UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's tennis team (10-9, 2-2 B1G) is gearing up to host the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes (19-2, 4-0 B1G) on Saturday, April 9 at noon ET, before traveling to the home of Saint Francis (4-17, 1-4 NEC) for a 10:00 a.m. ET match on Sunday, April 10 against the Terriers.
FOLLOW ALONG
Ohio State
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions returned to University Park with two wins under their belt after a weekend of conference tennis.
Taking on the Purdue Boilermakers on Friday, Penn State came away with a 4-1 win after a dominant doubles display that continued into singles play. First time pairing Miko Eala and Bora Sengul earned a 6-2 win on court two, before Malik Bhatnagar and Charl Morgan improved to 4-1 as a duo with a 6-3 result over Purdue's Michal Wozniak and Piotr Galus to clinch the point.
In singles, the Nittany Lions won three courts to secure the match. Playing at No. 1 for the first time this season, Eala led Penn State to a Big Ten win in an easy 6-2, 6-4 match opposite Sebastian Welch. Morgan closed the door on the Boilermakers with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 result at No. 4.
On Sunday, Penn State took on the Indiana Hoosiers at the IU Tennis Center in Bloomington, Ind. The Nittany Lions had a slow start at doubles but were able to rebound in singles to defeat the Hoosiers, 4-3. Morgan earned another clinch in a 6-2, 4-6, 7-6 contest over Indiana's Ilya Tiraspolsky.
SCOUTING THE BUCKEYES
Ohio State enters Friday's match as the 2nd-ranked team in the country having held on to the spot for the last two weeks. The Buckeyes have not dropped below the No. 3 position since Feb. 2. With a 19-2 record, their only losses have come to currently ranked No. 1 TCU and Big Ten opponent now-No. 6 Michigan.
The Buckeyes boast six ranked singles players and two doubles teams, including the No. 1 ranked pair in the nation. In singles, Ohio State's roster includes No. 9 Matej Vocel, No. 12 Cannon Kingsley, No. 20 JJ Tracey, No. 42 James Trotter, No. 106 Jake Van Emburgh, and No. 115 Robert Cash. At doubles, Matej Vocel and Robert Cash hold the No. 1 spot with a 26-3 record, while Justin Boulais and James Trotter take the No. 10 spot.
PREVIEWING THE RED FLASH
Saint Francis holds a 4-17 record and is coming off a 4-3 loss to Sacred Heart. After hosting the Nittany Lions, the Red Flash will face the West Liberty Bears to complete a doublheader.
The two programs have faced off just once before. Penn State came away with a 5-1 win at University Park in 2020, winning the first four singles matches. Duo Noah Sutter and Chikaya clinched the doubles point for the Nittany Lions in a 6-1 victory over Saint Francis' Jordi Garcia and Samuel Ghigarelli.
UP NEXT
Penn State hosts a three-match weekend facing off against Michigan State on Friday, April 15 at 4:00 p.m. ET before welcoming Michigan and JMU on Sunday, April 17 for a doubleheader beginning at noon ET. Penn State men's tennis will celebrate its seniors before the match against JMU at 4:00 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.