UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 47 Penn State men's tennis put on a dominant performance to upset No. 16 Michigan 5-2 at the Indoor Tennis Center on Friday, March 22.
The win marks the first time Penn State has defeated a top-20 team since they defeated then No. 15 Illinois in 2016. The win also signifies the first time the Nittany Lions have earned a win over the Wolverines since 2015.
The Nittany Lions handed the Wolverines their first Big Ten loss of the season to bring them to 10-4 overall and 1-1 in conference. The Blue and White now stand with an overall record of 9-5 and a 2-1 Big Ten record.
"I think we came out and we competed," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "Since the Ohio State match, where we played very well, we've played well in every match we have played. We have completed the way every good team competes. If you want to be one of the top teams in the Big Ten, you have to come out and beat the Michigans and the Ohio States. These teams have dominated the conference for years and now it is our turn."
"This was a huge upset win for us," associate head coach Paul Tobin said. "Coach Steinberg is a top coach and we knew Michigan's energy would be off the walls. Could not be more proud of all these guys. We had great practices all week and the guys knew we could do this at home. Everyone, including Coach Zinn and I were locked in."
DOUBLES
Penn State got off to a strong start, winning two of three doubles matches to secure the point.
Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario, Canada) and Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) got the first win of the match over Myles Schalet/Andrew Fenty, 6-2. The pair is now 6-4 at the No. 3 doubles spot.
The No. 11 duo of Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Gabriel Nemeth (Brasilia, Brazil) clinch the doubles point for the Nittany Lions defeating Harrison Brown/Mattias Siimar, 7-6 (6). The tandem is now 8-4 at No. 1 doubles.
SINGLES
Penn State won 3# singles matches to secure the win over Michigan, including two in just two sets.
Nemeth got things started for the Nittany Lions in singles, earning a win over Connor Johnston, 6-2, 6-3. He now owns a 5-3 record while playing in the No. 4 spot.
Lakoseljac got the next point for the Blue and White, defeating Schalet in straight sets, 6-4, 7-5. He has the best singles record on the roster at 11-2 in the No. 2 singles spot and has won his last seven contests.
No. 44 De La Bassetiere clinched the match win for the Nittany Lions with a victory against No. 46 Siimar in a thrilling three-set contest, 6-2, 1-6, 6-2. The win marks his fifth over ranked opponents and brings him to 10-2 on the season at No. 1 singles.
NEXT UP
Penn State will host a doubleheader against Cornell and JMU Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
Doubles results:
1. #11 Constant De La Bassetiere/Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Harrison Brown and Mattias Siimar (MICH) 7-6 (6)
2. Myles Schalet/Andrew Fenty (MICH) def. Ben Lieb/Matt Galush (PSU) 6-2
3. Christian Lakoseljac/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Connor Johnston/Gabe Tishman 6-2
Singles Results:
1. #44 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. #46 Mattias Siimar 6-2, 1-6, 6-2
2. #116 Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Myles Schalet (MICH) 6-4, 7-5
3. Andrew Fenty (MICH) def. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Connor Johnston (MICH) 6-2, 6-3
5. Ben Lieb (PSU) def. Patrick Maloney (MICH) 6-3, 7-6 (7)
6. Gabe Tishman (MICH) def. Alp Sentay (PSU) 6-1, 6-0