March 16, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's tennis team (9-4, 0-1) will wrap up its non-conference schedule Saturday when it travels to Ithaca, N.Y. for a road test against the Cornell Big Red (7-8). With a win Saturday, the Nittany Lions would equal last season's win total. The action will begin at 1 p.m. at the Reis Tennis Center.
Last time out, the Nittany Lions fell in their conference opener at No. 2 Ohio State, 7-0. Penn State's No. 1 doubles tandem, senior Jason Lee (Sydney, Australia) and sophomore Russell Bader (Austin, Texas), took down No. 28 Devin McCarthy and Ille Van Engelen, 8-6, in first doubles. The Lions could not overcome the Buckeyes though, dropping the doubles point and eventually the match.
Following the impressive victory against McCarthy and Van Engelen, Lee and Bader jumped 10 spots in this week's ITA Top-75 doubles rankings to No. 19. The duo boasts a 10-1 overall record and a perfect record (3-0) against ranked opponents this season.
Bader leads the Nittany Lions with 10 singles victories this spring. He has posted an 8-2 record in his last 10 matches. Senior Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) each claim nine singles triumphs from the fourth and fifth singles positions respectively. The tandem has also paired to earn four wins in the No. 2 doubles slot.
The Big Red is coming off of a doubleheader sweep over Illinois State and Temple March 3. Freshman Alex Sidney claimed two singles victories on the day and improved to 8-5 on the season. The freshman's eight victories are tied with sophomore Venkat Iyer for the team lead in singles victories. Iyer is ranked No. 109 nationally and holds the Big Red's No. 1 singles position. Danny Riggs and Sidney will take on Lee and Bader in first doubles.
Penn State will remain on the road next weekend. The Lions travel to Bloomington, Ind. Friday, March 23 for a Big Ten match up against the Indiana Hoosiers. The action will commence at 2 p.m.