LINCOLN, Neb. – No. 30 Penn State men's tennis ended its weekend with a 4-3 win over Nebraska outdoors at the Dillon Tennis Center.
The Nittany Lions now own a 15-6 overall record and 5-2 record in the Big Ten. The Cornhuskers now stand at 9-13 and 1-6 in conference.
"I know I sound like a broken record, but to travel across the country, play in conditions that you haven't experienced all year and come out with a victory is a huge effort," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "Nebraska has a brand new coaching staff that has recruited well and got their players to believe in their system. By no means did we play our best tennis but some players have really stepped up lately. We have got to have a good week of practice to succeed next weekend in arguably the toughest road trip of the year. We will need everyone to focus this week and get prepared for two battles."
"Playing outside with strong wind is always the best neutralizer," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "It's more about who is going to adapt better. We didn't adjust our game in doubles and that cost us. We have to do a better job outside in the elements and not always looking for the quick point. We need a good week of practice outside to get ready for another tough road trip."
DOUBLES
The Nittany Lions dropped a tough decision at the No. 1 doubles spot to lose the first point of the match.
The lone pair to get a win against the Cornhuskers was Christian Lakoseljac (King City, Ontario, Canada) Christos Antonopoulos (Athens, Greece) with a win over Micah Klousia/Victor Moreno Lozano, 6-1.
SINGLES
The Nittany Lions turned things around in singles to get the 4-3 win.
Ben Lieb (Newtown Square, Pa.) got the first singles win for Penn State with a victory over Isaac Nortley, 6-0, 6-3. Lieb is now 8-3 at the No. 5 singles spot and is a perfect 5-0 over Big Ten opponents.
No. 31 Constant De La Bassetiere (Reims, France) earned a victory over No. 93 Toby Boyer, 6-3, 6-4. De La Bassetiere is now 15-3 at the No. 1 singles spot and has defeated eight ranked player this season.
Alp Sentay earned his second win of the weekend against Chris Dean, 6-4, 6-3. Sentay now has seven wins on the season and two in conference.
Antonopoulos clinched the match win for the Blue and White in a three-set battle with Moreno Lozano, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. He now has 10 wins this season.
NEXT UP
Penn State will hit the road to face No. 15 Illinois and Northwestern to complete its four-match road stretch.
Doubles results:
1. Toby Boyer/William Gleason (NEB) def. #8 Constant De La Bassetiere/Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) 6-4
2. Christian Lakoseljac/Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Micah Klousia/Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) 6-1
3. Chris Dean/Isaac Nortley (NEB) def. Ben Lieb/Alp Sentay (PSU) 6-0
Singles Results:
1. #31 Constant De La Bassetiere (PSU) def. #93 Toby Boyer (NEB) 6-3, 6-4
2. Micah Klousia (NEB) def. #95 Christian Lakoseljac (PSU) 6-3, 6-4
3. William Gleason (NEB) def. Gabriel Nemeth (PSU) 6-2, 1-6, 7-5
4. Christos Antonopoulos (PSU) def. Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1
5. Ben Lieb (PSU) def. Isaac Nortley (NEB) 6-0, 6-3
6. Alp Sentay (PSU) def. Chris Dean (NEB) 6-4, 6-3
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.