March 14, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 48 Penn State men's tennis team enters the ITA rankings as they return home this weekend to host three teams in two days. The Lions will take on No. 42 Princeton Saturday, March 17 at 12 p.m., Michigan State Sunday, March 18 at 1 p.m. and Bucknell at 7 p.m.
All three matches scheduled will be played at the Indoor Tennis Center.
No. 48 Penn State (8-6, 0-1 B1G) is coming off its spring break trip where the team went 2-1. The team knocked off UCF and Georgia State and lost a tight match to Penn. The Lions remain undefeated at home.
No. 42 Princeton (13-5) is coming off a 4-0 win over Monmouth. This is the first time the teams have faced each other since the 2016 season when the then No. 38 Tigers knocked off the then No. 24 Lions.
Michigan State (6-8) is coming off a 7-0 loss to Tulane. The Spartans will open Big Ten play when they face Michigan Friday, March 16 before playing Penn State. The Lions are 23-12 all time against the Spartans.
Bucknell (2-10) will take on Michigan State Sunday, March 18 at 4 p.m. before they face Penn State at 7 p.m. Prior to the Bison's double header at Penn State, Bucknell will face Cypress College and Pepperdine College in California.
"Things are going to be the same this weekend as they have been in the past month," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "Every match is a battle because our schedule is loaded with good teams both out of conference and in conference. Our mindset hasn't changed since we have moved into the National Rankings this week because we know every match gets us to our ultimate goal of making the NCAAs. Every team we play knows they get bonus points for a win against us. We wouldn't have it any other way. We want the best competition every week. We want to test ourselves against great competition. We are fighting well and giving it our all, and as a staff that is all you can ask for from your team."
"This is a big weekend, Princeton is ranked and we are hovering in NCAA territory at No. 48," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "We beat Princeton in previous seasons but they are a good team and on a roll. They are well coached and our guys just have to play to their abilities. Doubles will be a key factor especially since Princeton is close to .800 in wins so far. Michigan State has also gotten a lot stronger and we can't take them for granted."
Links to live stats will be posted on Facebook and Twitter prior to the matches. Updates will also be posted to social media pages.
At the conclusion of the play this weekend, Penn State will hit the road for three Big Ten matches.
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!