Feb. 22, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 27 Penn State men's tennis team got back on track on Sunday as they defeated James Madison, 5-2, at the Indoor Tennis Center. The win snapped a five-match skid. The Nittany Lions swept the doubles matches and earned singles wins at No. 1, 3, 4 and 6, all in straight sets. Penn State improved to 4-6 this spring. James Madison dropped to 3-5.
"It's good that we finished the weekend on a winning note," said Head Coach Jeff Zinn. "We needed a boost. Our schedule has been so tough, it doesn't get any easier. We just need to get some guys in the right positions. If we do that and stay healthy, I think we are going to achieve the goals that we set for this year."
The Nittany Lions, led by Zinn and Assistant Coach Paul Tobin, won the doubles point for the fifth time this spring, sweeping all three matches.
At the doubles spot, sophomore Aws Laaribi (Rye, N.Y.) and junior Leonard Stakhovsky (Kiev, Ukraine) combined to take on the Dukes' Miljan Ruzic and Robert Stirling. The Nittany Lion duo jumped out to a 5-1 lead on their way to an 8-5 set win. The duo improved to 4-1 this spring.
Sophomore Alex Fennell (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.) and senior Michael Reilly (Raleigh, N.C.) paired up for the first time this year, matching up against Alex Berdnikoff and Sebastian Salinas. The teams traded the first nine points of the match, before Fennell and Reilly got a break, helping them to gain a 7-4 advantage. They won the match 8-5 to clinch the doubles point for the blue and white.
At the third doubles position, sophomore Christian Lutschaunig (Richboro, Pa.) and junior Roman Trkulja (Toronto, Canada) teamed up to face Maxi Branth and Brett Moorhead. The Penn State pair dominated in an 8-0 victory in their first time playing together this year.
The sophomore, Fennell, started at No. 1 singles for the second time this season, taking on Stirling. The Bala Cynwyd, Pa. backed up his position, battling through the first set to win 6-3. Fennell trailed 2-1 early in the second set, but won the next three games on his way to a 6-4 set win. He is now 2-0 at No. 1 and 5-5 this spring.
Trkulja competed at the third singles spot, facing Branth. The Toronto native continued his dominant performance, as he gained an early 4-1 advantage on his way to a 6-2 set win. He continued his momentum with a 6-0 victory in the next set. Trkulja improved to 3-4 this spring.
At the No. 4 singles position, Laaribi matched up against the Dukes' Ruzic. The sophomore came out on top, 6-3, in the first set after trading the first seven games. He kept his momentum going with another 6-3 set win in the following set. Laaribi improved to 3-2 in dual matches.
Sophomore Marc Collado (Barcelona, Spain) met JMU's Stephen Goldman at No. 6. The sophomore jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the opening set, winning 6-2. Collado took another 3-0 lead in the next set on his way to a straight set win, taking the second, 6-1. Collado is now 2-0 this spring and 6-5 overall.
Junior Matt Barry (Lido Beach, N.Y.) faced Salinas at No. 2. Barry jumped out to a 2-1 lead, but Salinas bounced back to win the set, 6-4. Barry trailed 3-2 in the second set, dropping it 6-3. Barry fell to 5-3 this spring.
Sophomore Nika Dolidze (Tbilisi, Georgia) got the start at No. 5 against Moorhead. Dolidze dropped his first set, 6-1. In a back-and-forth second set, Moorhead won 6-4. Dolidze is now 1-3 in dual matches.
"It's great to get a win at home," said Tobin. "The boys needed this and we took care of business pretty well. Great job by JMU at No. 2 and No. 5. Big week of practice getting ready for our first conference match against Ohio State on Friday. Looking forward to a battle."
The Nittany Lions are back home next weekend as they welcome No. 9 Ohio State and No. 50 Princeton to Happy Valley. Penn State will take on the Buckeyes(11-3) at 3 p.m. on Friday and the Tigers(9-1) at Noon on Sunday, both matches in the Indoor Tennis Center.
Please check back to GoPSUsports.com for more coverage of the Penn State men's tennis team. Updates are also available on our Facebook, Penn State Men's Tennis, and Twitter, @pennstateMTEN, pages.
Doubles:
1. Laaribi/Stakhovsky(PSU) def. Ruzic/Stirling(JMU), 8-5.
2. Fennell/Reilly(PSU) def. Bernikoff/Salinas(JMU), 8-5.
3. Lutschaunig/Trkulja(PSU) def. Branth/Moorhead(JMU), 8-0.
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
Singles:
1. Alex Fennell(PSU) def. Robert Stirling(JMU), 6-3, 6-4.
2. Sebastian Salinas(JMU) def. Matt Barry(PSU), 6-4, 6-3.
3. Roman Trkulja(PSU) def. Maxi Branth(JMU), 6-2, 6-0.
4. Aws Laaribi(PSU) def. Miljan Ruzic(JMU), 6-3, 6-3.
5. Brett Moorhead(JMU) def. Nika Dolidze(PSU), 6-1, 6-4.
6. Marc Collado(PSU) def. Stephen Goldman(JMU), 6-2, 6-1.
Order of Finish: 3,1,4,2,6,5