March 9, 2018
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State men's tennis took on Georgia State at the UCF Rec Courts in Orlando, Fla. today. The Lions battled tough throughout the match and came out victorious defeating the Panthers, 4-3.
In doubles, the team came out with two wins. Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) and Alp Sentay (Izmar, Turkey) outplayed the Georgia State pair of Andrei Andrukhuou and Quentin Coulaud, 6-4. Matt Galush (Cary, N.C.) and Gabriel Nemeth (Brasilia, Brazil) outmatched Giles Hussey and Jack MacFarlane, 7-5. Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario) played well against Andrei Duarte and Sebastian Acuna, but were defeated 6-4.
The team fought hard in singles going 3-3. Playing at the number two spot, De La Bassetiere dominated Georgia State's Sebastian Acuna 6-4, 6-1. Galush had a close first set but found his rhythm in the second defeating Kevin Huynh 7-6 (6-0), 6-2. The match came down to court four when Antonopoulos knocked off Hussey to clinch the match 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.
Lakoseljac had a comeback in the second set against Andrukhuou but was defeated 6-2, 7-5. Nemeth had a tough match against Coulaud, with Coulaud pulling out the win 6-4, 4-6, 6-3. Sentay fell to Bailey Showers in a tight match 6-2, 7-6 (2-0).
"It's always tough to coach against one of your former players but to have to coach against two of them is something I don't want to happen very often," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "Jon Wolff and Steve Forman have built a powerhouse at Georgia State. They made the NCAA's last year as an at-large team and they deserved it. We are starting to believe in each other and trust the coaching staff and scouting of our opponents. We are expecting to win these close matches and that is the mark of a good team. We have had three different players clinch the match for us and that is also a good sign for the future. Don't get me wrong, we have some holes that we need to fill and get better at but for a northern team to come south and beat two very good teams outside says a lot about the character and make up of our team."
"I think we're in a good position when we trust our players and know they can step up," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "They've done a great job coming back when they're down and pulling out crucial points. Georgia State is a very good, underrated, up-and-coming team that's coached very well and has great team chemistry. Our doubles has certainly taken the edge off going into singles, but these 4-3 scores are always better when we are on the winning side."
The Lions are now 8-5 on the season. The team is looking to continue the win streak when they face Penn Sunday, March 11 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hecht Tennis Center.
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Doubles Results:
1. A. Duarte/S. Acuna (GSU) def. C. De La Bassetiere/C. Lakoseljac (PSU) 6-4
2. C. Antonopoulos/A. Sentay (PSU) def. A. Andrukhou/Q. Coulaud (GSU) 6-4
3. G. Nemeth/M. Galush (PSU) def. G. Hussey/J. MacFarlane (GSU) 7-5
Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles Results:
1. Andrei Andrukhuou (GSU) def. Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) 6-2, 7-5
2. No. 94 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. Sebastian Acuna (GSU) 6-4, 6-1
3. Quentin Coulaud (GSU) def. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-3
4. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Giles Hussey (GSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
5. Matt Galush (PSU) def. Kevin Huynh 7-6 (6-0), 6-2
6. Bailey Showers (GSU) def. Alp Sentay (PSU) 6-2, 7-6 (2-0)
Order of finish: 1, 2, 5, 6, 3, 4