UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's tennis team (3-2) earned its third win of the weekend in a thrilling 4-1 victory over Dartmouth.
"We got out-coached in doubles," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "Dartmouth did a better job on their patterns, how they played, and their philosophy. It came down to a couple of points and we just weren't there, which is something we have to work on. We came out with great energy in singles and were able to get the win. Next weekend, we have a really tough match in Liberty. We just have to be at our best for every match."
"What a great way to finish the weekend," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "Tough matches today against a very good Dartmouth team and the guys handled it well. We have to make some changes at doubles to secure the point. We have been stressing aggressive doubles in practice and we need to continue that during competition."
DOUBLES
Dartmouth earned the doubles point with wins on courts one and two.
Chikaya Sato and Bora Sengul fell to Dartmouth's Dominik Pauli and Anders Gibbons in a 6-3 decision. On court two, Malik Bhatnagar and Alexander Karman lost to Dartmouth's Pierce Widdecombe and Alex Knox-Jones, 7-5.
Penn State's Miko Eala and Charl Morgan staved off a comeback from Logan Chang and Carlos Guerrero Alvarez to take the match 7-5.
SINGLES
The Nittany Lions secured wins on courts one, two, three, and four to take down Dartmouth.
Loren Byers put Penn State's first point on the board in a 6-2, 6-1 win over Hikaru Takeda at No. 4. On court two, Chikaya Sato took down Dartmouth's Dominik Pauli, 6-4, 7-6.
At No. 3, Sengul beat Gibbons 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in a hard-fought match. Bhatnagar clinched the dual for the Nittany Lions with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Carlos Guerrero Alvarez.
RESULTS
Penn State 4, Dartmouth 1
Doubles Results
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Dominik Pauli/Anders Gibbons (DART) def. Chikaya Sato/Bora Sengul (PSU), 6-3
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Pierce Widdecombe/Alex Knox-Jones (DART) def. Malik Bhatnagar/Alexander Karman (PSU), 7-5
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Miko Eala/Charl Morgan (PSU) def. Logan Chang/Carlos Guerrero Alvarez (DART) ,7-5
Order of finish: 1, 3, 2
Singles Results
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Malik Bhatnagar (PSU) def. Carlos Guerrero Alvarez (DART), 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
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Chikaya Sato (PSU) def. Dominik Pauli (DART), 6-4, 7-6
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Bora Sengul (PSU) def. Anders Gibbons (DART), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
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Loren Byers (PSU) def. Hikaru Takeda (DART), 6-2, 6-1
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Sam Bossem (PSU) vs. Alex Knox-Jones (DART), 6-2, 2-6, 4-3, unfinished
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Miko Eala (PSU) vs. Pierce Widdecombe (DART), 6-1, unfinished
Order of finish: 4, 2, 3, 1
UP NEXT
Penn State will continue its home stand on Friday, Feb. 11 vs. the Liberty Flames at 5 p.m. ET.
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.