March 28, 2010
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The 62nd-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (12-4, 1-1) had its first Big Ten loss on Sunday with a 7-0 setback to the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes. Penn State returns to action this Friday at Minnesota.
Despite changes in Penn State's doubles lineup, the Buckeyes were able to win all three doubles matches in close fashion. From there, Ohio State won all six singles bouts to seal the 7-0 victory.
On court No. 1, freshman Warren Hardie (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) teamed up for the first time this year and faced Ohio State's 43rd-ranked pairing of Chase Buchanan and Dino Marcan. Hardie and Lee only trailed the Buckeyes 5-4 at one point, but were unable to keep up in an 8-5 loss.
In the No. 2 bout, junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) paired with sophomore Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) for the first time this season as well. Their match against Justin Kronauge and Balazs Novak was very tight as well, as the Buckeyes led just 6-5 at that point. Nevertheless, Kronauge and Novak won the next two games to win the match, 8-5, and clinch the doubles point for Ohio State.
With the doubles point already decided, senior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) faced Steven Williams and Matt Allare in the No. 3 matchup. Gormley and Welnetz had a 7-5 lead and were playing for the match point. Williams and Allare battled back though to tie the match up at seven. The Buckeye pairing went on to win the match, 9-8 in a tiebreaker.
With Ohio State leading 1-0, the match moved to singles action. On court No. 1, Buchanan, who is ranked 17th in the ITA Singles Rankings, picked up a straight-set 6-1, 6-1 victory over Bourchier to give the Buckeyes a 2-0 lead in the overall match. In the No. 5 matchup, Allare defeated Welnetz in straight sets as well, 6-2, 6-4, to give the Buckeyes a 3-0 advantage in the overall match.
Ohio State clinched the match in the No. 6 bout, where Devin McCarthy took on senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec). After dropping the first set 6-1, St-Maurice got off to a good start in the second set, leading 2-0. McCarthy battled back though to win six of the next seven games to garner the 6-1, 6-3 victory to clinch the overall match for the Buckeyes.
With the match already decided, Gormley fell to No. 26 Kronauge, 6-1, 7-6. After dropping the first set, Gormley tested Kronauge in the second set. The senior captain trailed the majority of the frame, but rallied and tied it up at six. Kronauge would eventually win the tiebreaker. In the No. 4 bout, Lee was defeated by Novak, 6-4, 6-3. The overall match came to an end when No. 74 Marcan defeated Hardie in the No. 3 bout, 6-3, 7-6.
The Nittany Lions will travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers for a 3 p.m. matchup on April 2. Penn State will then continue its weekend road trip to Iowa City, Iowa for a dual with the Iowa Hawkeyes. The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley on April 9 with a matchup against Michigan. Admission to all Penn State tennis matches is free.
Final Score: #3 Ohio State 7 #62 Penn State 0
Doubles
1. #43 Chase Buchanan/Dino Marcan (OSU) def. Warren Hardie/Jason Lee (PSU), 8-5
2. Justin Kronauge/Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Eddie Bourchier/Taylor Cohen (PSU), 8-5
3. Steven Williams/Matt Allare (OSU) def. Ryan Gormley/Bryan Welnetz (PSU), 9-8
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
1. #17 Chase Buchanan (OSU) def. Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 6-1, 6-1
2. #26 Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. Ryan Gormley (PSU), 6-1, 7-6
3. #74 Dino Marcan (OSU) def. Warren Hardie (PSU), 6-3, 7-6
4. Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Jason Lee (PSU), 6-4, 6-3
5. Matt Allare (OSU) def. Bryan Welnetz (PSU), 6-2, 6-4
6. Devin McCarthy (OSU) def. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU), 6-1, 6-3
Order of finish: 1, 5, 6, 2, 4, 3