Nov. 9, 2014
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - The Penn State men's tennis team wrapped up their fall schedule on Sunday, the final day of the William & Mary Invitational. Penn State players competed in singles matches against Old Dominion and Harvard on the final day of the tournament. Three Nittany Lions earned singles wins on Sunday and sophomore Aws Laaribi (Rye, N.Y.) was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Laaribi, in his first year at Penn State, completed a 3-0 weekend on Sunday as he earned a straight-set win, 6-3, 6-0, against Harvard's Grant Solomon. The sophomore also defeated Harvard's Shaun Chaudhuri and William & Mary's Lars de Boer this weekend to finish the fall with a 5-3 mark.
Junior Leonard Stakhovsky (Kiev, Ukraine), ranked 29th in the ITA Poll, picked up his first win of the fall, knocking off Old Dominion's Carlos Lopez-Villa, ranked 42nd. Stakhovsky dropped the first set, 4-6, but bounced back, winning the second set, 6-4. In the deciding set, Stakhovsky came out on top, 6-3.
Senior Tomas Hanzlik (Prague, Czech Republic) had a strong finish to the tournament, defeating Old Dominion's Theophile Lanthiez, 6-2, 6-0. Hanzlik went 2-1 this weekend to end the fall with a record of 6-5.
Roman Trkulja (Toronto, Canada), a junior, won his first two matches of the weekend, against Harvard's Kenny Tao on Friday and William & Mary's Addison Appleby on Saturday. However, Trkulja could not keep his momentum going on Sunday, dropping a 6-4, 6-3 decision against Harvard's Alex Steinroeder.
Sophomore Nika Dolidze (Tbilisi, Georgia) took on Old Dominion's Adam Moundir on Sunday. Moundir won the first set, 6-3, but Dolidze responded by winning the next set, 7-5. In the final set, Moundir won 6-2. Dolidze picked up a win during the tournament to finish the fall with six victories.
Fellow sophomore Christian Lutschaunig (Richboro, Pa.) played his third three-set match of the tournament, this time facing Old Dominion's Zvonimir Podvinski. The sophomore won a tight first set, 7-6, but Podvinski took the second set, 7-5. In the third set, Podvinski came out on top, 6-2.
Marc Collado Castells (Barcelona, Spain), a sophomore, dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision against Old Dominion's Michael Weindl. The Barcelona native picked up a win this weekend to complete the fall with four wins.
Senior Michael Reilly (Raleigh, N.C.) met Old Dominion's Javier Jover Maestre on Sunday, but fell, 6-3, 6-2. Reilly finished the fall with three wins after earning a win on Saturday.
The Nittany Lions earned three doubles wins at the tournament. Reilly and Stakhovsky combined for a win against Harvard's Steinroeder and Tao. Collado Castells and Trkulja paired up in a victory against William & Mary's de Boer and Alec Miller. Dolidze and Lutschaunig teamed up for a win against Old Dominion's Jover Maestre and Podvinski.
Penn State begins their spring dual match schedule as part of the ITA Kickoff Weekend, January 23 and 24. The Nittany Lions, who finished ranked 24th in the final ITA Poll last spring, will face Kentucky, ranked 12th, on the 23rd. The Nittany Lions will take on South Florida or Vanderbilt on the 24th. Both teams were ranked in the Top 25 in the final ITA Poll.
Please check back to GoPSUSports.com for more coverage of the Penn State men's tennis team. Fans can also follow the team on Facebook, Penn State Men's Tennis, and Twitter, @pennstateMTEN.
Singles:
#29 Leo Stakhovsky(PSU) def. #42 Carlos Lopez Villa(ODU), 4-6, 6-4, 6-3.
Adam Moundir(ODU) def. Nika Dolidze(PSU), 6-3, 5-7, 6-2.
Tomas Hanzlik(PSU) def. Theophile Lanthiez(ODU), 6-2, 6-0.
Michael Weindl(ODU) def. Marc Collado Castells(PSU), 6-1, 6-3.
Javier Jover Maestre(ODU) def. Michael Reilly(PSU), 6-3, 6-2.
Zvonimir Podvinski(ODU) def. Christian Lutschaunig(PSU), 6-7, 7-5, 6-2.
Alex Steinroeder(Harvard) def. Roman Trkulja(PSU), 6-4, 6-3.
Aws Laaribi(PSU) def. Grant Solomon(Harvard), 6-3, 6-0.
All-Tournament Team
Singles:
Sebastian Beltrame, Harvard
Christian Cargill, William & Mary
Aws Laaribi, Penn State
Carlos Lopez-Villa, Old Dominion
Alex Steinroeder, Harvard
Doubles:
Christian Cargill/Will Juggins, William & Mary
Carlos Lopez-Villa/Theophile Lanthiez, Old Dominion
Alex Steinroeder/Kenny Tao, Harvard