March 8, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After coming off a difficult loss to No. 3 Ohio State on Thursday, the Penn State men's tennis team (6-5, 1-1) posted a convincing 7-0 victory over the 74th-ranked Maryland Terrapins on Sunday. The win gives Penn State its first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The Lions got off to a great start in doubles action to capture the point. From there, Penn State carried its momentum into singles and won all six singles matches.
"We got off to a great start by winning the doubles point," said head coach Todd Doebler. "This is a nice win for us in a match that was a lot closer than the score showed. It's a great way to start spring break and we look forward to a good week of practice and preparing for William and Mary."
In doubles action, sophomores Benji Kendall (Villanova, Pa.) and Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) cruised by Maryland's Alex Aksanov and Mathias Sarrazin, 8-0. The win by the Nittany Lion pairing is their first of the season. The doubles point clincher came in the No. 1 bout, where senior Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) and freshman Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) upset the No. 36 team of Andrew Orban and Boris Fetbroyt, 8-5. With the doubles point already clinched, senior Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.) and junior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) were downed by Nickolai Nielsen and David Kwon.
With Penn State leading 1-0, the match turned to singles action. In the No. 1 bout, Lynch had no problem with Orban, as he defeated the Maryland product, 6-0, 6-2. Following Lynch's commanding win, Bourchier downed Fetbroyt in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2. Penn State held a 3-0 lead on the Terps.
The clinching point of the match came in the No. 6 position, where Kendall earned a straight set victory over Aksanov in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. The win gave Kendall his first match clinching point of the season.
With Penn State already being the determined winner, Slagter knocked off Kwon in straight sets to earn another point for the Lions. The first set went to a tiebreaker, in which Slagter won, 7-5. Slagter then cruised through the second set, 6-4. Lee also found himself in a first set tiebreaker in his match vs. Nielsen. The Nittany Lion freshman won the tiebreaker, 7-2, and took the second set, 6-4 to earn another point for Penn State.
St-Maurice finished off the sweep for the Lions as he defeated Sarazzin in two sets and a tiebreaker, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 1-0 (10-6).
The Nittany Lions will head to No. 49 William and Mary this coming Friday. The Blue-Gray Tournament hosted by Alabama begins on March 19.
Final Score: Penn State 7 def. #74 Maryland 0
Doubles
1. Adam Slagter/Jason Lee (PSU) def. #36 Andrew Orban/Boris Fetbroyt (MD), 8-5
2. Nickolai Nielsen/David Kwon (MD) def. #80 Guillaume St.-Maurice/Brendan Lynch (PSU), 9-7 (3)
3. Benji Kendall/Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Alex Aksanov/Mathias Sarrazin (MD), 8-0
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. Brendan Lynch (PSU) def. Andrew Orban (MD), 6-0, 6-2
2. Adam Slagter (PSU) def. David Kwon (MD), 7-6 (5), 6-4
3. Jason Lee (PSU) def. Nickolai Nielsen (MD), 7-6 (2), 6-4
4. Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Boris Fetbroyt (MD), 6-4, 6-2
5. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU) def. Mathias Sarrazin (MD), 6-7 (4), 6-3, 1-0 (10-6)
6. Benji Kendall (PSU) def. Alex Aksanov (MD), 6-2, 6-4
Order of finish: 1, 4, 6, 2, 3, 5