April 25, 2008
2008 Big Ten Championship Draw
IOWA CITY, Iowa - Despite dropping a tight doubles point, the 40th-ranked and fifth-seeded Penn State men's tennis team (15-11, 6-4) battled the 17th-ranked and fourth-seeded Michigan Wolverines (18-5, 7-3), but came up just short in a 4-2 decision on Friday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Men's Tennis Championship at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Center.
Michigan came from behind in the No. 1 doubles bout to score the pivotal point, which gave them a 1-0 lead. Nevertheless, Penn State rallied back in singles action with a pair of victories from senior Michael James (Clifton, Va.) and sophomore Guillaume St-Maurice (St-Eustache, Quebec). Penn State led 2-1 after the victories from James and St-Maurice, but Michigan clawed its way to three-straight singles victories, including a pair of three-set affairs to oust the Nittany Lions, and move into the semifinals against the top-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes. The match was paused during singles action for a tornado warning.
"We had a lot of opportunities in doubles, but were unable to convert," said head coach Todd Doebler. "In singles, we faught really hard, but came up a little short. Now, we will just wait for the selection show on Tuesday afternoon."
Senior James Dwyer (Peachtree City, Ga.) and freshman Edward Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) got the Nittany Lions on the board first in the race for the doubles point. Dwyer and Bourchier jumped out to a 4-1 lead over the Michigan team of George Navas and Chris Madden in the No. 3 match. They slammed the door with an 8-2 victory, marking their sixth-straight doubles victory.
However, the Wolverines came back with a pair of victories in the final two doubles matches on court. The Wolverines got on the board in the No. 2 match between the Penn State tandem of junior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) and St-Maurice and the 30th-ranked Michigan team of Mike Sroczynski and Jason Jung. Michigan secured an early break to score a 4-2 lead. The Nittany Lions could not recover from the early deficit, as Sroczynski and Jung served out the match, 8-5.
With the first two completed matches split between the two teams, the No. 1 bout became the decisive match. James and junior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.), who are ranked 27th in the nation, led the Michigan team of Matko Maravic and Andrew Mazlin by a score of 5-3 after eight games in the No. 1 bout. Nevertheless, the Michigan duo rallied, winning five of the last six games in the pro-set to clinch the doubles point for Michigan. Lynch and James fall to 14-4 on the year.
The match turned to singles action after Michigan claimed a 1-0 lead. St-Maurice got Penn State on the board in the first completed singles match. The Nittany Lion sophomore jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set of the No. 6 bout against Aarts. He cruised to a victory in the first (6-2), and did not look back. St-Maurice dominated the second, 6-1, which squared the overall match at 1-1. He has now won nine of his last 11 dual matches, and owns a 12-4 record this spring.
James then ousted Maravic in the No. 1 clash to give the Lions a 2-1 lead. In a streak-filled affair, the Nittany Lion senior rolled to the first, 6-2, but Maravic, who is ranked 62nd in the ITA singles rankings came right back in the second set. He took a 3-0 lead on his way to a 6-3 victory, which sent the match into a decisive third set. It was all James in the third set, as the two-time All-Big Ten standout blanked Maravic (6-0) to claim the No. 1 point for Penn State. James is now 27-13 on the year, including 12-9 in dual matches.
Michigan came right back with a straight-sets victory for Sroczynski at No. 4 against Bourchier. The two players battled to a first-set tiebreaker after staying on-serve throughout. Sroczynski prevailed in the breaker and carried that momentum right into the second. He ousted the Nittany Lion freshman by a score of 6-4 to knot the overall match at 2-2 with three singles bouts completed.
Mazlin then rebounded from a set down against Lynch to give the Wolverines a 3-2 lead in the match. Lynch notched the first by a score of 6-2, but Mazlin was not done in the No. 3 singles match. He scored a break in the fifth game of the second set and served to a 4-2 lead. After serving out the second, 6-2, Mazlin dominated the third, 6-2. Lynch falls to 27-10 on the year after the loss.
With the score reading 3-2, in favor of Michigan, that left two singles battles on court. Both bouts went into a decisive third set. Just as was the case when the two teams met back in March, Michigan clinched the match with a clutch three-set victory. This time, it was Chris Madden who knocked off Dwyer in the No. 5 match. Madded took a one-set lead with a 6-4 triumph in the first. Nonetheless, Dwyer came right back, and squared the match at one set apiece with a 6-4 victory in the second. It was all Madden in the third as he clinched the Wolverine victory with a 6-2 decision.
In the No. 2 bout, Slagter held a 4-2 lead in the third set when the overall match was clinched. The Lion junior dropped a tight 7-5 decision to Jung in the first, but came back to square the match with a 6-4 win in the second.
Penn State will now await the 2008 NCAA Men's Tennis Championships announcements, which are slated for Tuesday, April 29.
Final Score: #17 Michigan 4, #40 Penn State 2
Doubles:
1. Matko Maravic/Andrew Mazlin (MICH) def. #27 Brendan Lynch/Michael James (PSU), 8-6
2. #30 Mike Sroczynski/Jason Jung (MICH) def. Adam Slagter/Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 8-5
3. Eddie Bourchier/James Dwyer (PSU) def. George Navas/Chris Madden (MICH), 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles:
1. #64 Michael James (PSU) def. #62 Matko Maravic (MICH), 6-2, 3-6, 6-0
2. Adam Slagter (PSU) led Jason Jung (MICH), 5-7, 6-4, 4-2, uf
3. Andrew Mazlin (MICH) def. Brendan Lynch (PSU), 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
4. Mike Sroczynski (MICH) def. Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 7-6, 6-4
5. Chris Madden (MICH) def. James Dwyer (PSU), 6-4, 4-6, 6-2
6. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU) def. Peter Aarts (MICH), 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 6, 1, 4, 3, 5