April 3, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - With a 2-2 record in the Big Ten, the Penn State men's tennis team (9-8) will head to the state of Michigan this weekend for a critical pair of conference matches. The Lions will face the 47th-ranked Michigan Wolverines on Saturday followed by the Michigan State Spartans on Sunday. Both match times are set for noon.
Last time out, the Nittany Lions earned a nice 4-3 victory over the Iowa Hawkeyes. Penn State kicked off the match with an early 1-0 lead after claiming the doubles point, winning two of the three doubles matches. The Lions then claimed the first two singles matches before Iowa stormed back to give Penn State a scare. However, junior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) won in a nice three-set victory to clinch the match for Penn State.
Michigan enters this weekend 7-12, including a 1-3 record in the Big Ten. The Wolverines were riding a rough eight-game losing streak until March 29, as they upended the Northwestern Wildcats, 4-3. Leading the way for Michigan is sophomore Jason Jung. Jung is currently 6-11 at the No. 1 position, but is currently ranked 98th in the most recent ITA Singles Rankings.
Last season, the Wolverines made the trip to University Park to take on the Lions. Michigan came out on top, 5 -2. After claiming the doubles point, the Wolverines won four of their six singles matches to win the match. Penn State's points were earned by Adam Slagter (Austin, Texas) as he downed Jung in three sets, and Brendan Lynch (North Potomac, Md.), as he defeated Mike Sroczynski.
In 24 matchups with the Wolverines, Penn State is 7-17 all-time in the series. Penn State's last win over Michigan came on March 10, 2007, in a 4-3 upset over the Blue and Gold.
Michigan State currently sits at 12-7 on the season with a 0-4 record in the Big Ten. Leading the Spartans is John Allare and Alex Forger. Allare holds a 10-8 record in singles play this spring, including a 5-5 record in the No. 1 bout. Forger is 8-8 in singles this spring, with a 5-4 record in the No. 1 position.
Last spring, the Nittany Lions earned a convincing 7-0 victory over Michigan State in the Big Ten season finale. Penn State holds a 17-9 record all-time vs. the Spartans. Michigan State's last victory over the Lions came in 2007, with a close 4-3 victory.
Following this weekend's pair of matches, Penn State will continue its road trip to Illinois and Indiana next weekend. Both match times are set for noon.