BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Penn State men's tennis team (10-9, 2-2 B1G) triumphed 4-3 over the Indiana Hoosiers (5-11, 0-2 B1G) on Sunday afternoon despite an early doubles' loss. Winning four singles courts, the Nittany Lions earned their second conference win.
"I want to start by congratulating Indiana on such a well-played college tennis match," said head coach Jeff Zinn. "This is what college tennis is all about. Teams cheering for each other, back and forth, ebb and flow, the momentum changed with every point. We've talked about how to be a good team; you have to win on the road in the Big Ten. This was a start. We won two big matches on the road and that's the kind of momentum we need for the rest of the Big Ten season. Ismail Saadi, who hasn't played for two years, had an incredible weekend. It's hard to be put in a situation like this, but I'm so proud of him. I also want to point out Charl Morgan, who has been in this situation a lot this year. He has been working so hard to finish the match for his team and today he did it. It was an incredible match and he represented himself, the team, and the university really well today. This was Miko Eala's first time playing at No. 1, and he did an outstanding job this weekend. Sam Bossem, who has the most wins on our team, is having a great year. We just need to keep the momentum going."
"We have always struggled playing Indiana away, so this was a great win on the road," said associate head coach Paul Tobin. "In doubles, the conditions changed, and the guys were playing against heavier wins. We got down quick and never had any momentum. The guys stepped up in singles securing four points with Charl giving us another clinch in a tight tiebreaker. All in all, a great weekend on the road."
DOUBLES
Indiana secured the doubles point with wins on courts one and three.
Partners Alexander Karman and Sam Bossem fell to Michael Andre and Luca Vukovic 6-1 on court three. Clinching the point, Hoosiers' Patrick Fletchall and Ilya Tiraspolsky earned a 6-3 win over Malik Bhatnagar and Charl Morgan.
At No. 2, Miko Eala and Bora Sengul were down 5-4 opposite Carson Haskins and Jagger Saylor when Indiana earned the first point of the dual match.
SINGLES
The Nittany Lions battled back in singles to clinch the match against Big Ten opponent Indiana.
At No. 1, Eala earned an easy win over Haskins in straight sets 6-1, 7-5. Bossem followed up with a 6-1, 7-6 victory against Indiana's Andre. Ismail Saadi collected his second straight win at No. 6 opposite Jagger Saylor in a 6-7, 6-0, 6-1 decision. The Hoosiers earned a point back at No. 3 to tie the match at three.
In a hard-fought contest that came down to a third-set tiebreaker, Morgan bested Indiana's Tiraspolsky 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 to secure the victory for the Nittany Lions. This was his second straight clinch for Penn State after he ended the match against Purdue in the same fashion.
Penn State's conference record improves to 2-2.
RESULTS
Penn State 4, Indiana 3
Doubles Results
-
Patrick Fletchall/Ilya Tiraspolsky (IND) def. Malik Bhatnagar/Charl Morgan (PSU) 6-4
-
Miko Eala/Bora Sengul (PSU) vs. Carson Haskins/Jagger Saylor (IND) 4-5, unfinished
-
Michael Andre/Luca Vukovic (IND) def. Alexander Karman/Sam Bossem (PSU) 6-1
Order of finish: 3, 1
Singles Results
-
Miko Eala (PSU) def. Carson Haskins (IND) 6-1, 7-5
-
Patrick Fletchall (IND) def. Malik Bhatnagar (PSU) 7-5, 6-4
-
Luca Vukovic (IND) def. Bora Sengul 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
-
Charl Morgan (PSU) def. Ilya Tiraspolsky (IND) 6-2, 4-6, 7-6
-
Sam Bossem (PSU) def. Michael Andre (IND) 6-1, 7-6
-
Ismail Saadi (PSU) def. Jagger Saylor (IND) 6-7, 6-0, 6-1
Order of finish: 2, 1, 5, 6, 3, 4
UP NEXT
Penn State will return home to University Park to host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday, April 9 at noon 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.