April 3, 2016
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The No. 33 Nittany Lions (16-4, 3-2) moved past No. 60 Iowa (9-10, 1-4) on Sunday. Penn State shut out the Hawkeyes 4-0 with ease to gain their third Big Ten win. This is Penn State's third win over a No. 60 ranked team this season.
"It is good to beat a ranked Iowa team that has had a really well this season," said Head Coach Jeff Zinn. "We have both beaten common opponents so we were apprehensive. I think we played well in doubles today; there was a lot more energy in doubles compared to Friday. I felt comfortable seeing all three doubles teams with commanding leads.
The Lions got off to a hot start in doubles against the Hawkeyes. Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Matt Galush (Cary, N.C.) grabbed the first win at third doubles, 6-1. Seniors Leonard Stakhovsky (Kiev, Ukraine) and Matt Barry (Lido Beach, N.Y.) had no trouble grabbing the win from Silverstein/Patrick at second doubles. The Lions are now 14-1 when winning the doubles point.
"I was really pleased with the top of our singles lineup," said Coach Zinn. "Leo and Constant played extremely well, winning their matches easily. Both of our freshman in the starting lineup, Constant and Ben, are playing strong which is promising for the future."
Momentum carried into singles for Penn State with No. 96 Stakhovsky making quick work in his flight. The senior swiftly took down Iowa's Theodorou 6-1, 6-2. De La Bassetiere picked up another quick win at second singles. The quick two-set match ended 6-2, 6-2. The freshman advanced to 3-1 on the weekend.
Tomas Hanzlik (Prague, Czech Republic) clinched the match 4-0 in his fourth singles flight. The senior fought back after losing the first set 6-7 (3-7). He fought back hard to take the second 6-4, leaving Iowa's Dominic Patrick to have to fight for the third. Tomas did not give him a chance taking the third set quickly.
"The middle of our lineup struggled today," said Coach Zinn. "I think that we can attribute that to coming back inside after a long stretch outdoors. We have to do a better job of adjusting to the switch between indoor and outdoor tennis."
The rest of the singles matches were halted, when Penn State clinched at 4-0.
"We came out strong in doubles and got solid wins from the top half our lineup," said Assistant Coach Paul Tobin. "Some singles matches got close in some courts. Thankfully Tomas clinched the match before we any momentum changed."
The Lions are back in action against Monmouth at 5 p.m. in the Sarni Tennis Center.
4 Penn State, 0 Iowa
Doubles:
1. Kohan/Lutschaunig (PSU) vs. Theodorou/Jacoby (IOWA), 5-4, DNF.
2. Stakhovsky/Barry (PSU) def. Silverstein/Patrick (IOWA), 6-3.
3. Galush/De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. Hallestrand/Larsen (IOWA), 6-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2
Singles:
1. #96 Leo Stakhovsky (PSU) def. Lefteris Theodorou (IOWA) 6-1, 6-2.
2. Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. Josh Silverstein (IOWA), 6-2, 6-2.
3. #125 Matt Barry (PSU) vs. Robin Haden (IOWA) 6-7, 6-2, 0-2, DNF.
4. Tomas Hanzlik (PSU) def. Dominic Patrick (IOWA) 6-7, 6-4, 6-1.
5. Aws Laaribi (PSU) vs. Jonas Larsen (IOWA) 5-7, 0-3, DNF.
6. Ben Lieb (PSU) vs. Jake Jacoby (IOWA) 5-4, DNF.
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4