April 4, 2010
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The 58th-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (12-6, 1-3) dropped a close 4-3 decision to the No. 73 Iowa Hawkeyes on Sunday afternoon. Senior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.), freshman Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) and senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) all picked up singles victories for the Nittany Lions.
Iowa came out and won all three doubles matches to earn the point and an early 1-0 lead in the overall match. The singles bouts were very competitive, but the Hawkeyes managed to grab three singles points to lock up the 4-3 win.
The overall match started with doubles competition, where Nikita Zotov and Garret Dunn downed Gormley and Welnetz on court No. 3, 8-5. The Hawkeyes then went on to clinch the doubles point when Tommy McGeorge and Will Vasos defeated freshman Warren Hardie (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) and sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) in the No. 1 bout, 8-6. With the doubles point already decided, St-Maurice and junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) lost their match, 8-7, to Iowa's Marc Bruche and Tom Mroziewicz.
With Iowa leading 1-0, the match moved on to singles action. Iowa quickly had a 2-0 lead after Vasos defeated Hardie in the No. 4 matchup, 6-4, 6-4. Penn State got on the board though thanks to a victory for Welnetz over McGeorge on court No. 5. After winning the first set 7-5 in close fashion, Welnetz breezed through the second frame, 6-1, to gain a point for Penn State , which cut Iowa's lead in half at 2-1.
In the No. 3 bout, Lee faced Iowa's Reinoud Haal. Things were looking good for Lee early, as he won the first set, 6-2. However, Haal managed to fight back and win the next two sets to earn a 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Lee, giving the Hawkeyes a 3-1 advantage in the overall match.
Penn State eventually would rally though and tie the match up at three. St-Maurice picked up a straight-set 6-4, 6-1 victory over Austen Kauss to cut the deficit to 3-2. Gormley then pounded out a three-set victory over Zotov in the No. 2 matchup, 6-2, 2-6, 6-3. With the overall match tied up at three, it came down to the bout on court No. 1 with Bourchier and Bruche. After dropping the first set 7-5, Bourchier rallied to win the second set, 6-4. In the third set, Bruche squeaked out a 6-3 victory to clinch the match for the Hawkeyes.
The Nittany Lions will return to Happy Valley on April 9 vs. Michigan to begin a five-match homestand. Penn State will then square off with Michigan State and Bloomsburg on April 11. Admission to all Penn State tennis matches is free.
Final Score: #73 Iowa 4 #58 Penn State 3
Doubles
1. Tommy McGeorge/Will Vasos (IOWA) def. Warren Hardie/Jason Lee (PSU), 8-6
2. Marc Bruche/Tom Mroziewicz (IOWA) def. Guillaume St-Maurice/Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 8-7
3. Nikita Zotov/Garret Dunn (IOWA) def. Ryan Gormley/Bryan Welnetz (PSU), 8-5
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles
1. Marc Bruche (IOWA) def. Eddie Bourchier (PSU), 7-5, 4-6, 6-3
2. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. Nikita Zotov (IOWA), 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
3. Reinoud Haal (IOWA) def. Jason Lee (PSU), 2-6, 6-1, 6-1
4. Will Vasos (IOWA) def. Warren Hardie (PSU), 6-4, 6-4
5. Bryan Welnetz (PSU) def. Tommy McGeorge (IOWA), 7-5, 6-1
6. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU) def. Austen Kauss (IOWA), 6-4, 6-1
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 6, 2, 1