UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 37 Penn State men's tennis defeated No. 35 Minnesota, 5-2, on Friday night to earn its seventh straight win. The team also improved to 7-1 at home.
The Nittany Lions are now 12-5 on the season and 3-1 in the Big Ten. The Blue and White handed the Gophers only their fourth loss of the season to make them 12-4 overall and 1-3 in conference.
"We knew Minnesota, being No. 18 last week and losing a match they probably shouldn't have, was going to give us its best shot," head coach Jeff Zinn said. "We accepted the challenge and played really well. We were composed and we won the points we needed to win. Overall, this win shows where we are."
"This is what momentum looks like," associate head coach Paul Tobin said. "Minnesota is well coached, but winning on the road is difficult. The guys know what they need to do and have the confidence to do it. We need to focus up and get ready for Wisconsin and St. Bonaventure on Sunday"
DOUBLES
Penn State won two of three doubles matches, with one going unfinished, to clinch the first point of the contest against Minnesota.
Ben Lieb (Newtown Square, Pa.) and Matt Galush (Cary, N.C.) got things rolling for the Nittany Lions with a win over Justyn Levin/Marino Alpeza, 6-3. The duo is now 9-3 at the No. 2 doubles spot.
The No. 11 pair of Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) and Gabriel Nemeth (Brasilia, Brazil) defeated Jackson Allen/Eli Ogilvy, 6-3, to clinch the doubles point for the Blue and White. The tandem now owns a 10-4 record at No. 1 singles and has beaten their last seven opponents.
SINGLES
No. 44 De La Bassetiere kept Penn State going in singles with a win over No. 47 Krstanovic, 6-3, 6-2. The wins marks his seventh over a ranked opponent. He is also now 13-2 at the No. 1 singles spot and has won his last eight matches.
Nemeth got the win against Allen in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3. The win marks his sixth at the No. 4 spot in the lineup.
Lakoseljac kept his winning streak going and clinched the match win for the Blue and White with a win over Milicevic, 6-3, 6-3. He is now 13-2 at the No. 2 singles spot and has won his last nine matches.
Lieb rounded out the match with a third-set tiebreaker win over Ogilvy (MINN) 6-7 (8), 6-3, 10-6. He is now 5-3 at the No. 5 spot and has won his last three matches.
NEXT UP
Penn State will host Wisconsin and St. Bonaventure in doubleheader action on Sunday, March 31 at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Doubles results:
1. #11 Constant De La Bassetiere/Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) Jackson Allen/Eli Ogilvy (MINN) 6-3
2. Ben Lieb/Matt Galush (PSU) def. Justyn Levin/Marino Alpeza (MINN) 6-3
3. Christian Lakoseljac/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) vs. Stefan Milicevic/Josip Krstanovic (MINN) 4-5, unfinished
Singles Results:
1. #44 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. #47 Josip Krstanovic (MINN) 6-3, 6-2
2. #116 Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) def. Stefan Milicevic (MINN) 6-3, 6-3
3. Marino Alpeza (MINN) def. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) 6-4, 6-0
4. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) def. Jackson Allen (MINN) 6-3, 6-3
5. Ben Lieb (PSU) def. Eli Ogilvy (MINN) 6-7 (8), 6-3, 10-6
6. Vlad Lobak (MINN) def. Jordan Nickerson (PSU) 6-1, 6-3
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