Big Ten Network : Tennis Top Stories

Indiana men throttle Cleveland State, 6-1

Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:24:00 +0000

ORLANDO, Fla. – Indiana defeated the 75th-ranked team in the country, defeating Cleveland State 6-1. The Hoosiers cruised to the team victory before dropping one singles match in a ten-point tie-breaking third set. Sophomore Jeremy Langer and freshmen Josh MacTaggart, Isade Juneau and Alexander van Gils all scored straight set singles wins. Langer won at number one singles, defeating Phil Orno by a 6-2, 6-3 score. Juneau matched that score for the win at number five singles. Indiana men's tennis hits the courts again when play Central Florida and Fairleigh Dickinson in Orlando, Fla., on March 17. For complete coverage of IU men's tennis, stay tuned to IUHoosiers.com. No. 47 Indiana 6, No. 75 Cleveland State 1 Doubles 1. Ferguson/MacTaggart (IU) def. Orno/Hamning (CS) 8-3 2. Gruter/Langer (IU) def. Fox/Haley (CS) 8-1 3. Vogl/Kendall (IU) def. Goosens/Klepatz (CS) 8-7 (7-1) Singles 1. Jeremy Langer (IU) def. Phil Orno (CS) 6-2, 6-3 2. Yannick Goosens (CS) def. Santiago Gruter (IU) 3-6, 6-3, 10-3 3. Lachlan Ferguson (IU) def. Ryan Hamning (CS) 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (1) 4. Josh MacTaggart (IU) def. Robert Fox (CS) 6-2, 7-5 5. Isade Juneau (IU) def. Chris Klepatz (CS) 6-2, 6-3 6. Alexander van Gils (IU) def. John Haley (CS) 6-3, 6-3

No. 1 NU women's tennis rolls on

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 16:55:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. -- No. 1 Northwestern made quick work of Big Ten foe Wisconsin on Saturday, defeating the Badgers 7-0 in front of a spirited crowd at Combe Tennis Center to improve to 13-1 overall and 6-0 on its home courts. Veteran leaders Samantha Murray, Lauren Lui and Maria Mosolova combined to win 36 of 41 games in their singles matches as they accounted for the dual-clinching points for NU. With its second straight sweep, Northwestern moved to 4-0 in the Big Ten this season while Wisconsin dropped to 4-9 overall and 0-1 in conference duals. Head coach Claire Pollard's squad has now won 81 consecutive duals against Big Ten opponents. With two new-look pairings on the doubles courts, Northwestern sprinted to a sweep of the three doubles matches with the 59th-ranked tandem of Samantha Murray and Kate Turvy finishing first for the Wildcats. Leading Wisconsin's Angela Chupa and Katya Mirnova 3-2, Murray and Turvy won four straight games to gain a stranglehold on the match en route to an 8-2 victory, their eighth of the season playing alongside one another. It was the same story at No. 2, where the newly formed pair of Brittany Wowchuk and Elena Chernyakova got out in front of Jessica Seyferth and Kathleen Salterelli by a comfortable 6-1 score. The Wisconsin duo was up an Ad point in the eighth game when the 'Cats pulled to deuce before winning one of the most extended points of the afternoon to help them take the game. NU then closed out the match, 8-2, for their first win as a doubles team since the fall season. Lauren Lui and Maria Mosolova completed the sweep with their convincing 8-3 win over Hannah Berner and Alaina Trgovich. Up 7-3 in the match, Northwestern saved three game points before getting a winner by Lui and a double-fault by Wisconsin to close out the win. A trio of singles matches started out in promising fashion for Northwestern with Mosolova, Murray and Lui all jumping to 5-0 first-set leads at No. 1, 2 and 3 singles, respectively. Mosolova continually frustrated Katya Mirnova with her ability to get to almost everything Mirnova sent her way, winning 6-0, 6-1 to improve her dual record to 10-4 this season. Facing Chupa at No. 2 singles, Murray was on target all afternoon on the way to a 6-0, 6-0 victory, her ninth of the season at the No. 2 spot. As she did often in the match, Murray laced a backhand down the line for the winner on match point. Taking on Wisconsin's talented freshman Hannah Berner, Lui finished off the first set 6-1 and, after being tied at two in the second set, won four of the last five games to take the set 6-3. Lui is unbeaten at 13-0 in dual matches this season. Chernyakova took control of her No. 6 singles match against Alaina Trgovich late in the first set, which she held on to win 6-4. The NU sophomore took a 5-0 lead in the second and in the last game used a perfect drop shot and a deep forehand winner on the last two points to seal the win. At No. 5, sophomore Stacey Lee fell behind 3-0 in the first set against Aleksandra Markovic before winning the next two games. After Markovic regained a 4-2 edge, Lee came out on top in an epic seventh game and followed that up by breaking the Badger's serve to tie the set at four. After closing out the set 6-4, the roles were reversed as Lee leapt to a 3-0 advantage in the second but found herself tied at five late in the set. But Lee was able to roar through the last two games to win the set 7-5 and remain undefeated in singles dual matches. At No. 4, Turvy wore down her opponent, Jessica Seyferth, in her typical fashion through a tough first set in which both players held leads. Turvy grew stronger as the set wore on, winning the last two games after the set was tied at 5-5. The trend continued in the second as Turvy simply outlasted a challenging Badger opponent to take the second set 6-3. Next weekend, Northwestern steps out of conference and likely outdoors to take on two of the nation's top teams on the road in No. 4 North Carolina and No. 7 Duke. The 'Cats defeated the Tar Heels earlier this year, 4-2, in the finals of the ITA National Indoor Team Championship. No. 1 Northwestern 7, Wisconsin 0 Singles 1: #13 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. Katya Mirnova (WIS), 6-0, 6-1 2: #31 Samantha Murray (NU) def. Angela Chupa (WIS), 6-0, 6-0 3: Lauren Lui (NU) def. Hannah Berner (WIS), 6-1, 6-3 4: Kate Turvy (NU) def. Jessica Seyferth (WIS), 7-5, 6-3 5: Stacey Lee (NU) def. Aleksandra Markovic (WIS), 6-4, 7-5 6: Elena Chernyakova (NU) def. Alaina Trgovich (WIS), 6-4, 6-0 Doubles 1: Lui/Mosolova (NU) def. Berner/Trgovich (WIS), 8-3 2: Chernyakova/Wowchuk (NU) def. Seyferth/Salterelli (WIS), 8-2 3: #59 Murray/Turvy (NU) def. Chupa/Mirnova (WIS), 8-3 Order of Finish: Singles: (1, 2, 3*, 6, 4, 5) Doubles: (3, 2*, 1)

No. 3 Ohio State men nip No. 17 Texas A&M

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 15:33:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 3 Ohio State men's tennis team defeated No. 17 Texas A&M, 4-3, Sunday at The Ohio State University Varsity Indoor Tennis Center. The Buckeyes have now won 99-consecutive home matches, which dates back to 2003. The team improves to 10-0 at home for the 2009-10 campaign. With the win against the Aggies, Ohio State (12-1; 0-0 Big Ten) evens the all-time series to 2-2 vs. Texas A&M. Under 11th-year head coach Ty Tucker, the Buckeyes are 8-4 all-time vs. teams from the Big 12 Conference. The Scarlet and Gray is 6-1 vs. nationally-ranked teams this season. "It's always tough to play against good teams like Texas A&M," Tucker said. "We've played nine-consecutive matches against Top 25 opponents and our guys are a little bit tired. We had a desire to win today and our guys have been working hard during the week to be successful." Senior co-captain Justin Kronauge claimed the win for the Buckeyes at No. 3 singles after defeating Alexis Klegou in three sets 3-6, 6-2, 6-4. In the third set, Kronauge, ranked 30th in the nation, broke Klegou en route to his 126th career singles victory, which ties him for fourth on the all-time career wins list with former Buckeye Roger Smith (1983-86). The native of Dayton, Ohio, improves to 15-3 overall this season. In doubles, the Buckeyes won the first point of the day, winning each of the three matches. Juniors Matt Allare and Shuhei Uzawa defeated Alberto Bautista and Alexey Grigorov, 8-5, at No. 2 to improve to 10-5 overall on the season. At No. 3, Kronauge and junior Balazs Novak played for the second-consecutive time together. The Buckeye pair downed Marcus Lunt and Klegou after breaking the Aggies during the 10th and 12th games to win, 8-4. Highlighting opening competition was sophomore Chase Buchanan and freshman Dino Marcan at the top of the doubles lineup. Buchanan and Marcan pulled the upset against the ninth-ranked doubles tandem in the nation, winning in a tiebreaker 8-7 (7-5) over Austin Krajicek and Jeff Dadamo. The Buckeye duo is now 2-1 at No. 1. In singles, the Aggies evened the score at 1-1 after Grigorov defeated No. 91 Uzawa in straight sets 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4. Uzawa falls to 13-10 overall. At No. 6, the Buckeyes regained the lead when Novak cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Colin Hoover. Novak, a native of Budapest, Hungary, is now 17-5 overall, which is a team-best this year. Buchanan, ranked 23rd in the nation, faced No. 16 Krajicek, who was undefeated in dual play entering competition Sunday. The native of New Albany, Ohio, won 6-3, 7-6 against the two-time All-American after claiming a tiebreaker win in the second set. He improves to 13-4 overall with a 9-1 record at No. 1 singles. At No. 5, Allare lost in a third set tiebreaker 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) to Bautista. He falls to 9-4 overall, losing just his second dual match of the year. At No. 2, No. 47 Marcan lost 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 against No. 33 Dadamo after winning the first set. Marcan is now 12-3 overall in his first season as a Buckeye. Ohio State begins Big Ten play against Purdue at home March 12 at 6 p.m. at The Ohio State University Varsity Indoor Tennis Center. Live stats and updates will be available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. No. 3 Ohio State 4, No. 17 Texas A&M 3 Singles 1. No. 23 Chase Buchanan (OSU) def. No. 16 Austin Krajicek (A&M) - 6-3, 7-6 (7-3) 2. No. 33 Jeff Dadamo (A&M) def. No. 47 Dino Marcan (OSU) - 3-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 3. No. 30 Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. Alexis Klegou (A&M) - 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 4. Alexey Grigorov (A&M) def. No. 91 Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) - 6-1, 6-3 5. Alberto Bautista (A&M) def. Matt Allare (OSU) - 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) 6. Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Colin Hoover (A&M) - 6-1, 6-1 Doubles 1. Chase Buchanan/Dino Marcan (OSU) def. No. 9 Austin Krajicek/Jeff Dadamo (A&M) - 8-7 (7-5) 2. Matt Allare/Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) def. Alberto Bautista/Alexey Grigorov (A&M) - 8-5 3. Balazs Novak/Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. Marcus Lunt/Alexis Klegou (A&M) - 8-4

UW men snap skid, spank Marquette

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:54:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – The Badgers broke a three-match skid by dominating Marquette in a 6-1 victory over the Golden Eagles Wednesday evening. With the win, the Badgers (8-4) remain unblemished at home with a 7-0 record at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. "It definitely feels good to get a win and get this team back on track from where we want to go this year," Head Coach Greg Van Emburgh said. "You always want to feel good going into the conference season. Marquette is a solid team and they put up a great fight for us tonight." The No. 38-ranked Wisconsin Badgers got off to a quick lead by snatching the doubles point over Marquette. Senior Michael Dierberger and freshman Ricardo Martin set the tone for the Badgers with a swift 8-1 victory over Niko Boulieris and Octavio Perim. Senior Moritz Baumann paired up with sophomore Patrick Pohlmann to finish next for Wisconsin at the No. 1 doubles position. The duo followed suit with an 8-1 victory over Jacob Straus and Dusan Medan to secure the doubles point. At the No. 2 position, senior Luke Rassow-Kantor and junior Marek Michalicka fell to Mark Rutherford and Jonathan Schwerin in a close 8-4 match. "Doubles is one of the key elements to our season," Van Emburgh said. "We want to make sure that when we go out on the doubles court to play that first match, we are ready to play and take that first point. We're definitely making progress and getting there." The Badgers compounded their doubles point by claiming five of the six singles matches. Wisconsin saw wins from No. 21-ranked Michalicka who played at the No. 1 singles spot for the fourth time this season. The senior continued his undefeated singles record to 9-0 by taking out No. 84-ranked Medan 6-3, 6-4. No. 13 Baumann also had a clean 6-2, 6-4 victory over Rutherford in the No. 2 slot. Pohlmann played at the No. 3 position to defeat Boulieris 6-4, 7-5. Billy Bertha dug deep against his opponent to pull out a tough three-set victory over Straus at the No. 5 spot. Wisconsin also saw an easy 6-4, 6-3 win from freshman Chris Freeman over Jonathan Schwerin. Although Dierberger battled back to a tiebreak from a 2-5 deficit in the third set, he eventually fell to Perim in a tough 5-7, 6-2, 6-7 (7-4) match. In four days the Badgers are back in action with a doubleheader against No. 70-ranked Illinois State and Western Illinois. These are the last two dual matches before the Badgers begin Big Ten Conference competition against Illinois on March 21. "It was definitely a match I feel we can build on with the intensity factor and momentum factor trying to get into our conference season against Illinios," Van Emburgh said. #38 Wisconsin 6, Marquette 1 Singles competition 1. #21 Marek Michalicka (WIS) def. #84 Dusan Medan (MAR) 6-3, 6-4 2. #13 Moritz Baumann (WIS) def. Mark Rutherford (MAR) 6-2, 6-4 3. Patrick Pohlmann (WIS) def. Niko Boulieris (MAR) 6-4, 7-5 4. Billy Bertha (WIS) def. Jacob Straus (MAR) 6-3 (7-3), 7-6 5. Otavio Perim (MAR) def. Michael Dierberger (WIS) 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4) 6. Chris Freeman (WIS) def. Jonathan Schwerin (MAR) 6-4, 6-3 Doubles competition 1. Moritz Baumann/Patrick Pohlmann (WIS) def. Jacob Straus/Dusan Medan (MAR) 8-1 2. Mark Rutherford/Jonathan Schwerin (MAR) def. Luke Rassow-Kantor/Marek Michalicka (WIS) 8-4 3. Ricardo Martin/Michael Dierberger (WIS) def. Niko Boulieris/Otavio Perim (MAR) 8-1

Illinois women squeak by TCU, 4-3

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 19:43:00 +0000

FORT WORTH, Texas - Despite dropping the doubles point, the No. 43 Illini women's tennis team stormed back in singles to top No. 62 TCU, 4-3 Sunday afternoon at Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. With the win, Illinois improves to 5-6 and picks up its first true road win of the season, while TCU falls to 1-9 with its eighth straight loss. "It was a great win for us today," head coach Michelle Dasso said. "The girls really pulled it together after doubles and brought a different level of competitiveness into singles. Marisa (Lambropoulos) keeps getting better and better each match. It was also a special match for Amy Allin. She fought hard in her match and it really could have gone either way. We're looking forward to getting back to Big Ten play with a solid Indiana program at their place on Friday." The Horned Frogs won their first doubles point at home this season, but the Illini quickly responded in singles, as sophomore Chelcie Abajian defeated Gaby Mastromarino in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3 to tie the match at one. No. 112 senior Megan Fudge improved to 8-2 in her last 10 matches, topping No. 94 Nina Munch-Soegaard, 6-0, 7-5. TCU's win at No. 2 singles evened the score at two apiece, before junior Leigh Finnegan defeated Idunn Hertzberg, 6-4, 6-4 for her fourth straight win and classmate Marisa Lambropoulos clinched the victory with a 7-6 (5), 6-3 defeat of No. 86 Katariina Tuohimaa. The Illini resume Big Ten play on Friday, March 12 at No. 30 Indiana at 2:30 p.m. CT. #43 Illinois 4, #62 TCU 3 Singles competition 1. #112 Megan Fudge (ILL) def. #94 Nina Munch-Soegaard (TCU) 6-0, 7-5 2. #110 Kayla Duncan (TCU) def. #94 Rachael White (ILL) 6-2, 6-1 3. Marisa Lambropoulos (ILL) def. #86 Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) 7-6 (7-5), 6-3 4. Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Idunn Hertzberg (TCU) 6-4, 6-4 5. Chelcie Abajian (ILL) def. Gaby Mastromarino (TCU) 6-4, 6-3 6. Maria Babanova (TCU) def. Amy Allin (ILL) 2-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6) Doubles competition 1. Kayla Duncan/Katariina Tuohimaa (TCU) def. #46 Leigh Finnegan/Megan Fudge (ILL) 8-6 2. Nina Munch-Soegaard/Maria Babanova (TCU) def. Rachael White/Chelcie Abajian (ILL) 8-5 3. Marisa Lambropoulos/Breanne Smutko (ILL) def. Idunn Hertzberg/Gaby Mastromarino (TCU) 8-3 Order of finish: Doubles (3,2,1); Singles (5,1,2,4,3,6)

No. 22 Washington takes down Minnesota

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:54:00 +0000

Phillip Arndt posted wins in singles and doubles, but Minnesota fell to 22nd-ranked Washington in a non-conference match on Sunday at the Baseline Tennis Center. Arndt won his No. 5 singles match over Tobi Obenhaus in match tiebreaker by a score of 4-6, 7-5, (10-6). He also teamed with Sebastian Gallego for an 8-3 victory at No. 1 doubles over the nation's 50th-ranked pair of Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan and Kyle McMorrow. Washington bounced back to win the other two doubles point to take a 1-0 lead and then got wins from its top three singles players to clinch the team victory. Nedunchezhiyan, ranked 56th in the country, defeated 77th-ranked Gallego 6-3, 7-6 at No. 1 singles. Washington's McMorrow downed Tobias Wernet 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 and Derek Drabble beat Dino Bilankov 7-5, 6-0 at No. 3. Brad Bator gave the Huskies a 5-0 lead with a win at No. 6 over Brendan Ruddock 6-4, 5-7, 6-3. Arndt won his match before Washington finished off the match with a victory from Martin Kildahl at No. 4 singles. Kildahl rallied past Rok Bonin 3-6, 7-6, (10-6). Minnesota is off next weekend and returns to action on March 17 with a match at Pepperdine. #22 Washington 6, #46 Minnesota 1 Singles 1. #56 Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan (WASH) def. #77 Sebastian Gallego (MINN) 6-3, 7-6 2. Kyle McMorrow (WASH) def. #111 Tobias Wernet (MINN) 6-3, 6-3 3. Derek Drabble (WASH) def. Dino Bilankov (MINN) 7-5, 6-0 4. Martin Kildahl (WASH) def. Rok Bonin (MINN) 3-6, 7-6, 1-0 (10-6) 5. Phillip Arndt (MINN) def. Tobi Obenhaus (WASH) 4-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-6) 6. Brad Bator (WASH) def. Brendan Ruddock (MINN) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3 Doubles 1. Phillip Arndt/Sebastian Gallego (MINN) def. #50 Jeevan Nedunchezhiyan/Kyle McMorrow (WASH) 8-3 2. Derek Drabble/Martin Kildahl (WASH) def. Rok Bonin/Tobias Wernet (MINN) 8-3 3. #58 Tobi Obenhaus/Alex Rosinski (WASH) def. Julian Dehn/Derek Peterson (MINN) 8-3

Arndt wins but Gophers fall to Washington

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 17:32:00 +0000

No. 1 Northwestern sweeps past Indiana

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 16:52:00 +0000

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 1 Northwestern came up with a come-from-behind victory at the top doubles position to take a 1-0 lead into singles where it won all six matches in straight sets en route to a 7-0 sweep of No. 30 Indiana Sunday. No. 31 Samantha Murray clinched the dual with her 6-3, 6-2 win over nationally ranked Leslie Hureau at second singles. The 'Cats lift their record to 12-1 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the Big Ten, while Indiana falls to 10-2 on the season. Northwestern and Indiana split a pair of 8-3 decisions in the first two matches off the courts in doubles play, with the Wildcats notching a win at No. 3 courtesy of Lauren Lui and Stacey Lee over Maria Guerreiro and Charlotte Martin. Indiana's win came at No. 2 where the 24th-ranked tandem of Evgeniya Vertesheva and Lindsey Stuckey broke what was a three-match winning streak for Linda Abu Mushrefova and Maria Mosolova. NU's chances of winning the doubles point looked bleak early on as Indiana's Leslie Hureau and Myriam Sopel held a 6-3 lead over Elena Chernyakova and Samantha Murray at No. 1. But Chernyakova and Murray had had enough and did not lose a game the rest of the way, winning five straight games to secure NU's 1-0 lead entering singles. It was all Northwestern at singles, beginning at No. 3 where Lui jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first set against Myriam Sopel and held on to win it 6-1. Lui then sped through the second set by another 6-1 score as the first 'Cat off the courts. Sophomore Stacey Lee followed suit by matching Lui's 6-1, 6-1 score, downing Indiana's Maria Guerreiro. Murray then finished off her victory over Hureau to clinch the fourth point and improve to 18-7 in her senior season. The 13th-ranked Mosolova bested Vertesheva by a 6-3, 6-4 score to claim her ninth dual win of the season while two NU freshmen, Kate Turvy and Brittany Wowchuk, posted victories at fourth and fifth singles, respectively, to secure Northwestern's fourth sweep of the dual season. The Wildcats, winners of 81 consecutive Big Ten dual matches, look to extend their streak in their next match when they welcome Wisconsin to the Combe Tennis Center at 1 p.m. Saturday. No. 1 Northwestern 7, No. 30 Indiana 0 Singles 1: #13 Maria Mosolova (NU) def. Evgeniya Vertesheva (IND), 6-3, 6-4 2: #31 Samantha Murray (NU) def. #101 Leslie Hureau (IND), 6-3, 6-2 3: Lauren Lui (NU) def. Myriam Sopel (IND), 6-1, 6-1 4: Kate Turvy (NU) def. Lindsey Stuckey (IND), 6-3, 6-2 5: Brittany Wowchuk (NU) def. Charlotte Martin (IND), 7-6 (4), 7-5 6: Stacey Lee (NU) def. Maria Guerreiro (IND), 6-1, 6-1 Doubles 1: Chernyakova/Murray (NU) def. Hureau/Sopel (IND), 8-6 2: #24 Vertesheva/Stuckey (IND) def. Abu Mushrefova/Mosolova (NU), 8-3 3: Lee/Lui (NU) def. Guerreiro/Martin (IND), 8-3

Penn State men stay hot, drop Purdue

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 14:42:00 +0000

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The 42nd-ranked Penn State men's tennis team (10-1, 1-0) opened Big Ten play on Sunday with a 6-1 victory over the No. 65 Purdue Boilermakers at the Penn State Indoor Tennis Center. The Nittany Lions have won eight consecutive matches with two of the wins coming against ranked opponents. Penn State came out and grabbed the doubles point, winning all three matches. Two of the doubles matches were decided by two points. From there, the Lions went on to win five of the six singles bouts to secure a 6-1 victory. The Nittany Lions took an early advantage in doubles competition on court No. 2 when senior Ryan Gormley (Las Vegas, Nev.) and freshman Warren Hardie (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) faced Purdue's P.J. Rose and Thomas Wilson. The Nittany Lion tandem got off to a great start as they led 3-0. Purdue threatened by winning two of the next three games, but Gormley and Hardie were able to hold them off in an 8-4 decision. In the No. 1 bout, junior Eddie Bourchier (Hobart, Australia) and sophomore Jason Lee (Melbourne, Australia) teamed up against Purdue's Branko Kuzmanovic and Slavko Bijelica. Bourchier and Lee held a 4-1 lead through the first five games, but Kuzmanovic and Bijelica rallied to tie it back up at four. The two tandems went on to exchange the next four points, resulting in a 6-6 score through 12 games. Lee and Bourchier finished strong though by winning the next two games and ending in an 8-6 victory. With Bourchier and Lee's victory, Penn State clinched the doubles point. With the doubles point already decided, senior Guillaume St-Maurice (Saint-Eustache, Quebec) and sophomore Taylor Cohen (Philadelphia, Pa.) faced Purdue's Eric Ramos and Paul Foley. The match went back and forth, as there were seven ties and four lead changes. With the match tied at seven though, St-Maurice and Cohen won the final two games to garner the 9-7 victory. With Penn State leading 1-0, the match moved to singles action. On court No. 2, Gormley picked up a straight-set 6-2, 6-4 victory over Rose to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead in the overall match. With the victory, Gormley improves to 6-4 on the season and 3-1 when playing in the No. 2 position. In the No. 1 matchup, Bourchier took on Bijelica. With the first set tied at five, Bourchier won the final two games to go up a set. In the second stanza, the two were tied up at three. Bourchier went on another run, taking the final three games to earn a 7-5, 6-3 victory over Bijelica. With the victory, Bourchier improved to a perfect 9-0 for the 2010 season. Penn State had a 3-0 lead. Penn State clinched the match in the No. 4 bout, where Hardie took on the Boilermakers' Ramos. In the first set, Hardie jumped out to an early 2-0 lead. Ramos was able to cut Hardie's lead to 3-2, but the Penn State freshman went on to win three of the final four games to capture the first frame. Ramos then forced a third set by winning the second set, 7-5. In the third set, Ramos had a 2-0 lead. However, Hardie won the final six games to win his second consecutive three-set match. With the match already decided, freshman Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) earned his team-leading 10th victory of the season as he downed Foley, 6-3, 6-1. St-Maurice picked up a straight-set 6-1, 6-3 victory over Thomas Wilson in the No. 6 to win his seventh consecutive match. The overall match came to an end in the No. 3 bout, where Kuzmanovic defeated Lee in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2. The Nittany Lions will head down south on March 11 for a dual with Coastal Carolina. Penn State will then travel to Montgomery, Ala. on March 18 for the Blue-Gray Tournament, featuring some of the top teams in the country. #42 Penn State 6 #65 Purdue 1 Doubles 1. Eddie Bourchier/Jason Lee (PSU) def. Branko Kuzmanovic/Slavko Bijelica (Purdue), 8-6 2. Ryan Gormley/Warren Hardie (PSU) def. P.J. Rose/Thomas Wilson (Purdue), 8-4 3. Guillaume St-Maurice/Taylor Cohen (PSU) def. Eric Ramos/Paul Foley (Purdue), 9-7 Order of finish: 2, 1, 3 Singles 1. Eddie Bourchier (PSU) def. Slavko Bijelica (Purdue), 7-5, 6-3 2. Ryan Gormley (PSU) def. P.J. Rose (Purdue), 6-2, 6-4 3. Branko Kuzmanovic (Purdue) def. Jason Lee (PSU), 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 4. Warren Hardie (PSU) def. Eric Ramos (Purdue), 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 5. Bryan Welnetz (PSU) def. Paul Foley (Purdue), 6-3, 6-1 6. Guillaume St-Maurice (PSU) def. Thomas Wilson (Purdue), 6-1, 6-3 Order of finish: 2, 1, 4, 5, 6, 3

Iowa women upset No. 24 DePaul, 4-3

Sun, 7 Mar 2010 15:30:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women's tennis team, ranked 54th nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, posted a huge win Sunday over No. 24 DePaul. The 8-2 Hawkeyes battled for every point in the exciting 4-3 win over the top-25 opponent. The win marks the second win over a ranked opponent this season. Iowa doubles swept their competition for the fifth time this season. The perfect showing was earned with each serve for the Hawkeyes. Lynne Poggensee-Wei and Alexis Dorr was the first duo to earn a 9-7 win over Kirsten Gambrell and Sandra Zmak. Jessica Young and Kelcie Klockenga finished second for Iowa with an 8-8, 8-6 tie break win over Gia McKnight and Katarina Milinkovic. Sonja Molnar and Merel Beelen, though only recently teamed together, took down the tenth ranked duo in Anna Redecsi and Selma Salkovic, 9-7. This is the second ranked doubles team Molnar and Beelen have routed. The first was then No. 26 Hilary Bartlett and Taylor Marabel of Princeton. "Sweeping doubles was big,"" first year Head Coach Katie Dougherty said. "We told them they have to step up and take these wins from DePaul because they're not going to give them to us." Singles action was equally exciting with each match heightening the anticipation. Beelen was the first Hawkeye to get an important 6-3, 6-3 win over Milinkovic. With Young and Klockenga both falling to their opponents, the score was tied 2-2 when Dorr, playing in the sixth spot, defeated Gambrell, 6-3, 6-2, to give Iowa the edge. Poggensee-Wei fell in the first set, 4-6, to Salkovic, but bounced back and posted a 6-2 win in the second set. The third was back and forth, but Salkovic got the 6-3 decision. The final two on the courts were set to determine the match. Sophomore Molnar and senior Redecsi were entangled in a heated second set with Molnar winning the first set, 6-4. The second set was filled with emotion as each player had great plays and costly mistakes. Molnar claimed the singles win and clinched the Iowa victory with a 7-6 (7-5) win. This marks the second time the Guelph, Ontario native has secured the Hawkeye win over a ranked opponent, with the first being her win over Princeton's Bartlett. "DePaul is a very good team," Dougherty said. "I am really proud of the way we played today. I thought we played hard and it's a great win over a top-25 program." The Black and Gold head west for Spring Break. The team faces Wichita State March 18 in San Diego, CA, and Tulsa March 20 in Indian Wells, CA. Singles Competition 1. No. 77 Sonja Molnar (Iowa) def. Anna Redecsi (DePaul) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) 2. Selma Salkovic (DePaul) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 3. Merel Beelen (Iowa) Katarina Milinkovic (DePaul) 6-3, 6-3 4. Gia McKnight (DePaul) def. Jessica Young (Iowa) 6-1, 6-0 5. Sandra Zmak (DePaul) def. Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa) 6-1, 6-4 6. Alexis Dorr (Iowa) def. Kirsten Gambrell (DePaul) 6-3, 6-2 Exhibition: Allison Majercik (Iowa) def. Cali Gustafson (DePual) 7-6, 6-3 Doubles Competition 1. Molnar/Beelen (Iowa) def. #10 Redecsi/Salkovic (DePaul) 9-7 2. Klockenga/Young (Iowa) def. McKnight/Milinkovic (DePaul) 8-8, 8-6 3. Poggensee-Wei/Dorr (Iowa) def. Gambrell/Zmak (DePaul) 9-7

Iowa women drop Missouri, 5-2

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 14:47:00 +0000

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The University of Iowa women's tennis team posted its seventh victory of the season over Missouri Saturday at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex. The No. 54 Hawkeyes tamed the Tigers, recording a 5-2 win. Hawkeye doubles continued their success on the courts earning the seventh doubles point of the season. Jessica Young and Kelcie Klockenga were the first to finish, downing Sofia Ayala and Kristen Bleakley, 8-4, for their eighth doubles win of the season. Sonja Molnar and Merel Beelen followed suit, posting an 8-4 win over Kaitlyn Ritchie and Mallory Weber. Iowa singles started strong with No. 77 Molnar, Young, Dorr and Klockenga all recording wins. Molnar took down Jamie Mera, 6-0, 6-4. Young defeated Maria Christensen in an intense match, 6-1, 7-6(5). Klockenga secured the Iowa victory with a 6-0, 6-4 win over Ayala, while Alexis Dorr recorded a 6-0, 6-4 win over Andrea Lewis. Ally Majercik also recorded a win over Maureen Modesto in a non-counting match, 7-2. Head Coach Katie Dougherty and the Hawkeyes are back in action tomorrow morning at the HTRC. The team faces No. 24 DePaul at 10 a.m. Singles Competition 1. No. 77 Sonja Molnar (Iowa) def. Jamie Mera (Missouri) 6-0, 6-4 2. Kaitlyn Ritchie (Missouri) def. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa) 6-2, 6-4 3. Mallory Weber (Missouri) def. Merel Beelen (Iowa) 6-2, 2-6, 6-4 4. Jessica Young (Iowa) def. Maria Christensen (Missouri) 6-1, 7-6(5) 5. Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa) def. Sofia Ayala (Missouir) 6-0, 6-4 6. Alexis Dorr (Iowa) def. Andrea Lewis (Missouri) 6-0, Exhibition: Allison Majercik (Iowa) def. Maureen Modesto (Missouri) 7-2 Doubles Competition 1. Molnar/Beelen (Iowa) def. Ritchie/Weber (Missouri) 8-4 2. Klockenga/Young (Iowa) def. Ayala/Mera (Missouri) 8-4 3. Lewis/Bleakley (Missouri) def. Poggensee-Wei/Dorr (Iowa) 8-6

Illinois men drop NU in Big Ten opener

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 23:30:00 +0000

EVANSTON, Ill. – In a match that lasted just under five hours, the 12th-ranked Illini men's tennis team (7-5, 1-0 Big Ten) was victorious in its Big Ten opener Saturday night at No. 34 Northwestern (7-4, 0-1), 5-2 at Combe Tennis Center. No. 66 junior Abe Souza held off Andrew McCarthy to clinch Illinois' third win of the week with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 victory. It was Souza's third straight win and team-best 19th overall and he also improved to 10-1 this season at Nos. 3-5 singles. After dropping the doubles point the night before, the Illini took control this time around, as the No. 38 tandem of junior Johnny Hamui and sophomore Dennis Nevolo topped Alex Sanborn and Spencer Wolf, 8-3. No. 49 senior Marek Czerwinski and freshman Stephen Hoh edged Tobias Reitz and McCarthy, 9-8 (3) to secure the 1-0 lead. For the second straight night, No. 43 Nevolo cruised to a straight sets victory in singles, sweeping Wolf, 6-2, 6-1, and Hoh followed suit with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Sanborn. The Wildcats earned their first point of the night at No. 6 singles, before Souza clinched the win. In the final match of the night, No. 106 Czerwinski needed over two hours to rally back and defeat Joshua Graves, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (6), 1-0 (15-13). The Illini return to action in two weeks when they host Ball State (10 a.m.) and Illinois State (3 p.m.) in a rare Friday doubleheader on March 19 at Atkins Tennis Center. #12 Illinois 5, #34 Northwestern 2 Singles competition 1. #106 Marek Czerwinski (ILL) def. Joshua Graves (NU) 6-7 (3-7), 7-6 (8-6), 1-0 (15-13) 2. #43 Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Spencer Wolf (NU) 6-2, 6-1 3. #66 Abe Souza (ILL) def. Andrew McCarthy (NU) 6-4, 4-6, 6-1 4. Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Johnny Hamui (ILL) 3-6, 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 5. Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Alex Sanborn (NU) 6-2, 6-3 6. Mark Schanerman (NU) def. Connor Roth (ILL) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2 Doubles competition 1. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. Tobias Reitz/Andrew McCarthy (NU) 9-8 (7-3) 2. #38 Johnny Hamui/Dennis Nevolo (ILL) def. Alex Sanborn/Spencer Wolf (NU) 8-3 3. Joshua Graves/Mark Schanerman (NU) def. Connor Roth/Abe Souza (ILL) 8-1

Sacramento State fends off Iowa men, 4-3

Sat, 6 Mar 2010 20:37:00 +0000

DENVER, Colo. - - The University of Iowa men's tennis team lost to Sacramento State Saturday, 4-3. The 49th-ranked Hawkeyes fall to 6-2 on the season with the loss. "It was a very tough match," said Head Coach Steve Houghton. "We certainly had our chances." The Hawkeyes, 3-2 away from Iowa City, were unable to claim the doubles point. Marc Bruche and Nikita Zotov fell at the No. 1 position, 9-8. The duo was defeated by Kiryl Harbatsiuk and Marko Starcevic. Tommy McGeorge and Will Vasos won their sixth straight. The pair defeated Holden Ching and Jason Smith, 8-3, at the No. 2 spot. At No. 3 doubles, Garret Dunn and Reinoud Haal lost to Anton Stryhas and Tim Lantin, 8-6. Haal won his seventh straight match at No. 3 singles. The senior defeated Ching, 6-3, 6-2. At No. 5 singles, McGeorge defeated Tim Lantin, 7-5, 6-4. Austen Kauss was victorious at the No. 6 spot. The junior defeated Starcevic, 6-3, 7-6. Bruche fell at the No. 1 position and Zotov lost at the No. 2 spot. In the deciding match, Vasos fell in a third set tiebreaker at the No. 4 spot. The sophomore lost 6-3, 6-7, 7-6, to Smith. The Black and Gold return to action Sunday at Denver. The match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. (CT). #49 Iowa – 3, Sacramento State – 4 Doubles: 1. Kiryl Harbatsiuk/Marko Starcevic (SAC) def. Marc Bruche/Nikita Zotov (IOWA), 9-8 2. Tommy McGeorge/Will Vasos (IOWA) def. Holden Ching/Jason Smith (SAC), 8-3 3. Anton Stryhas/Tim Lantin (SAC) def. Garrett Dunn/Reinoud Haal (IOWA), 8-6 Singles: 1. Kiryl Harbatsiuk (SAC) def. Marc Bruche (IOWA), 7-6, 7-5 2. Anton Stryhas (SAC) def. Nikita Zotov (IOWA), 6-1, 6-0 3. Reinoud Haal (IOWA) def. Holden Ching (SAC), 6-3, 6-2 4. Jason Smith (SAC) def. Will Vasos (IOWA), 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 5. Tommy McGeorge (IOWA) def. Tim Lantin (SAC), 7-5, 6-4 6. Austen Kauss (IOWA) def. Marko Starcevic (SAC), 6-3, 7-6

Gophers men's tennis notches win

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 21:49:00 +0000

In a rematch of last season's NCAA tournament opener, Minnesota swept New Mexico 7-0 on Friday at the Baseline Tennis Center. The 46th-ranked Gophers won five of six singles matches in straight sets to improve to 5-4 overall, while 54th-ranked New Mexico dropped to 3-5 overall. Minnesota swept all three doubles matches to take a 1-0 lead as Sebastian Gallego and Phillip Arndt won 8-6 at No. 1, Tobias Wernet and Rok Bonin won 8-4 at No. 2 and Derek Peterson and Julian Dehn teamed for an 8-3 win at No. 3. Brendan Ruddock posted a 6-3, 6-1 win over Conor Berg at No. 6 singles and Bonin followed with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Phil Anderson at No. 3. The Gophers clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-2 win from Sebastian Gallego over Ben Dunbar at No. 1. Michael Sicora added a 6-1, 7-5 win over Joe Wood at No. 5 and Tobias Wernet defeated Carl Ho 6-3, 6-4 at No. 2. Dino Bilankov finished the sweep with a three-set win at No. 4, beating Jadon Phillips 6-4, 4-6, (10-7). The Gophers host 22nd-ranked Washington on Sunday at noon. New Mexico meets meet Washington on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center. #46 Minnesota 7, #54 New Mexico 0 Singles 1. #77 Sebastian Gallego (MINN) def. Ben Dunbar (NM) 6-3, 6-2 2. #111 Tobias Wernet (MINN) def. Carl Ho (NM) 6-3, 6-4 3. Rok Bonin (MINN) def. Phil Anderson (NM) 6-1, 6-0 4. Dino Bilankov (MINN) def. Jadon Phillips (NM) 6-4, 4-6, (10-7) 5. Michael Sicora (MINN) def. Joe Wood (NM) 6-1, 7-5 6. Brendan Ruddock (MINN) def. Conor Berg (NM) 6-3, 6-1 Order of finish: 6,3,1,5,2,4 Doubles 1. Gallego/Arndt (MINN) def. Dunbar/Phillips (NM) 8-6 2. Wernet/Bonin (MINN) def. Wood/Anderson (NM) 8-4 3. Derek Peterson/Julian Dehn (MINN) def. Ho/Berg (NM) 8-3 Order of finish: 2,3,1 Records: Minnesota: 5-4 New Mexico: 3-5

Buckeyes tennis takes Penn State

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 20:04:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 21 Ohio State women's tennis team (12-3, 1-0 Big Ten) opened its conference slate with a 7-0 victory over Penn State (2-8, 0-2 Big Ten) Friday evening in University Park, Pa. The win is the team's fifth-consecutive over the Nittany Lions. Ohio State opened play by sweeping doubles for the seventh time this season, taking the point and a 1-0 lead. Freshmen Fidan Manashirova and Gabby Steele finished first for the Scarlet and Gray, downing the Nittany Lion duo of Lauren McCarthy and Michaela Stracar, 8-1. The Buckeye tandem is now 9-1 this spring season, with a team-best doubles winning percentage (.900). Christina Keesey and Paloma Escobedo took their match against Petra Januskova and Maria Prishlyak, 8-2. The Ohio State twosome of Kelsey Haviland and Cami Hubbs pushed their season win total to 12 after defeating Sarah Lotto and Amy Simidian, 8-4, at the top doubles spot. Manashirova and Steele extended their co-ownership of the team's best singles record to 17 after both won in straight sets. Steele finished first, posting a 6-1, 6-3 victory over PSU's Sarah Henderson while Manashirova finished with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Stracar. Haviland, playing at the No. 3 position, clinched the win for the Buckeyes after defeating Prishlyak, 6-4, 6-3. Kirsten Flower, ranked 49th nationally in singles, defeated 66th-ranked Januskova in straight sets 6-2, 7-6. The win is Flower's fourth against a ranked opponent this season. Escobedo battled with Penn State's Simidian at the No. 2 spot but came out on top in straight sets, 6-2, 7-6. Keesey defeated McCarthy, 7-6, 6-1, to give the Buckeyes their seventh shutout win of the season. Ohio State remains on the road for the next three matches, playing at Purdue March 12, at Long Beach State March 23 and at Rice March 27. The Scarlet and Gray return to Columbus April 2 to host Minnesota.

No. 3 Ohio State men beat No. 13 Louisville

Wed, 3 Mar 2010 21:46:00 +0000

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The No. 3 Ohio State men's tennis team defeated the 13th-ranked Louisville Cardinals, 5-2, Wednesday at The Ohio State University Varsity Indoor Tennis Center. The Buckeyes have now won 98 consecutive matches, which dates back to the 2003 season. Ohio State (11-1; 0-0 Big Ten) improves to 8-1 all-time vs. the Cardinals. Eleven-year head coach Ty Tucker is 4-0 against Louisville and the Buckeyes are 14-4 all-time against teams from the Big East Conference. Under Tucker, the Scarlet and Gray has won a school-record 95 consecutive regular-season (non-tournament) matches. Senior co-captain Justin Kronauge won the match for the Buckeyes at No. 2 singles vs. No. 54 Simon Childs. No. 30 Kronauge defeated Simon Childs 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 after breaking serve in the 11th game in the final set. Kronauge is now one win shy of tying former Buckeye Roger Smith (1983-86) for fourth on the all-time career wins list with 126 victories. In doubles, the Buckeyes won matches at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, to take a 1-0 advantage. At No. 2, juniors Shuhei Uzawa and Matt Allare began the Ohio State momentum with an 8-5 victory against Austen Childs and Chidi Gabriel. The Buckeye duo improves to 9-5 overall on the season. Serving to claim the doubles point, junior Balazs Novak partnered with Kronauge at No. 3. The Buckeye pair broke serve during the eighth game to take a 6-2 advantage against Viktor Maksimcuk and Sumit-Prakash Gupta. Novak and Kronauge won, 8-4, against the Louisville duo in their first match of the season paired together. Sophomore Chase Buchanan and freshman Dino Marcan paired for the second time this year at the top of the lineup vs. Simon Childs and Alejandro Calligari. The Buckeye duo fought hard and lost a close 8-6 match. In singles, Allare defeated a ranked opponent for the first time this season. He downed No. 122 Gabriel in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3, to improve to 9-3 overall with a 5-1 mark at No. 6 singles. At No. 4, No. 91 Uzawa won 6-1, 6-3 over Andrew Carter, putting the Buckeyes within one point of claiming the match. Uzawa is 13-9 overall. At No. 5, Novak lost in three sets to Calligari 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 to give the Cardinals their first point of the match. Novak, a native of Budapest, Hungary, lost just his second dual match of the season and is now 16-5 overall. At No. 4, No. 47 Marcan forced a third set against Maksimcuk after dropping the opening set. He fell 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 and is now 12-2 on the season. At the top of the lineup, No. 23 Buchanan faced his seventh-consecutive ranked opponent of the season against No. 34 Austen Childs. The native of New Albany, Ohio, won 6-4, 6-7, 6-4, to improve to 12-4 on the season, winning his last three matches. Ohio State will now prepare for another Top 20 battle as the team takes on No. 17 Texas A&M at noon Sunday at The Ohio State University Varsity Indoor Tennis Center. Live stats and updates will be available at OhioStateBuckeyes.com. No. 3 Ohio State, 5 No. 13 Louisville 2 Singles competition 1. No. 23 Chase Buchanan (OSU) def. No. 34 Austen Childs (LOU) - 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 6-4 2. No. 30 Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. No. 54 Simon Childs (LOU) - 6-2, 3-6, 7-5 3. Viktor Maksimcuk (LOU) def. No. 47 Dino Marcan (OSU) - 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 4. No. 91 Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) def. Andrew Carter (LOU) - 6-1, 6-3 5. Alejandro Calligari (LOU) def. Balazs Novak (OSU) - 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 6. Matt Allare (OSU) def. No. 122 Chidi Gabriel (LOU) - 6-4, 6-3 Doubles competition 1. Simon Childs/Alejandro Calligari (LOU) def. Chase Buchanan/Dino Marcan (OSU) - 8-6 2. Matt Allare/Shuhei Uzawa (OSU) def. Austen Childs/Chidi Gabriel (LOU) - 8-5 3. Justin Kronauge/Balazs Novak (OSU) def. Viktor Maksimcuk/Sumit-Prakash Gupta (LOU) - 8-4

IU tennis loses to Notre Dame

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 19:32:00 +0000

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The No. 30 Indiana University women's tennis team (10-3) dropped a road match at No. 3 Notre Dame on Friday, 7-0, up in South Bend, playing with a limited roster due to injury and illness. Leslie Hureau and Myriam Sopel improved to 15-5 on the doubles court , however, with their 8-5 win over the Fighting Irish. "Notre Dame is the best team we've played this year," said Head Coach Lin Loring. "They overpowered us in a lot of positions. Even with our team at full strength it would have been a really hard match to win. Some of the match-ups would have been better and scores closer, but that's about it." As mentioned above, the Hoosier No. 2 doubles team of Hureau and Sopel notched a tally in the win column. The IU tandem trailed early before battling back and controlling the action down the stretch for an 8-5 victory. "It was a really good win for Myriam and Leslie and number two doubles. We just threw them together before the match and they played well." Unfortunately a forfeit at No. 3 doubles combined with a defeat at first doubles handed Notre Dame the doubles points and a 1-0 lead. A pair of Hoosiers pushed the action in singles play, including Evgeniya Vertesheva and Myriam Sopel; both of whom lost tight 6-4 sets to nationally-ranked opponents before eventually falling in straight sets. COMPLETE RESULTS DOUBLES: No. 1- Kristy Frilling/Shannon Mathews (ND) def. #24 Lindsey Stuckey/Evgeniya Vertesheva (IU) 8-3 No. 2- Leslie Hureau/Myriam Sopel (IU) def. Cosmina Ciobanu/Colleen Rielly (ND) 8-5 No. 3- Notre Dame won by forfeit SINGLES: No. 1- #14 Kristy Frilling (ND) def. #102 Leslie Hureau (IU) 6-0, 6-1 No. 2- #92 Shannon Mathews (ND) def. Evgeniya Vertesheva (IU) 6-4, 6-1 No. 3- #90 Chrissie McGaffigan (ND) def. Myriam Sopel (IU) 6-2, 6-4 No. 4- Cosmina Ciobanu (ND) def. Lindsey Stuckey (IU) 6-1, 6-2 No. 5- Kristen Rafael (ND) def. Charlotte Martin (IU) 6-1, 6-0 No. 6- Colleen Rielley (ND) def. Maria Guerreiro (IU) 6-1, 6-1

No. 12 Illini men knock off Notre Dame

Tue, 2 Mar 2010 23:17:00 +0000

URBANA, Ill. – Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in over a month, the 12th-ranked Illini men's tennis team (5-5) got back on track with a 5-2 defeat of No. 38 Notre Dame (6-6) Tuesday night at Atkins Tennis Center. Freshman Stephen Hoh clinched the victory after rallying back in a thrilling, three-set win over David Anderson, 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. "The biggest key in Stephen's match was composure," head coach Brad Dancer said. "He really stayed calm and trusted his shots and earned the win. Bruno (Abdelnour) came up huge for us, especially playing in a situation where nerves are on the line. You can see the toughness and tenacity Abe's (Souza) playing with right now and Marek (Czerwinski) was very focused tonight and wasn't as emotional as he usually is. There was some tremendous leadership on their part in staying with their tactics and with what they wanted to do. I'm really proud of both of them." With sophomore Dennis Nevolo forced to sit out due to illness, the Illini made some last-minute adjustments to the lineup that ended up paying off big for several players. No. 106 senior Marek Czerwinski filled in at No. 1 singles and captured a straight sets upset over No. 19 Casey Watt, 7-5, 6-4, while freshman Bruno Abdelnour made his singles dual debut and topped Blas Moros, 6-4, 6-3 to setup Hoh's match-clinching victory. Illinois captured an early 1-0 lead after securing the doubles point, as Abdelnour and junior Johnny Hamui, who were playing together for the first time this season, cruised to an 8-1 win over Anderson and Matt Johnson. Souza and junior Connor Roth clinched the point with an 8-6 defeat of Niall Fitzgerald and Tyler Davis. The Illini close out their homestand Friday night against No. 17 Texas A&M at 6 p.m. at Atkins Tennis Center. #12 Illinois 5, #38 Notre Dame 2 Singles competition 1. #106 Marek Czerwinski (ILL) def. #19 Casey Watt (ND) 7-5, 6-4 2. Stephen Havens (ND) def. Johnny Hamui (ILL) 6-0, 6-1 3. #66 Abe Souza (ILL) def. #72 Daniel Stahl (ND) 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10-8) 4. Stephen Hoh (ILL) def. David Anderson (ND) 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 5. Samuel Keeton (ND) def. Connor Roth (ILL) 6-2, 6-1 6. Bruno Abdelnour (ILL) def. Blas Moros (ND) 6-4, 6-3 Doubles competition 1. Casey Watt/Stephen Havens (ND) def. #49 Marek Czerwinski/Stephen Hoh (ILL) 8-4 2. Abe Souza/Connor Roth (ILL) def. Niall Fitzgerald/Tyler Davis (ND) 8-6 3. Bruno Abdelnour/Johnny Hamui (ILL) def. David Anderson/Matt Johnson (ND) 8-1 Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,2,1,6,4,3)

Minnesota men knock off SMU, 6-1

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Minnesota pulled out a trio of three-set victories in defeating Southern Methodist 6-1 on Sunday in Dallas, Texas. The 43rd-ranked Gophers evened their season record at 4-4 with the victory, while Southern Methodist dropped to 6-5. It marked the sixth straight year and ninth time in the last 11 seasons the teams have met. Minnesota took the doubles point with a pair of tight wins. Tobias Wernet and Rok Bonin downed Tobias Flood and Pablo Perez-Espanaola 8-6 at No. 2 and Sebastian Gallego and Phillip Arndt followed with a 9-8 win over Darren Walsh and Adham el-Effendi at No. 1, taking the tiebreaker 7-4. Bonin claimed the first singles victory with a 7-5, 6-0 win over Walsh at No. 3 and Gallego put the Gophers ahead 3-0 with a 6-4, 7-6 win over Artem Bardach at No. 1. Gallego avenged a third-set tiebreaker loss to Bardach in last year's dual with the Mustangs. Southern Methodist claimed its lone win at No. 5 singles when Chris Hooshyar defeated Arndt 6-1, 6-1, however, Minnesota captured three tight matches to pull out the win. Dino Bilankov beat Pablo Perez-Espanaola 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 at No. 4 singles and Michael Sicora rallied for a 6-7, 6-1, 7-5 win over el-Effendi at No. 6. Wernet had the most dramatic win of the day with a third-set tiebreaker win over David Costa by a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (2) count. The Gophers return home Friday for a rematch of last year's NCAA first round tournament match against New Mexico at 5 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center. Minnesota beat the Lobos 4-0 in last year's opening round. #43 Minnesota 6, #73 Southern Methodist 1 Singles 1. #37 Sebastian Gallego (MINN) def. #114 Artem Baradach (SMU) 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) 2. #118 Tobias Wernet (MINN) def. David Costa (SMU) 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) 3. Rok Bonin (MINN) def. Darren Walsh (SMU) 7-5, 6-0 4. Dino Bilankov (MINN) def. PabloPerez-Espanaola (SMU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 5. Chris Hooshyar (SMU) def. Phillip Arndt (MINN) 6-1, 6-1 6. Michael Sicora (MINN) def. Adham el-Effendi (SMU) 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 7-5 Doubles 1. Sebastian Gallego/Phillip Arndt (MINN) def. Darren Walsh/Adham el-Effendi (SMU) 9-8 (7-4) 2. Tobias Wernet/Rok Bonin (MINN) def. Tobias Flood/Pablo Perez-Espanaola (SMU) 8-6 3. Artem Baradach/Chris Hooshyar (SMU) vs. Dino Bilankov/Julian Dehn (MINN) 7-4, unfinished

Wisconsin men lose close one to Notre Dame

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:52:00 +0000

MADISON, Wis. – After going head-to-head against a tough No. 41 Notre Dame team, the Wisconsin Badgers dropped the match 4-3 to the Fighting Irish. The match fell on the shoulders of sophomore Patrick Pohlmann who went the distance in a three-set decision, but eventually fell short to give Notre Dame the victory. After making it a team priority to succeed in doubles, the Badgers were successful in snatching the crucial doubles point from the Fighting Irish to start, what proved to be, a very tight match. Wisconsin opened the dual match with a quick 8-4 doubles victory from junior Marek Michalicka and senior Luke Rassow-Kantor at the No. 2 slot. Next, senior Michael Dierberger teamed up with freshman Ricardo Martin to capture an 8-3 win in the No. 3 spot which secured the doubles point for Wisconsin. Senior Moritz Baumann and Pohlmann lost their match 8-5 against a competitive Notre Dame duo. With Wisconsin leading 1-0 after doubles play, the Irish were looking for vengeance and turned up the heat in singles. Rassow-Kantor extended the Badger lead to 2-0 with his swift 6-3, 6-1 victory over Matt Johnson. David Anderson retaliated for Notre Dame by defeating Martin 6-3, 6-2, marking the first point for the Fighting Irish. Freshman Chris Freeman finished next for UW in the No. 5 spot. After taking Samuel Keeton to a close 10-8 first-set tiebreak, the Badger eventually dropped his match, losing in a close 7-6 (10-8), 6-1 heartbreak. This loss leveled out the match score, with both teams sitting at 2-2. Despite Wisconsin's valiant effort, Notre Dame pulled ahead after winning at No. 1 singles. Earlier this season, No. 7-ranked Baumann defeated No. 28-ranked Casey Watt in two sets during the final round to claim his first singles title at the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships. This time around, Watt ended with the upper hand. Baumann opened the match by easily taking the first set 6-2.Watt responded with an equal 6-2 win in the second. In the third, the two ranked players battled it out, but Baumann fell just short, losing 6-4 in the third. At the No. 2 spot, No. 22-ranked Michalicka faced No. 123-ranked Stephen Havens. After Michalicka won the first set 6-4, Havens retaliated by taking the Badger to a second-set tiebreak. Havens won the tiebreak 7-5, forcing Michalicka to a third set. The UW junior jumped to a quick 4-1 lead in the third before Havens retired, giving Michalicka the win and tying the match score 3-3 between the two top-ranked schools. This added pressure to the sophomore and No. 73-ranked Pohmann to bring home the victory for Wisconsin. Pohlmann faced No. 101-ranked Daniel Stahl who claimed the first set 6-3. The Badger battled back, taking Stahl to a second-set tiebreak where Pohlmann won 7-4. After forcing the match to a third set, Pohlmann battled to win four games, but eventually fell to Stahl in a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 match, leaving the Badgers one point short of a victory. Wisconsin has a week off before they host a five-match home stretch when the Badgers return to action on Wednesday, March 10 against an unranked Marquette. #41 Notre Dame 4, #31 Wisconsin 3 Singles competition 1. #28 Casey Watt (ND) def. #7 Moritz Baumann (WISC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-4 2. #22 Marek Michalicka (WISC) def. #123 Stephen Havens (ND) 6-4, 6-7 (5-7), 4-1, retired 3. #101 Daniel Stahl (ND) def. #73 Patrick Pohlmann (WISC) 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 6-4 4. David Anderson (ND) def. Martin, Ricardo (WISC) 6-3, 6-2 5. Samuel Keeton (ND) def. Chris Freeman (WISC) 7-6 (10-8), 6-1 6. Luke Rassow-Kantor (WISC) def. Matt Johnson (ND) 6-3, 6-1 Doubles competition 1. Stephen Havens/Casey Watt (ND) def. Moritz Baumann/Patrick Pohlmann (WISC) 8-5 2. Marek Michalicka/Luke Rassow-Kantor (WISC) def. Tyler Davis/Niall Fitzgerald (ND) 8-4 3. Martin, Ricardo/Michael Dierberger (WISC) def. David Anderson/Spencer Talmadge (ND) 8-3