UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 47 Penn State men's tennis improved to 11-5 after defeating Cornell, 4-1 and JMU, 4-1 in Sunday's doubleheader.
The Nittany Lions also defeated No. 16 Michigan, 5-2, on Friday night to collect three total wins throughout the weekend.
"I thought our guys played one of the better matches they have all year against Cornell," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "We knew that we had to play at our elite level and we did. JMU is an improved team and so well coached. Overall couldn't be more excited with the weekend and I feel good if we can just keep the momentum going."
CORNELL MATCH
After easily winning the doubles point with two victories and one match going unfinished, Penn State battled in singles with all four matches that finished going into three sets. The Nittany Lions won three contests, with two going unfinished, to secure four points and take the win.
Cornell now sits with a record of 8-8 while Penn State improved to 10-5 after the first match of the doubleheader.
The Blue and White have not earned a win against Cornell since the 2016 season.
DOUBLES
Ben Lieb (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Matt Galush (Cary, N.C.) got the team started defeating Jake Hansen/Daniel Soyfer, 6-3. The pair is now 8-3 in the No. 2 doubles spot and has won their last five contests.
The No. 11 tandem of Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Gabriel Nemeth (Brasilia, Brazil) clinched the first point of the match for the Blue and White with a win over Alafia Ayeni/Eero Vasa, 6-4. The pair now stands at 9-4 and has won their last six matches in a row.
Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario, Canada) and Christos Antonopoulos' match against Lev Kazakov/David Volfson went unfinished with Penn State up, 5-4.
SINGLES
First to get a singles win for the Nittany Lions was Antonopoulos with a victory over Daniel Soyfer, 6-2, 0-6, 1-6. He now has four wins at the No. 3 spot in the lineup.
No. 44 De La Bassetiere followed with a win of his own, defeating No. 113 Ayeni, 7-6 (7), 2-6, 6-3. He is now 6-1 over ranked opponents.
Lakoseljac and Lev Kazakov battled back-and-forth for three long sets, including two tiebreaks in the first and third sets. In the end, Lakoseljac was able to come out on top, 6-7 (7), 6-2, 7-6 (3) and clinch the second match win of the weekend for the Nittany Lions. The junior has the best singles record of the team of 12-2 and has won his last eight contests.
"For the guys to come back, after taking down No. 16 Michigan and give this kind of performance is nothing short of amazing," associate head coach Paul Tobin said. "Cornell is coached well and they're talent is deep. This was a good win for us."
RESULTS AGAINST THE BIG RED
Doubles results:
1. #11 Constant De La Bassetiere/Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Alafia Ayeni/Eero Vasa (CORN) 6-4
2. Ben Lieb/Matt Galush (PSU) def. Jake Hansen/Daniel Soyfer (CORN) 6-3
3. Christian Lakoseljac/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) vs. Lev Kazakov/David Volfson (CORN) 5-4, unfinished
Singles Results:
1. #44 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. #113 Alafia Ayeni (CORN) 7-6 (7), 6-2, 6-3
2. #116 Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Lev Kazakov (CORN) 6-7 (7), 7-5, 7-6 (3)
3. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Daniel Soyfer (CORN) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
4. #24 David Volfson (CORN) def. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
5. Ben Lieb (PSU) vs. Eero Vasa (CORN) 4-6, 3-2, unfinished
6. Jordan Nickerson (PSU) vs. Pietro Rimondini (CORN) 3-5, unfinished
JMU MATCH
Penn State won the doubles point and three singles matches, with two going unfinished, to secure a win against JMU and the third of the weekend.
The Nittany Lions stayed perfect against the Dukes, improving to 6-0 all-time.
The Blue and White improved to 11-5 while JMU now stands with a record of 12-6.
DOUBLES
Penn State earned the first point of the match winning two of three doubles matches.
The Nittany Lions saw some new pairings in action in doubles competition, including the duo of Nemeth and Alp Sentay (Izmar, Turkey) who got the win against Gonzalo Adis/William Karpinski, 6-1, at the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
De La Bassetiere and Galush played together at the No. 1 doubles slot and defeated Pierre Kohler/Alvaro Arce, 7-5.
SINGLES
First up to get Penn State on the board for singles was B. Lieb, with a win over Adis in straight sets, 6-6, 6-1, at No. 4 singles. He now owns a record of 8-4 in overall singles.
De La Bassetiere collected his third win of the weekend, defeating Kohler, 6-4, 6-2. He now has a 12-2 record at No. 1 singles and has won his last six matches.
Antonopoulos clinched the match win for the Blue and White with a victory against Arce, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4). The win marks his second of the day and his seventh of the season.
RESULTS AGAINST THE DUKES
Doubles results:
1. Constant De La Bassetiere/Matt Galush (PSU) def. Pierre Kohler/Alvaro Arce (JMU) 7-5
2. Gabriel Nemeth/Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Gonzalo Adis/William Karpinski (JMU) 6-1
3. Josh Raymundo/Tate Steinour (JMU) def. Noah Sutter/Zach Lieb (PSU) 6-4
Singles Results:
1. #44 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. Pierre Kohler (JMU) 6-4, 6-2
2. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Alvaro Arce (JMU) 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (4)
3. Paul Mendoza (JMU) def. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
4. Ben Lieb (PSU) def. Gonzalo Adis (JMU) 6-3, 6-1
5. Jordan Nickerson (PSU) vs. Tate Steinour (JMU) 5-4, unfinished
6. Alp Sentay (PSU) vs. William Karpinski (JMU) 4-3, unfinished
NEXT UP
Penn State will host another trio of home matches next weekend. The Nittany Lions will face No. 18 Minnesota Friday, March 29 at 5 p.m. before taking on Wisconsin and St. Bonaventure in a doubleheader on Sunday, March 31 at 11 a.m. and 5 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 Penn State Men's Tennis and follow our twitter @pennstateMTEN.