Men's Tennis Set For Big Ten Championships
4/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 24, 2007
EAST LANSING, Mich. -
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The ninth-seeded Michigan State men's tennis team finished the regular season last weekend and return to action on April 26 as it takes on eighth-seeded Northwestern at the Big Ten Championships, which will be hosted by Purdue. The 2007 Big Ten Championships are being held on April 26-29 at the Schwartz Tennis Center in West Lafayette, Ind.
A Look Back At The Green And White
Michigan State finished the season 11-15, 2-8 Big Ten, after dropping two matches last weekend to end the regular season. State's two Big Ten wins came consecutively against Iowa (5-2) and Penn State (4-3) a few weeks ago.
MSU's final loss of the year came from Northwestern, when the team lost 5-2. The Spartans dropped the doubles point but netted two points from John Allare and Scott Rasmussen in singles.
State was led throughout the season by junior Nick Rinks. The Kalamazoo native had the best record in singles with a 15-7 mark in dual play, 6-2 against Big Ten players. The junior also got by five ranked players, with his highest win coming against 52nd-ranked Matko Maravic of Michigan. Rinks was also the only Spartan to earn Big Ten Player of the Week accolades this year.
Last Year At The Big Tens
Last year, Michigan State earned a No. 10 seed and took on No. 7 Northwestern. State entered the contest 7-18, 1-9 in Big Ten, and Northwestern stood at 16-10, 5-5 Big Ten, at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Minn. Against the Wildcats last season, the Spartans were defeated, 4-0, ending State's post-season hopes. At No. 3 doubles, State's Mike Brown and Scott Rasmussen were knocked off by the duo of Marc Dwyer and Juan Gomez, 8-2. Northwestern clinched the doubles point at No. 2 when Willy Lock and Christian Tempke defeated John Allare and Michael Flowers, 9-7. In singles, the Green and White lost in straight sets. Dwyer defeated Flowers, 6-3, 6-0 at No. 4; MSU's Rasmussen was knocked off by Adam Schaechterle, 6-2, 6-0, on the fifth court; and at No. 3 Gomez earned the victory for Northwestern defeating Allare, 7-5, 6-3.
The Northwestern Wildcats
Paul Torricelli's Northwestern Wildcats finished the regular season with a 9-13 record, 4-6 Big Ten. The Wildcats garnered Big Ten wins this season against Wisconsin (4-3), Purdue (5-2), Iowa (5-2) and MSU (5-2) and finished the season with a two-match win streak.
Northwestern best dual record in singles came from senior Willy Lock, who posted a 6-4 conference record and a 12-10 record overall. The senior primarily played at the No. 1 spot where he held a 7-8 record and played seven matches at No. 2, which he finished 5-2. Lock posted wins against two ranked players during the dual season; Harvard's 93rd-ranked Chris Clayton and Arkansas' 57th-ranked Blake Strode.
Last Year At The Big Tens
After the win against Michigan State at last year's Big Ten Championships, Northwestern faced Illinois. The Illini claimed the doubles point, then took four singles matches in straight sets for the win. Illinois won two quick matches in doubles, by an 8-2 decision and took that momentum into singles play. Illinois' Marc Spicijaric gave the Illini a 2-0 lead when he topped Adam Schaechterle at No. 5 singles 6-1, 6-1. The Illini's Kevin Anderson then beat Willy Lock 6-0, 6-4 at No. 2. G.D. Jones then clinched the match for UI when he topped Juan Gomez at the No. 3 spot, 6-1, 6-2. Ryler DeHeart beat Christian Tempke, 6-3, 6-2, giving Illinois the 5-0 win.
Next Up
Following the first-round matchup of Michigan State and Northwestern, the winner will move to the next round to face No. 1 seed Ohio State on Friday, April 27 for a 10 a.m. match.
Players Mentioned
