Spartans Ready For Last Home Match Of The Season
4/12/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 12, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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The Michigan State men's tennis team looks to grab another win against 37th-ranked Penn State, after it posted its first Big Ten victory over Iowa, 5-2, last weekend.
With the score tied at one with the Hawkeyes, the doubles point came down to court two. MSU's No. 2 team of Alex Forger and Michael Flowers came through for the Spartans with a 9-7 victory over Gregory Holm and Walker Grimes, to secure the first point for Michigan State.
The wins kept coming for the Green and White in singles as No. 59 Nick Rinks collected his fifth Big Ten victory on court No. 1. Adam Monich returned to action after being sick last week to get his second victory of the dual season when playing at the No. 4 spot. Alex Forger clinched the victory for MSU on court No. 2. The sophomore cruised past his opponent to grab his 10th dual season victory of the year. After a win at doubles, John Allare continued his winning ways on court No. 3 for a win and broke his two match losing streak and earned the Spartans' fifth and final point of the match.
The Penn State Nittany Lions Last weekend Penn State fell to eighth-ranked Illinois, 5-2, breaking its seven-match win streak. The Nittany Lions were swept in doubles, but were able to claw back with two wins in singles from Brendan Lynch and Bradley Hunter at Nos. 5 and 6, respectively.
The Nittany Lions' only other losses of the dual season came against Wisconsin, 4-3, and Virginia Tech, 4-3.
In doubles, Penn State stays consistent with its No. 1 doubles team of Ryan Berger and Michael James. The duo is currently ranked No. 41 and is 6-2 in dual season play and 4-1 in the Big Ten. James, who is ranked 102nd in the nation, also has spent a majority of his time at the No. 1 singles spot, earning a 14-3 dual season record and 5-2 Big Ten record.
The Last Meeting Last season, MSU fell to Penn State, 6-1, on the road, in its final regular-season match of the season. The only point for MSU came from a singles victory by sophomore Adam Monich at No. 2. Monich knocked off Malcolm Scatliffe in two sets, 6-3, 7-6.
Penn State has the overall advantage in the series, with a 16-8 record. State's last victory against the Nittany Lions at home was in 2001 with a 4-3 victory for the Green and White.
Spartans Salute Senior Senior Michael Flowers will compete in his last match at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon. The Memphis, Tenn., native began his Spartan career in 2003, earning a 17-13 singles and a 10-12 doubles record. During his sophomore year, he teamed up with Cameron Marshall and went 7-6 for the second highest amount of double victories on the team. The following year, Flowers played primarily at No. 4 singles, winning seven matches. In his final season as a Spartan the lone senior was 3-2 in singles in the fall season and has an 11-11 individual record in dual season doubles play.
Players Mentioned
