March 30, 2012
University Park, Pa. - The Penn State men's tennis team (10-6, 0-3) opens its Big Ten home schedule with a pair of matches at the Sarni Tennis Center this weekend. The action will kick off Friday, March 30 with a 3 p.m. contest against the Iowa Hawkeyes (1-12, 0-2). The Nittany Lions will conclude the weekend with an April Fools test Sunday morning against the No. 70 Nebraska Cornhuskers (7-8, 0-2). The action will begin at 11 a.m. Weather permitting; both matches will be held outdoors. Free pizza will be available for all fans in attendance.
Last time out, the Lions dropped a tightly contested match against then-No. 70 Purdue, 5-2. The Boilermakers opened the match quickly, taking all three doubles matches. Senior Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) and sophomore Russell Bader (Austin, Texas) each earned singles victories to keep the Nittany Lions alive, but a strong effort from the back end of the Boilermakers singles team pushed them on to victory.
Senior Jason Lee (Sydney, Australia) currently stands sixth all-time in Penn State history with 66 doubles victories. With one victory this weekend, the senior co-captain will jump into a three-way tie for fifth place all-time with Michael Carter (1993-97) and Marc Dorfman (1995-00). If the Aussie can cash in on two victories, he will jump into a tie for fourth place with 68 triumphs. In 2011, Eddie Bourchier (2007-11) shattered Michael James' (2004-08) previous record of 73 doubles wins. Bourchier now holds the career record with 82 triumphs.
Iowa enters Friday's match looking for the first Big Ten win of Coach Steve Houghton's 31st season. Junior Garret Dunn has led the way for Iowa in both singles and doubles play, earning six singles victories and five on the doubles court. Senior Marc Bruche also has claimed national notoriety; placing No. 105 in the most recent ITA singles rankings. Freshman Matt Hagan set a Hawkeye mark, earning the first No. 1 singles victory by a freshman since 1998. Bruche and Will Vasos also have reached national acclaim in doubles play, earning the No. 78 position.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers are led by 29th-year head coach Kerry McDermott. Seniors (No. 79) Christian Aumueller and (No. 95) Benedikt Lindheim are leading the way for Nebraska in singles play. Each has served as the Cornhusker's No. 1 singles option during the season. Aumueller holds a 5-6 record in the first spot, while Lindheim has posted two victories. The duo is also paired together in No. 1 doubles and took over the 19th position from Lee and Bader this week.
Following the weekend homestand, the Nittany Lions will hit the road again for a pair of Big Ten matches. The action will begin with a contest against the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Friday, April 6. For all the latest news about the Nittany Lions follow us on Facebook: Penn State Men's Tennis and Twitter: @PSUMensTennis.