Oct. 29, 2011
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The Penn State men's tennis team opened play at the Big Ten Indoor Championships with three rounds of doubles play. The tournament will continue Saturday with two rounds of singles play at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
Junior Bryan Welnetz (Laredo, Texas) and sophomore Russell Bader (Austin, Texas) started play in the flight "A" doubles bracket with a resounding victory. The duo took Illinois' Guignon and Abdelnour to a tie-breaker before earning a heart-pounding 9-8 victory. In the second round, Welnetz and Bader fell to Michigan State's Brooks and Pfister, 8-2. The pairing then took on MacTaggert and Vogl of Indiana in the quarterfinal loser's bracket. The Penn State team remained close but fell in the end, 8-5.
In flight "B" doubles competition, freshman Tomas Hanzlik (Prague, Czech Republic) and sophomore Chris Young (Melbourne, Australia) fell in opening round competition, 8-3. After moving to the consolation bracket, the duo fell to Iowa's Dunn and Swank, 8-5.
After the Big Ten Indoor Championships singles competition, the Nittany Lions will return home until the spring season begins. They will kick off the spring season by traveling to Raleigh, N.C. Sunday, Jan. 22 to take on the N.C. State Wolfpack at noon.
Doubles:
Flight "A"
Round 1) Welnetz/Bader (PSU) def. Guignon/Abdelnour (ILL), 9-8
Round 2) Brooks/Pfister (MSU) def. Welnetz Bader (PSU), 8-2
Round 3) MacTaggert/Vogl (INDIANA) def. Welnetz/Bader (PSU), 8-5
Flight "B"
Round 1) Tomlins/White (IOWA) def. Hanzlik/Young (PSU), 8-3
Round 2) Dunn/Swank (IOWA) def. Hanzlik/Young (PSU), 8-5