April 14, 2017 - UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; April 14, 2017 -- The Penn State men's tennis team hosted Big Ten foe, No. 29 Wisconsin, this afternoon at Sarni Tennis Center in Happy Valley. The Badgers came into today's match with a 14-4 record on the season, and 5-2 in the Big Ten.
The Badgers clinched the doubles point today with a 6-1 victory on court one and a 6-4 victory on court two. Nittany Lion pair Christian Lutschaunig (Richboro, Pa.) and Nika Dolidze (Tbilisi, Georgia) were up on court three 5-4 when the doubles point was won.
Singles matches proved to be challenging for the Nittany Lions, with the Badgers outscoring them on all courts.
"We ran into a team today that was determined to make a statement and solidify their spot in the NCAA Team Championship," said head coach Jeff Zinn this evening. "We thought we had a good week of practice and that we were ready to play. This was our chance to make a statement and we didn't come close to playing our best tennis. A lot of that had to do with Wisconsin and how well they played and executed their game plans on each court. All we can do is keep practicing hard and give our seniors and big send off on Sunday."
"We told the guys before the match that this was the defining match that could help get us get to the NCAA Championship," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "Wisconsin played with confidence and earned solid wins. All we can do is regroup and focus on Minnesota on Sunday."
Following today's match, on Sunday, April 16, the Nittany Lions will host their sixth and final double-header this season. At 12:00 p.m., the Lions will face No. 31 ranked Minnesota for a second conference matchup. The Golden Gophers are 15-6 on the season, and 4-2 in the conference. The Gophers boast No. 74 ranked singles player Matic Spec. At 4:00 p.m., Monmouth N.J. will take the courts against Penn State. The Hawks are posting a 6-10 record on the season.
Along with Sunday's matches, Penn State will honor its five graduating seniors on Senior Day with acknowledgements and festivities, including a barbecue that will be open to fans. These May graduates are: Marc Collado (Barcelona, Spain), Nika Dolidze (Tbilisi, Georgia), David Kohan (Sydney, Australia), Aws Laaribi (Rye, N.Y.), and Christian Lutschaunig (Richboro, Pa.). Be sure to check back to GoPSUsports.com and our social media pages for updates from this weekend's matches!
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Doubles Results:
1. Carranza/Dodrige (WIS) def. Bassetiere/Lakoseljac (PSU), 6-1
2. Remy/Colton (WIS) def. Antonopoulos/Kohan (PSU), 6-4
3. Lutschaunig/Dolidze (PSU) vs. O'Hoisin/Zordani (PSU), 5-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: 1, 2
Singles Results:
1. Lamar Remy (WIS) def. Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU), 6-3, 7-5
2. Josef Dodrige (WIS) def. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU), 7-6, 6-2
3. Chema Carranza (WIS) def. Aws Laaribi (PSU), 6-3, 7-6
4. Osgar O'Hoisin (WIS) def. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU), 6-4, 6-2
5. Chase Colton (WIS) def. Ben Lieb (PSU), 6-4, 6-4
6. Daniel Soyfer (WIS) def. Marc Collado (PSU), 6-2, 7-6
Order of Finish: 4, 1, 5, 2, 3, 6