Oct. 6, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lion men's tennis team concluded play in Tulsa, Okla. Two of head coach Jeff Zinn's players competed at the 2017 ITA All-Americans today, wrapping up the team's action at the event.
In the first round of consolation singles, No. 118 Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) took on No. 93 Valentine Vacherot of Texas A&M. The Nittany Lion put up a strong fight, but was defeated by Vacherot 6-3, 6-4.
The No. 18 doubles pair of Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario) and De La Bassetiere also saw play today in the first round of consolation doubles. The duo took on the No. 39 ranked Billy Griffith and JT Nishimura of California. The Lions battled tough in the second set, but in the end Griffith and Nishimura defeated the Nittany Lion's 3-6, 5-7.
"When you play the best players in college tennis it is always going to be a tough tournament," said Coach Zinn. "Our players need that experience and hopefully will translate it to the upcoming tournaments for the rest of the fall and into the spring Season."
"The level at the All-American is so high and anyone on a good day can beat anybody," said associated head coach Paul Tobin. "It's still pretty early in the preseason and I am sure that by spring season, the boys will be ready to go. Both Constant and Christian had competitive matches that came within a couple of points here and there. I'm proud of their performances and commitment to get better."
The Lions will next be in action on October 19-22 at the ITA Regionals, held in Lynchburg, Va.
Keep up with the Penn State men's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to `like' our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatemten and follow our twitter @pennstateMTEN!