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Mark Selders

Men's Tennis Drops Road Match to No. 17 Columbia

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The No. 73 Penn State men's tennis team (6-5) fell to the 17th-ranked Columbia Lions 5-2 on Saturday evening.  

"We are really close to notching a Top-20 win on our resume," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "This was the first match that we competed on all six courts on the road. We are handling adversity on the road better and keeping our composure and thought processes. Columbia is a really good team and deserving of their ranking and success. As a team, we know that we are on that level but have to perform the little thing under pressure situations. Doubles is a good example of that, and we gave away too many silly points in the doubles proportion of the match. Going into the Spring Break Tournament at Arizona State is going to give the coaches a chance to work on these things before we play again. This will be the start of our outdoor season and hopefully, we can make that transition and reap success in those three matches.  

"A good fight by our guys, but we are still struggling to pick up that doubles point and that's not a luxury we can give away," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "The guys competed well in singles winning two and splitting two. They are tough and resilient, and they will bounce back bigger and better. Really looking forward to starting our outdoor season this upcoming week. I feel our best tennis is in front of us." 

DOUBLES  

Columbia secured the doubles point with wins on courts one and three.  

Malik Bhatnagar and Alexander Karman fell to No. 29 Max Westphal and Theo Winegar in a 6-3 decision. On court three, Miko Eala and Charl Morgan lost to Roko Horvat and Alex Kotzen 6-1.  

Chikaya Sato and Bora Sengul held a 5-4 lead over Columbia's Henry Ruger and Jayden Templeman at No. 2 before the Lions clinched.  

SINGLES 

The Lions won courts one, three, four, and five to clinch the win. 

At No. 2, Eala defeated the 96th-ranked Hashimoto 6-2, 7-6. Charl Morgan collected Penn State's second point over Columbia's Templeman in a 6-2, 7-6 match.  

RESULTS 

Columbia 5, Penn State 2 

Doubles Results 

  1.  #29 Max Westphal and Theo Winegar (COL) def. Malik Bhatnagar/Alexander Karman (PSU) 6-3 

  1. Henry Ruger/Jayden Templeman (COL) vs. Chikaya Sato/Bora Sengul (PSU) 5-4, unfinished 

  1. Roko Horvat/Alex Kotzen (COL) def. Miko Eala/Sam Bossem (PSU) 6-3 

Singles Results 

  1. #7 Alex Kotzen (COL) def. Malik Bhatnagar (PSU) 6-0, 6-7, 10-6 

  1. Miko Eala (PSU) def. #96 Hugo Hashimoto (COL) 6-2, 7-6  

  1. Max Westphal (COL) def. Bora Sengul (PSU) 6-1, 6-3 

  1. Henry Ruger (COL) def. Loren Byers (PSU) 6-4, 6-4 

  1. Roko Horvat (COL) def. Sam Bossem (PSU) 6-2, 6-1 

  1. Charl Morgan (PSU) def. Jayden Templeman (COL) 2-6, 7-6, 10-6

UP NEXT 

Penn State will head to Arizona State to compete in the Spring Break Tournament from March 11 to March 13.  

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.