EAST LANSING, Mich. – No. 42 Penn State men's tennis earned their first Big Ten shutout win of the season over Michigan State, 7-0.
The Nittany Lions improved to 8-5 on the season as well as 1-1 in conference play. Michigan State now sits with a 5-11 record.
"I thought we played really well today, especially with it being a Big Ten road match," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "We jumped on them early and didn't let them dig into the match. We won some matches quickly which took pressure off the other players. Overall, I feel good that we got a road win in the Big Ten."
"This was a good decisive win for the guys, especially on the road," associate head coach Paul Tobin said. "We don't take any Big Ten school lightly, and Michigan State has upset us in the past. Anything can happen after the double point. We have a lot of work to do this week to welcome No. 13 Michigan on Friday."
DOUBLES
Penn State kept up their doubles dominance winning two out of three doubles matches, with one going unfinished, to secure the first point of the match.
Ben Lieb (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Matt Galush (Cary, N.C.) were the first pair to get a win defeating Ivan Rakic/Carson Gates, 6-2.
Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) and Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario, Canada) followed with their own victory over Colin Harvey/Nick Williams, 6-1.
Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Gabriel Nemeth's (Brasilia, Brazil) match against John Carlin/Jack Winkler was at 4-2 when it ended.
SINGLES
Penn State also dominated in singles competition, winning all six matches including five in just two sets.
Alp Sentay (Izmar, Turkey) got things started for the Nittany Lions in singles, defeating Billy Shisler in straight sets, 6-1, 6-3. Sentay is now 3-1 in the No. 6 spot.
Lakoseljac was next to secure a point for the Blue and White by earning a win over Rakic, 6-1, 6-1. That marks his tenth win of the season and his sixth straight.
De La Bassetiere clinched the match for the team with a win against No. 91 Winkler, 6-2, 6-4. He is now 8-2 at the No. 1 singles position in addition to being 4-1 over ranked players this season.
Antonopoulos got the dominant victory over Carlin, 6-4, 6-1, to collect his fifth win of the season in singles play.
Nemeth easily defeated Williams in straight sets, 6-4, 6-2, to pick up his third win at the No. 4 slot.
Lone freshman Jordan Nickerson (Boca Raton, Fla.) secured the shutout victory for Penn State with a victory over Gates 6-3, 0-6, 6-2. The win marks his first at the No. 5 spot.
NEXT UP
Penn State will host three matches against Michigan on Friday, March 22 at 5 p.m. and then Cornell and James Madison in a double header on Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Doubles results:
1. #4 Constant De La Bassetiere/Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) vs. John Carlin/Jack Winkler (MSU) 4-2, unfinished
2. Ben Lieb/Matt Galush (PSU) def. Ivan Rakic/Carson Gates (MSU) 6-2
3. Christian Lakoseljac/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Colin Harvey/Nick Williams (MSU) 6-1
Singles Results:
1. #101 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. #91 Jack Winkler (MSU) 6-2, 6-4
2. #110 Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Ivan Rakic (MSU) 6-1, 6-1
3. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. John Carlin (MSU) 6-4, 6-1
4. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Nick Williams (MSU) 6-4, 6-2
5. Jordan Nickerson (PSU) Carson Gates (MSU) 6-3, 0-6, 6-2
6. Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Billy Shisler (MSU) 6-1, 6-3
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