March 7, 2012
ORLANDO, Fla. - The Penn State Nittany Lions (9-2) used a strong team effort to take the first of two matches on a swing through Florida Wednesday afternoon, defeating the Central Florida Knights (4-8), 5-2.
"We really crossed a hurdle today in getting a big road win," said Head Coach Jeff Zinn. "We just need to follow the momentum and build upon this win."
The Nittany Lions opened the match in strong fashion, taking two of three doubles matches and jumping to a 1-0 lead. UCF's Juan Bolona and Matthew Gladstone did give the Knights an early advantage following an 8-6 third doubles win over junior C.J. Griffin (Portland, Mich.) and sophomore Chris Young (Melbourne, Australia). Senior Jason Lee (Sydney, Australia) and sophomore Russell Bader (Austin, Texas), the ITA-No. 29 doubles team, responded with an 8-6 win in first doubles over Joe Delinks and Eugene Dolgovykh. Senior Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) and junior Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) then sealed the first point of the match with a win on court two, 8-5.
Delinks responded quickly for the Knights in sixth singles, defeating Griffin, 6-2, 6-2, to even the match at 1-1. Bader then took down Mitch Thams on court three to regain the lead for Penn State. Lee then overpowered Jorge Blasco in first singles to give the Lions a 3-1 lead.
All attention then turned to court five as Welnetz took on Bolona with the match on the line. The Texan jumped out to an early lead, grabbing the first set, 6-4. He then secured the match with a 7-5 second set triumph. After the match had been decided, Cohen earned a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory on court four. Finally, freshman Tomas Hanzlik (Prague, Czech Republic) fell in second singles, 7-6 (8), 5-7, 6-10.
"We have been working hard to get the team ready for road and outdoor matches," said Assistant Coach Chris Cagle. "Today, that hard work paid off against a strong Central Florida team."
Penn State will continue its road swing Friday, March 9 when they travel to Tampa Bay, Fla. for a 2 p.m. match against the South Florida Bulls.
Penn State 5, Central Florida 2:
Doubles:
1. Jason Lee/Russell Bader (PSU) def. Joe Delinks/Eugene Dolgovykh(UCF), 8-6
2. Taylor Cohen/Bryan Welnetz (PSU) def. Erik Brunskog/Mitch Thams (UCF), 8-5
3. Juan Bolona/Matthew Gladstone (UCF) def. C.J. Griffin/Chris Young (PSU), 8-6
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
Singles:
1. Jason Lee (PSU) def. Jorge Blasco (UCF), 6-3, 6-3
2. Erik Brunskog (UCF) def. Tomas Hanzlik (PSU), 6-7 (8-10), 7-5, 10-6
3. Russell Bader (PSU) def. Mitch Thams (UCF), 6-3, 6-3
4. Taylor Cohen (PSU) def. Mario Samson (UCF), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
5. Bryan Welnetz (PSU) def. Juan Bolona (UCF), 6-4, 7-5
6. Joe Delinks (UCF) def. C.J. Griffin (PSU), 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: 6, 3, 1, 5, 4, 2