April 19, 2015
IOWA CITY, Iowa - The No. 51 Penn State men's tennis team wrapped up the regular season on Sunday with a 4-2 win at No. 66 Iowa. The Nittany Lions won the doubles point and singles matches at the bottom three positions. The blue and white improved to 15-14 overall and 5-6 in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions, led by Head Coach Jeff Zinn and Assistant Coach Paul Tobin, head to the Big Ten Tournament next weekend. The tournament begins on Thursday in Urbana, Ill., hosted by the University of Illinois. With the victory, Penn State moves into the sixth seed entering the tournament. They will play at 2 p.m. on Thursday against an opponent to be determined.
The win was Penn State's sixth this season over a ranked opponent. Penn State also has a winning record for the first time since February 13.
"I thought it was a very good match between two good teams," said Zinn. "Iowa is a very good Big Ten team, they've had a great year. They competed well on their Senior Day. Â We played well, we knew it was an important weekend for us and we needed this win."
Penn State clinched the doubles point for the third straight match and fifth time in their last six matches. The Nittany Lions earned wins at No. 2 and No. 3 to claim the point.
Junior Matt Barry (Lido Beach, N.Y.) and senior Michael Reilly (Raleigh, N.C.) met Iowa's Dominic Patrick and Josh Silverstein at No. 2. The Nittany Lion duo battled through a close set to take a 6-5 lead, eventually winning 8-5. They improved to 8-0 this spring.
At No. 3, sophomores Aws Laaribi (Rye, N.Y.) and Christian Lutschaunig (Richboro, Pa.) combined against the Hawkeyes' Andres Estenssoro and Lefteris Theodorou. The Penn State pair jumped out to a 4-1 lead on their way to an 8-5 victory to clinch the point. Laaribi and Lutschaunig are now 3-0 this spring.
Sophomore Alex Fennell (Bala Cynwyd, Pa.) and junior Leonard Stakhovsky (Kiev, Ukraine) competed at the top doubles spot against Matt Hagan and Jake Jacoby. The Nittany Lions were leading 7-5 when the match was stopped.
Senior Tomas Hanzlik (Prague, Czech Republic) faced Silverstein at the No. 4 singles position. Hanzlik won the opening set, 6-3, but Silverstein responded, winning the second frame, 6-2. Hanzlik trailed 4-2 in the deciding set, but rallied back to win it, 7-5. Hanzlik is now riding a six-match win streak and improved to 16-8 this spring.
Laaribi took on Iowa's Jacoby at the fifth singles position. The sophomore took an early 3-1 lead in his opening set on his way to a 6-4 win. He kept his momentum going in the following set, winning 6-2. Laaribi improved to 11-6 in dual matches.
Junior Roman Trkulja (Toronto, Canada) matched up at the sixth singles spot against the Hawkeyes' Estenssoro. Trkulja dominated the first set, winning 6-0. He did not let up in the second set, winning 6-1. Trkulja won his fifth straight match and picked up his 11th victory this spring.
At the top singles position, Stakhovsky, ranked 123rd in the ITA Poll, competed against Hagan, ranked 117th in the nation. In a tight first set, Hagan came out on top, 7-6. Stakhovsky dropped the second set, 6-3. He is now 10-13 in dual matches.
Fennell met the Hawkeyes' Theodorou at the No. 2 singles spot. Fennell fell 6-1 in the first set, but bounced back to win the second set, 7-5. In the final set, Theodorou won 6-3. Fennell remains at nine wins this spring.
The junior, Barry, took on Iowa's Patrick at No. 3. Barry won a tight opening set, 7-5, but Patrick responded, winning his own 7-5 set. Barry was leading 4-2 in the deciding set when the match was stopped.
"Another great win on the road against a very talented Iowa team," said Tobin. "Great way to end the regular season with back-to-back wins on the road. It got a bit scary there up 3-1 with some very tight third sets going on. Playing inside helped us on certain courts, especially in doubles. We only have a couple days to regroup before we head out to the Big Ten Tournament."
Please check back to GoPSUsports.com for more coverage of the Penn State men's tennis team. Updates are also available on our Facebook, Penn State Men's Tennis, and Twitter, @pennstateMTEN, pages.
Doubles:
1. Fennell/Stakhovsky(PSU) vs. Hagan/Jacoby(Iowa), 7-5, unfinished.
2. Barry/Reilly(PSU) def. Patrick/Silverstein(Iowa), 8-5.
3. Laaribi/Lutschaunig(PSU) def. Estenssoro/Theodorou(Iowa), 8-5.
Order of Finish: 2,3
Singles:
1. #117 Matt Hagan(Iowa) def. #123 Leo Stakhovsky(PSU), 7-6, 6-3.
2. Lefteris Theodorou(Iowa) def. Alex Fennell(PSU), 6-1, 5-7, 6-3.
3. Matt Barry(PSU) vs. Dominic Patrick(Iowa), 7-5, 5-7, 4-2, unfinished.
4. Tomas Hanzlik(PSU) def. Josh Silverstein(Iowa), 6-3, 2-6, 7-5.
5. Aws Laaribi(PSU) def. Jake Jacoby(Iowa) 6-4, 6-2.
6. Roman Trkulja(PSU) def. Andres Estenssoro(Iowa), 6-0, 6-1.
Order of Finish: 6,5,1,2,4