Feb. 8, 2008
Penn State - Cornell Match Notes
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Coming off a tough 4-3 loss to Virginia Tech, the 39th-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (2-2) will continue its five-match road trip with a stop in Ithaca, N.Y., for a bout with Cornell (2-0) at Reis Tennis Center on Saturday at 1 p.m.
The Nittany Lions looked set to win their third straight match last Saturday at No. 35 Virginia Tech after jumping out to a 3-0 lead. However, the Hokies stormed back in singles, taking four of the six bouts on their way to a tight 4-3 victory.
Senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.), who is ranked 51st in the ITA national rankings, heads to Cornell looking to reach the 100 career victory mark for his Penn State career. The Virginia native holds a 99-30 overall record. James is 18-5 this season, including a 3-1 mark in duals at the No. 1 spot. He tallied a 27-8 overall record last season, including a 16-6 mark in duals and a 6-4 record in the Big Ten.
Junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) maintained his perfect record at Virginia Tech on Saturday. Lynch once again dominated at the No. 4 spot with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Pedro Graber. For the spring season, he is a perfect 4-0 in doubles and singles.
The Lion junior went 6-2 in duals last season after missing much of the spring with a collar bone injury. He owns a 50-15 overall singles record for his Penn State career. In all, he has won 10 of his last 12 dual outings. He is an impressive 15-3 record for the season.
Penn State and Cornell last played on February 3, 2007. The Nittany Lions won two of the three doubles bouts, and the top five singles matches on their way to scoring a 6-1 victory. Michael James led the way for the Nittany Lions at the No. 1 spot with three-set victory over Nicholas Brunner (4-6, 6-1, 7-5). Despite it being a 6-1 edge for the Lions, three of the six singles bouts were three-set contests. Penn State went 3-0 in the three-set battles to secure the victory at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center.
The Big Red bring a 2-0 record into the weekend bout with the Nittany Lions after defeating Buffalo by a score of 4-3 and Niagara by a 6-1 margin over the weekend. Senior Rory Heggie, juniors Marc Asch and Kyle Doppelt make up the top of the lineup for Cornell. Heggie is 0-1 in dual action this spring, while Doppelt is 0-1 at the No. 1 spot for the Big Red. Asch is 0-2 on the season, playing at No. 1 and No. 3 in the lineup. Jeremy Feldman and Jonathan Fife currently lead the team in victories. Feldman is 16-7 on the year, while Fife is 12-6 overall. Josh Goldstein is 10-2 on the year, including 1-0 in dual matches this spring. Cornell went 13-9 last season during dual match play.
Next week, the Nittany Lion men's tennis team will travel to the ITA National Intercollegiate Indoor Championships for the first time in school history. The prestigious tournament features 16 of the nation's elite men's tennis programs. The field includes last season's national champion Georgia, as well as runner-up Illinois. The 2007 Big Ten champion Ohio State Buckeyes mark three Big Ten teams in the field of 16. The draw will include each of the top 10 teams in the nation, and will be released on Feb. 8. The tournament will run from Feb. 15-18 in Seattle, Wash., and is hosted by the University of Washington.
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