Michigan State University
Vanderbilt
Michigan State Men's Tennis Handed First Loss
1/27/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Jan. 27, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Michigan State men's tennis team competed against No. 33 Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday afternoon. The Spartans played tough as the competition came down to the last match, but the Commodores proved to be too much for MSU, clipping the Spartans, 4-3. MSU now stands at 5-1 in dual-match play on the season.
Vanderbilt came out on fire as it stole the first point of the match, winning two of three doubles flights. No. 1 doubles Nick Rinks and John Allare took their match into a tiebreaker, but Vanderbilt's Evan Dufaux and Nick Cromydas made the shots when it counted, defeating the Spartan duo, 9-8 (5). At No. 2 doubles, MSU's Adam Monich and Alex Forger picked up the win, defeating Ryan Preston and Bryant Salcedo, 8-6.
In singles play, No. 4 Monich scored the first point of the match for MSU, as he defeated Vanderbilt's Cromydas in straight sets, 7-6 (3), 6-1. The momentum would continue, as No. 1 Rinks took out Ryan Preston 6-4, 7-5, to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead. At No. 2, Forger was beaten by No. 79 Vijay Paul, 7-6 (5), 6-2. With the match tied at 3-3, it came down the No. 6 singles point, where MSU's Tyler Sauerbrey was defeated by Vanderbilt's Alex Zotov, 7-6 (9-7), 7-5.
"The guys played really hard today," said MSU head coach Gene Orlando. "We gave ourselves a chance today, and we left it all out on the court. It was a disappointing loss, but we played them tough. I'm proud of the way the guys competed today."
MSU returns to action next Wednesday, Jan. 30 as it travels to South Bend, Ind., for a matchup with No. 12 Notre Dame.
Players Mentioned
