at the Seattle Tennis Club.
After dropping a hard fought doubles point, Baylor notched three of the four completed singles matches to secure the 4-1 victory on Sunday.
"It was another tough match for us, but we can take a lot of positives away from this tournament," said head coach Todd Doebler.
Despite going 0-3 at the ITA National Indoor Championships, the Nittany Lions battled three teams ranked in the top 10 on three consecutive days during their first visit to the prestigious tournament. Penn State will look to build on its experience with the nation's elite teams, as it now prepares for the Big Ten season opener against Northwestern on March 2.
The match started with a battle in doubles action. In the No. 1 match, freshman Jake Toole (Sharon Mass.) and sophomore Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) suffered an 8-3 setback at the hands of the Baylor duo of David Galic and Jordan Rux.
Senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) and junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) squared the doubles after knocking off Baylor's Denes Lukacs and Attila Bucko, 8-4, in the No. 3 match.
Therefore, the point was up for grabs in the No. 2 contest featuring junior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) and sophomore Guillaume St-Maurice (St-Eustache, Quebec) and the Bear duo of Lars Poerschke and Dominik Mueller. Mueller and Poerschke squeaked out a 9-8 triumph to clinch the doubles marker. St-Maurice replaced injured freshman Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia).
With Baylor up 1-0, the two teams headed for singles action. Lynch suffered his second setback of the season against No. 80 Galic in the No. 3 match. Galic battled his way past the Lion junior by a score of 6-4, 6-4. Lynch falls to 6-2 on the year in dual matches.
Gormley notched the Lions' only point of the morning with a straight sets victory over Corches in the No. 4 match to set the score at 2-1 in favor of Baylor. The Nevada native jumped out to a one-set lead with a 6-2 victory in the first. He closed out the No. 4 battle with a convincing 6-1 edge in the second.
Nonetheless, St-Maurice suffered a 6-3, 6-1 setback at the hands of Mueller at No. 5, which handed Baylor its third point of the match.
James and Poerschke went the distance at No. 1 after the two players split the initial two sets. Poerschke cruised to 6-1 edge in the first, but James stormed back in the second with a 6-1 victory of his own. The Lion senior was unable to use the momentum, as Poerschke ousted James in the third, 6-2, to give Baylor the No. 1 point and the overall match.
With the match decided, the bout featuring Slagter and No. 10 Lukacs was not finished. Just as was the case in the No. 1 match, the Lion junior managed to take the first, 7-6, but Lukacs came roaring back to notch the second, 6-0. Lukacs held a 2-0 lead in the third when the match was halted.
Also unfinished was the No. 6 contest featuring Dwyer and Baylor's Bucko. St-Maurice won the first set 6-3. The match stopped in the second with the score tied at 6-6.
Penn State will now take nearly two weeks off. The next match will be on March 2 during the Big Ten home opener against Northwestern at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center.
Final Score: #4 Baylor 4, #38 Penn State 1
Doubles:
1. David Galic/Jordan Rux (BAYLOR) def. Ryan Gormley/Jake Toole (PSU), 8-3
2. Lars Poerschke/Dominik Mueller (BAYLOR) def. Adam Slagter/Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 9-8
3. Brendan Lynch/Michael James (PSU) def. Denes Lukacs/Attila Bucko (BAYLOR), 8-4
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles:
1. Lars Poerschke (BAYLOR) def. #51 Michael James (PSU), 6-1, 1-6, 6-2
2. #10 Denes Lukacs (BAYLOR) led Adam Slagter (PSU), 6-7, 6-0, 2-0, UF
3. #80 David Galic (BAYLOR) def. Brendan Lynch (PSU), 6-4, 6-4
4. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. Gwen Corches (BAYLOR), 6-2, 6-1
5. Dominik Mueller (BAYLOR) def. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 6-3, 6-1
6. James Dwyer (PSU) led Attila Bucko (BAYLOR), 6-3, 6-6, UF
Order of finish: Not available at this time
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