UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's tennis team (7-1) host the Princeton Tigers (2-4) at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 10 before taking on the William & Mary Tribe (1-2) at noon ET on Sunday, Feb. 12 in the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center.
FOLLOW ALONG
LAST TIME OUT
The Nittany Lions ended their four-match weekend with a 3-1 record. Sweeping Mount St. Mary's and Drexel in 7-0 contests on Saturday, Penn State dropped a 4-2 match to Penn before downing Villanova, 6-1, on Sunday. They improved to a 7-1 record, their best start to a season since 2015-16.
In doubles, the Blue & White are 8-0 in doubles for the first time since the 2009-10 season. Partners Malik Bhatnagar/Charl Morgan and Sam Bossem/Loren Byers are both 7-0, while Miko Eala and Stefan Simeunovic hold a 3-0 record
Penn State has also kicked off the season with a strong showing in singles. Bossem is 5-0 in dual match play and earned a ranked win over Penn's #102 Harsh Parikh, 6-1, 6-2 on Sunday. Playing at No. 2 and No. 3, Eala is 7-1, where he earned straight set wins over three opponents this past weekend. Ismail Saadi and Andrei Paduraru are also both undefeated in singles, going 5-0 and 4-0, respectively.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Princeton is 2-4 heading into this matchup against Penn State. Opening their 2023 campaign, the Tigers lost two straight to Depaul and Wisconsin. They have wins over Ole Miss and Vanderbilt but are coming off a 2-5 loss to Middle Tennessee.
In 10 recorded matches between Penn State and Princeton, the two programs split the record at 5-5. The Tigers came away with the most recent win in 2022 in New Jersey. Bossem collected Penn State's only point of the match in a 7-5, 7-5 decision over Thomas Bosancic at No. 5. The Nittany Lions will look to take the series lead on Friday.
PREVIEWING THE TRIBE
Willam & Mary is 1-2 in the 2023 season. Bested by No. 11 Baylor and Liberty, the Tribe earned their sole win in a 4-3 dual match victory over South Carolina State. They will face conference opponent Hampton at home, before heading to Happy Valley on Sunday.
Penn State is 5-0 all-time versus the Tribe after collecting a 4-2 win during the 2018-19 season. The Blue & White swept doubles, before earning three singles wins to close out the match. Former Nittany Lion Alexander Karman returns with the Tribe.
UP NEXT
Penn State will finish out their 11-match home stand on Wednesday, Feb. 22 versus the St. Johns Red Storm 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.