UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's tennis team (11-10, 2-3 B1G) is preparing to host the Michigan State Spartans (14-10, 1-5 B1G) at 4:00 p.m. ET, before facing the No. 7 Michigan Wolverines (16-2. 6-0 B1G) and the JMU Dukes (13-5, 2-3 CAA) in a doubleheader beginning at noon ET on Sunday. The Nittany Lions will celebrate their seniors before the match against JMU at 4:00 p.m. ET.
FOLLOW ALONG
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions headed to Loretto, Pa. to take on the Saint Francis Red Flash on Sunday, April 10. Penn State came away with a 6-1 win to earn their third straight road win.
In doubles, partners Charl Morgan and Alexander Karman defeated their opponents 6-1, before Sam Bossem and Loren Byers took down Saint Francis' Fabio Varella and Marc Fuste 6-4 to clinch the point.
Penn State kept their momentum through singles and won five courts opposite the Red Flash. Clinching the match for the Nittany Lions on court three, Bossem beat Fuste 6-2, 6-1. Harrison Janes earned a straight set 6-0, 6-0 victory over Jordi Garcia to improve to 4-0 on the season.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State comes into Friday's matchup with an 11-5 record. The Spartans are coming off a 2-2 loss to the Purdue Boilermakers, earning them a 1-5 conference record.
This contest marks the 16th time these two Big Ten programs have faced off. The Nittany Lions hold an 11-5 record and earned the most recent win in a 6-1 match in a senior day matchup in 2021. After securing the doubles point, Penn State won five courts to take the win. Bora Sengul earned the clinch in a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Michigan State's Nick Williams.
PREVIEWING THE WOLVERINES
Michigan enters this weekend as the 7th-ranked team in the country having held on to a top-ten spot since March 23. With a 16-2 record, the Wolverine's only losses have come to then-ranked No. 10 Wake Forest and then-ranked No. 19 Harvard. Michigan is 6-0 in conference play and will take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday for the second time, having already defeated them 4-0 earlier in the season, before traveling to University Park to face the Nittany Lions.
The Wolverines boast five ranked singles players and two doubles teams, including the No. 23 ranked pair in the nation. In singles, Michigan's roster includes No. 25 Ondrej Styler, No. 46 Jacob Bickersteth, No. 55 Andrew Fenty, No. 83 Gavin Young, No. 104 Nino Ehrenschneider. At doubles, Ehrenschneider and Fenty hold the No. 23 spot with a 16-5 record, while Styler and Young take the No. 25 spot.
INSIDE THE DUKES
JMU holds a 13-5 record and is coming off a 4-3 loss to Delaware. The Dukes will head to York, Pa. on Friday, April 15 to take on Morgan State, before heading to Happy Valley to face off against the Nittany Lions at 4:00 p.m. ET on Sunday.
The two programs have faced off five times before. Penn State is 5-0 and came away with the most recent victory in a 4-1 dual match in 2019.
UP NEXT
Penn State men's tennis will travel to Nebraska on Friday, April 22 at 4:00 p.m. ET, before heading to Wisconsin on Sunday, April 24 at noon ET for a Big Ten road weekend.
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.