March 18, 2009
Blue-Gray Tennis Classic Website
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Coming off two straight victories over ranked opponents, the Penn State Men's Tennis team will look to continue its winning ways this weekend in the Blue-Gray Tennis Classic in Montgomery, Ala. The Nittany Lions will take on the fifth-ranked Tennessee Volunteers at 11 a.m. on Thursday. Depending on results, Penn State will face either No. 33 Texas Tech or No. 54 Virginia Commonwealth.
Last season, the Lions faired well at the Blue-Gray Classic as they opened up the first round upsetting the 21st-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, 4-3. The following day, Penn State upset yet another highly ranked team as it downed No. 35 Boise State, 4-1, to advance to the semifinals. The Lions were later downed by No. 8 Tulsa in the semifinals, 4-1.
Penn State stands at 7-5 so far this season, with a 1-1 record in the Big Ten. Leading the way for the Lions this season is senior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.). Lynch holds a 7-5 record in singles action this season, including a 4-2 record in the No. 1 position. Additionally, the senior captain has teamed up with junior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) in doubles action, where the tandem has gone a team best 9-3. Since moving to the No. 2 spot, senior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) has faired well, winning his last two matches.
The fifth-ranked Volunteers enter the Blue-Gray classic with an impressive 10-3 record. Tennesse is led by sophomore John-Patrick Smith, who holds a 6-3 dual match record this season. Smith is currently ranked ninth in the ITA Rankings. Boris Conkic is currently ranked 20th in the country and holds a 9-2 record, with eight of those wins coming in the No. 2 position.
The Lions are 0-1 all-time vs. the Volunteers, with the lone loss coming on April 8, 1989, in a 4-0 sweep. With a Nittany Lion victory, it will be the first time since last season that Penn State defeats three consecutive ranked opponents. Penn State's three straight wins came over No. 68 Northwestern, No. 21 Alabama and No. 35 Boise State.
If the Lions happen to match up with Virginia Commonwealth on Friday, the Rams will be looking for revenge after Penn State upset VCU last season in the NCAA Tournament, 4-0.
Following the Blue-Gray Classic, Penn State will return to University Park on March 27 as it faces the 37th-ranked Minnesota Golden Gophers in a critical Big Ten match. Following that matchup, the Nittany Lions will host the No. 67 Iowa Hawkeyes on March 29.