UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's tennis team completed their first doubleheader of the weekend at the Indoor Tennis Center. The Nittany Lions end the day 1-1, with a 6-1 loss to Delaware and a 4-2 win against Lehigh.
"It was an honor and a privilege to represent Penn State," freshman Ari Cotoulas said about his first colleigate match, "Coach Zinn and Coach Tobin were great, I played alongside a great team, and it was a lot of fun. I'm happy I could get that doubles point today and get that win at No. 1."
DELAWARE
Doubles
At No. 1, Miko Eala and Stefan Simeunovic took on Karol Malirz and Javier Ruiz. The duo dropped their match to Delaware, 6-3.
Making his collegiate debut, Ari Cotoulas took court No. 2 with Nolan Ranger. The pair fought strong, but dropped their match 6-3 to Delaware's Tobey Lock and Euan Mackenzie.
Jack Martuccio and Alex Sterin battled it out at No. 3, playing a back-and-forth battle against Nikolaj Talimaa and Mason Robins. The match went unfinished, as the doubles point was determined before the conclusion of their match.
Singles
Eala played strong sets at No. 1, defeating his opponent, Malirz, 6-3, 6-3.
Ranger played at No. 5 against Mackenzie. The match resulted in a 7-5, 6-4 victory for Ranger.
Simeunovic brought his match to three sets playing at No. 2. Ultimately, he dropped 6-3, 2-6, 6-0 to Talimaa. Martuccio moved up to the No. 3 spot in this match and fought back hard. He ultimately fell 6-3, 6-4 to Ruiz. At No. 4, Cotoulas stepped up in his first collegiate singles match, facing Lock. He dropped his match 2-6, 6-4, 6-1. Sterin faced Alexandre Gluck at No. 6. Sterin fell 6-1, 6-2 to his opponent.
LEHIGH
Doubles
Miko Eala and Stefan Simeunovic played solid as a pair, defeating Aristotelis Bezianis and Jackson Morash, 6-2 at No. 1.
At No. 2, duo Ari Cotoulas and Nolan Ranger brought their match to a tiebreak. They clinched the doubles point for the Nittany Lions with a 7-6(4) win over Matt Kleiman and Marc Blekham.
Ritvik Nadikude made his collegiate debut playing at No. 3 doubles with Alexander Sterin. The duo dropped their match to Sean Jaeger and Jordan Paul, 6-1.
Singles
Cotoulas stepped up to take on the No.1 singles spot. He won a powerful 6-4, 6-3 match against Kleiman.
Ranger defeated his opponent, Bezianis, in a 6-4, 6-1 match playing at No.3.
At No.2, Simeunovic finished strong with a 6-2, 6-4 win against Paul.
Nadikude played at No. 4 singles, but dropped his match 6-0, 6-2 to Blekham. Sterin was tied with his opponent, Jaeger, 1-1 in the first set when the match went unfinished, due to the Nittany Lions clinching the match point.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions will host another doubleheader on Sunday, February 4 at the Indoor Tennis Center. The squad will take on Georgetown at 10 a.m. and Mount St. Mary's at 3 p.m.
Visit GoPSUsports.com for more updates on the Nittany Lion's season. Follow the team on Instagram @pennstatemtennis and on X @pennstateMTEN for more continued updates.
RESULTS
DELAWARE
DOUBLES
1. Malirz/Ruiz (DEL) def. Eala/Simeunovic (PSU), 6-3
2. Lock/Mackenzie (DEL) def. Cotoulas/Ranger (PSU), 6-3
3. Martuccio/Sterin (PSU) vs. Talimaa/Robins (DEL), 3-4, uf.
Order of Finish: 2,1
SINGLES
1. Eala (PSU) def. Malirz (DEL), 6-3, 6-3
2. Talimaa (DEL) def. Simeunovic (PSU), 6-3, 2-6, 6-0
3. Ruiz (DEL) def. Martuccio (PSU), 6-3, 6-4
4. Lock (DEL) def. Cotoulas (PSU), 2-6, 6-4, 6-1
5. Ranger (PSU) vs. Mackenzie (DEL),
6. Gluck (DEL) def. Sterin (PSU), 6-1, 6-2
Order of Finish: 1,3,4,2,6,5
LEHIGH
DOUBLES
1. Eala/ Simeunovic(PSU) def. Beziania/Morash (LEH), 6-2
2. Cotoulas/Ranger (PSU) def. Kleiman/Blekhman (LEH), 7-6(4)
3. Jaeger/Paul (LEH) def. Sterin/Nadikude (PSU), 6-1
Order of Finish: 3,1,2
SINGLES
1. Cotoulas (PSU) def. Kleiman (LEH), 6-4, 6-3
2. Simeunovic (PSU) def. Paul (LEH), 6-2, 6-4
3. Ranger (PSU) def. Bezianis (LEH), 6-4, 6-1
4. Blekham (LEH) def. Nadikude (PSU), 6-0, 6-2
5. Sterin (PSU) vs. Jaeger (LEH), 1-1, uf
6. Morash (LEH) def. No Player (PSU), forfeit
Order of Finish: 4,1,6,3,2