UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State men's tennis will compete on its home court for the first time in the 2021 season. The Nittany Lions (0-3, 0-3 B1G) welcome Indiana (2-2, 2-2 B1G) on Saturday, March 6 and Purdue (1-3, 1-3 B1G) on Sunday, March 7 at 11 a.m.
"Indiana has always been a difficult foe and they have two of the finest young coaches in America coaching them," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "We know they are going to give everything they have to come out of here with a 'W.' We have to have the same mindset and give it our all. Our young guys have been battle-tested and now they are on their home turf. I'm excited to see how we play and how we compete."
FOLLOW ALONG
Indiana: Live stats
Purdue: Live stats
LAST TIME OUT
Last Saturday, the Nittany Lions were shut out by the seventh-ranked Buckeyes. Penn State battled in doubles but were unable to secure the first point of the match.
In singles, the Buckeyes won on courts two through four to clinch the match. The teams played out the remaining matches. Christian Lakoseljac extended his match against #5 Cannon Kingsley to three sets and fell short in the tiebreaker.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
Indiana is 2-2 in conference play with wins over Nebraska and Michigan State and two defeats from Iowa and then-No. 14 Michigan. The Hoosiers enter Saturday's match coming off a 7-0 sweep over the Spartans. In singles, Indiana has the #48 player in Bennett Crane, who has posted a 2-2 record in four matches this season.
In the last meeting between the two programs in 2019, the Nittany Lions dominated in a 4-1 win. Penn State clinched the early doubles point with help from captains Christian Lakoseljac and Christos Antonopoulos who defeated Patrick Fletchall and Antonio Cembellin, 6-3. Penn State won three of six singles matches, with two going unfinished.
The Nittany Lions have won two of the last three matches against the Hoosiers with both of those wins coming at home. Indiana has the all-time advantage over Penn State with a 20-9 record.
PREVIEWING PURDUE
The Boilermakers won their Big Ten opener in a 4-3 victory over Nebraska. Since then, Purdue has suffered a three-match losing skid, with its most recent loss at home to Michigan.
Three Boilermakers graduated last season, including the departure of 2020 ITA Most Improved Senior Athell Bennett. However, Purdue does have experience with six returning players who have competed in singles and doubles in the last two years.
Most recently in 2019, Penn State pulled out a 4-3 victory. Christian Lakoseljac, Christos Antonopoulos and Alp Sentay all earned single wins over the Boilermakers.
The Nittany Lions look to win their fifth match in six contests against Purdue. Penn State holds the all-time edge with an 18-16 record.
UP NEXT
Penn State will hit the road again for four consecutive Big Ten matches, beginning with Michigan on Saturday, March 13 and Michigan State on Sunday, March 14.
Check GoPSUSports.com for coverage of the Penn State men's tennis team during the season. Follow the team on Twitter @pennstateMTEN, Instagram @pennstatemtennis and on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstatemenstennis.