Feb. 25, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's tennis team took on VCU and James Madison in back-to-back matches. The Lions defeated VCU 5-0 and JMU 6-1.
In doubles against VCU, the team went 2-1. Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario) had a hard fought battle against Vitor Lima and Philip Mobius, and came away with a win, 7-6(3). Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) and Alp Sentay (Izmar, Turkey) picked up the other doubles win against Arvid Noren and Javier Amantegui, 6-4. Gabriel Nemeth (Brasilia, Brazil) and Matt Galush (Cary, N.C) fell in a tough match against Inigo Torre Martin and Timo Zgraggen, 6-2.
The Nittany Lions easily won in singles going 4-0 with two unfinished matches. On court one, De La Bassetiere had a solid match defeating Lima 7-5, 6-4. Lakoseljac clinched the match for the team defeating Noren 2-6, 6-4, 6-4. Antonopoulos easily handled Amantegui, winning 6-3, 6-4. Nemeth had a tightly contested match and came out victorious knocking off Mobius 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
Zach Lieb (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Sentay's matches went unfinished.
Following an hour break to give James Madison time to warm up, the Nittany Lions took the court once again. Using the same lineup as they did against VCU, the team battled on with success.
Against James Madison, the team had great success in doubles, going 3-0 to claim the point. De La Bassetiere and Lakoseljac dominated Theophile Lanthiez and Paul Mendoza 6-3. Antonopoulos and Sentay defeated Alvaro Arce and Pierre Kohler 6-4. Nemeth and Galush won against Gonzalo Adis and Tate Steinour 6-4.
Singles also went the Lions way with the team going 5-1 in singles. De La Bassetiere kicked things off with a solid 6-3, 6-3 win over Mendoza. Lakoseljac knocked off Arce with an easy 6-3, 6-4 win. Antonopoulos rolled past Damon Roberts 6-2, 6-1. Nemeth was locked in a battle with Kohler and ultimately won 7-5, 7-6. Sentay handled Adis in his 6-2, 6-3 match. Zach Lieb fought hard against Lanthiez putting up a valiant battle, but lost a close one 6-7, 6-7.
"This will be a nice ride home," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "The boys played really well and you could tell the hard work these last two weeks has really helped. Everyone competed and gave it their all, which is what we have to do every time out. It's nice to see the change in the team."
"It's always been a battle with VCU over the years splitting wins and losses," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "Head Coach Paul Kostin does a great job getting his players pumped up. The guys knew our season could rest on these matches and they came out passionate and fired up. The guys kept the momentum going with JMU getting the four points in less than two hours. We're looking forward to Ohio State on Tuesday."
The Nittany Lions are now 5-4 on the season after two solid wins today. The team will open Big Ten play against Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 4:00 p.m.
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!
Doubles (VCU):
1. Constant De La Bass/Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Vitor Lima/Philip Mobius (VCU) 7-6(3)
2. Christos Antonopoulos/Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Arvid Noren/Javier Amantegui (VCU) 6-4
3. Inigo Torre Martin/Timo Zgraggen(VCU) def. Gabriel Nemeth/Matt Galush (PSU) 6-2
Order of finish: 3, 2, 1
Singles (VCU):
1. No. 99 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. Vitor Lima (VCU) 7-5, 6-4
2. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Arvid Noren (VCU) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
3. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Javier Amantegui (VCU) 6-3, 6-4
4. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Philip Mobius (VCU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
5. Alp Sentay (PSU) vs. Inigo Torre Martin (VCU) 5-4, DNF
6. Zach Lieb (PSU) vs. Timo Zgraggen(VCU) 1-4, DNF
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2, 4
Doubles (JMU):
1. Constant De La Bass/Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Theophile Lanthiez/Paul Mendoza (JMU) 6-3
2. Christos Antonopoulos/Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Alvaro Arce/Pierre Kohler (JMU) 6-4
3. Gabriel Nemeth/Matt Galush (PSU) def. Gonzalo Adis/Tate Steinour (JMU) 6-4
Singles (JMU):
1. No. 99 Constant De La Bass (PSU) def. Paul Mendoza (JMU) 6-3, 6-3
2. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Alvaro Arce (JMU) 6-3, 6-4
3. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Damon Roberts (JMU) 6-2, 6-1
4. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Pierre Kohler (JMU) 7-5, 7-6 (2)
5. Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Gonzalo Adis (JMU) 6-2, 6-3
6. Theophile Lanthiez (JMU) def. Zach Lieb (PSU) 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4)