Feb. 8, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 58 Penn State men's tennis team(6-0) defeated UMBC(2-3), 7-0, in the first match of their doubleheader Saturday at the Indoor Tennis Center. The Nittany Lions won the doubles point and did not drop a set in singles. In the second match, against Bucknell(0-2), the Nittany Lions earned another shutout, 7-0, sweeping the doubles matches and continuing their singles momentum, not dropping a set against the Bison.
Leo Stakhovsky (Kiev, Ukraine) competed at the No. 1 singles spot for Penn State against UMBC's Justin Carter. The sophomore earned a sweep, 6-1, 6-4. Stakhovsky earned his second win of the day, topping Bucknell's Nick Bybel, 6-0, 6-1. Stakhovsky improved to 5-0 this spring while competing at the top singles spot.
Senior Russell Bader (Austin, Texas) matched up against UMBC's Melker Svard. He claimed a straight-set win, 6-1, 6-1. With the win, Bader earned his 79th career win to tie Brendan Lynch(2005-09) for ninth on the all-time wins list at Penn State. Bader wasted little time passing Lynch as he knocked off Bucknell's Aidan Lynch, 6-0, 6-0, later in the day. Bader improved to 13-4 this year and 6-0 this spring. He now has a nine-match win streak, dating back to the fall.
Freshman Alex Fennell (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.) picked up his seventh win of the year with a 6-4, 6-1 win over UMBC's Alex Drean. The freshman followed that up with another straight-set win, 6-1, 6-2, against Bucknell's Octavio Canibe.
Sophomore Roman Trkulja (Toronto, Canada) took on UMBC's Eliott Loubatie in the No. 4 singles spot. Trkulja claimed a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Trkulja picked up his 12th win of the year, fourth of the spring, with his 6-2, 6-1 win over Bucknell's Kyle Rosen.
Matt Barry (Lido Beach, N.Y.) faced UMBC's Daniel Gray at No. 5 singles. The sophomore earned a 6-1, 6-2 sweep. Barry then matched up against Bucknell's Bryan Adams. Barry did not drop a set in that match either, winning 6-1, 6-1. Barry improved to 5-0 this spring and 14-4 overall.
Freshman Marc Collado Castells (Barcelona, Spain) matched up against UMBC's Kamal Patel. The Barcelona native took the first set, 6-3, and followed that up with a 6-1 set to get the sweep. In his second match of the day, the freshman was dominant in a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Bucknell's Jordan Lieb. With the win, Castells improved to 13-6 this year and 5-0 this spring.
Bader and Stakhovsky combined at the top doubles spot. The duo earned an 8-4 win against UMBC's Carter and Svard. In their second match, the pair faced Bucknell's Bybel and Canibe and again claimed a victory, 8-2. With the second win, Bader, 66 wins, also passed Mike Griesser(1995-99) for 10th on the all-time doubles wins list at Penn State. Bader's next doubles win will tie him with Michael Carter(1993-97) and Marc Dorfman(1995-00) for eighth.
David Kohan (Sydney, Australia) and Christian Lutschaunig (Richboro, Pa.) paired up at No. 3 doubles for an 8-5 victory over UMBC's Loubatie and Patel. With the win, they clinched the doubles point for Penn State.
Michael Reilly (Raleigh, N.C.) and Chris Young (Melbourne, Australia) teamed up at the second doubles spot against UMBC's Drean and Gray. The match went unfinished after the doubles point was clinched. The Penn State duo were leading 5-4 when the match was stopped. The duo still picked up a win on Saturday as they knocked off Bucknell's Lynch and Adams. The win against Bucknell clinched the doubles point for the Nittany Lions.
Freshman Nika Dolidze (Tbilisi, Georgia) and junior Ramy Labna (Doha, Qatar) combined to help Penn State earn a doubles sweep against Bucknell as they outlasted John DeFrancesch and Scott Bernstein, 8-6.
The Nittany Lions take on Binghamton(2-2) at 11 a.m. and Lehigh(3-0) at 5 p.m. in Sunday's doubleheader action.
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#58 Penn State vs. UMBC
Doubles:
1. Bader/Stakhovsky(PSU) def. Carter/Svard(UMBC), 8-4.
2. Reilly/Young(PSU) vs. Drean/Gray(UMBC), 5-4, unfinished
3. Kohan/Lutschaunig(PSU) def. Loubatie/Patel(UMBC), 8-5.
Order of Finish: 3,1
Singles:
1. Leo Stakhovsky(PSU) def. Justin Carter(UMBC), 6-1, 6-4.
2. Russell Bader(PSU) def. Melker Svard(UMBC), 6-1, 6-1.
3. Alex Fennell(PSU) def. Alex Drean(UMBC), 6-4, 6-1.
4. Roman Trkulja(PSU) def. Eliott Loubatie(UMBC), 6-2, 6-1.
5. Matt Barry(PSU) def. Daniel Gray(UMBC), 6-1, 6-2.
6. Marc Castells(PSU) vs. Kamal Patel(UMBC), 6-3, 6-1.
Order of Finish: 2,1,3,4,6,5
#58 Penn State vs. Bucknell
Doubles:
1. Bader/Stakhovsky(PSU) def. Bybel/Canibe(Bucknell), 8-2.
2. Reilly/Young(PSU) vs. Lynch/Adams(Bucknell), 8-3.
3. Dolidze/Labna(PSU) def. DeFrancesch/Bernstein(Bucknell), 8-6.
Order of Finish: 1,2,3
Singles:
1. Leo Stakhovsky(PSU) def. Nick Bybel(Bucknell), 6-0, 6-1.
2. Russell Bader(PSU) def. Aidan Lynch(Bucknell), 6-0, 6-0.
3. Alex Fennell(PSU) def. Octavio Canibe(Bucknell), 6-1, 6-2.
4. Roman Trkulja(PSU) def. Kyle Rosen(Bucknell), 6-2, 6-1.
5. Matt Barry(PSU) def. Bryan Adams(Bucknell), 6-1, 6-1.
6. Marc Castells(PSU) def. Jordan Lieb(Bucknell), 6-0, 6-0.
Order of Finish: 2,3,1,4,5,6