Men's Tennis Prepares for Two Big Ten Matchups
4/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 18, 2008
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COMING UP
Michigan State returns home for its last two matchups of the season, as it plays host to Northwestern on Saturday, April 19 and No. 34 Wisconsin on Sunday, April 20. The Wildcats lead the all-time series against the Spartans, 42-23, while Wisconsin holds a 34-32 edge. Both matches are set to begin at 12 p.m. at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts.
SENIOR WEEKEND
The Spartans will honor seniors Nick Rinks and Adam Monich at this weekend's matches.
LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State is coming off a 7-0 loss to No. 47 Penn State last Saturday in University Park, Pa.
Penn State (14-9, 5-3 Big Ten) dominated from the start, taking the Spartans out in all three doubles matches and taking the 1-0 lead. MSU's John Allare and Adam Monich put up a fight at No. 2, but were edged by Adam Slagter and Chris Sherman in the tiebreaker, 9-8 (7).
The Spartans struggled in singles play as well, as they were swept in six flights. No. 63 Michael James of Penn State defeated No. 105 Nick Rinks in a tough three-set match at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 4-6, 6-2. At No. 2, MSU's Alex Forger took Adam Slagter into a third-set supertiebreaker, but ultimately fell, 6-1, 6-7 (7), 1-0 (6), while MSU's No. 4 Monich lost to Eddie Bourchier in a supertiebreaker of his own, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 1-0 (7). At No. 3, Allare was dropped by Brendan Lynch, 6-3, 6-4, and PSU's James Dwyer downed Clark Richardson at No. 5, 6-4, 6-0. At No. 6, Scott Rasmussen was defeated by PSU's Guillaume St. Maurice, 6-4, 6-2.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northwestern started the season 4-1, but has stumbled in Big Ten play (0-9), and is looking for its first conference win of the season against the Spartans. The Wildcats are coming off two 6-1 losses to Minnesota and Iowa last weekend. Marc Dwyer and Alex Sanborn are tied for the most wins on the team (6) in singles dual-match play, as they both stand with a 6-13 record. Sanborn leads the team in overall wins on the season, going 14-15, including a 5-1 mark at No. 3 singles. Dwyer and Sanborn hold the best record in doubles play as well, posting a mark of 11-9 at No. 1.
A LOOK AT THE BADGERS
The Badgers are currently ranked No. 34 in the nation and have a 15-8 record, including a 7-2 mark in Big Ten play. The Badgers have struggled on the road this season, going 2-7, compared to an undefeated record (11-0) at home. Marek Michalicka has the most wins on the team in singles play, going 19-2, and posting an 8-1 record at No. 3. Moritz Baumann and Nolan Polley lead the team in doubles, with a 7-7 record.
KEY PLAYERS
Seniors Nick Rinks (14-6) and Adam Monich (13-7) have led the way for the Spartans in singles play. The doubles duo of Rinks and Monich is 11-0 in dual-match play, and currently ranked 21st in the nation.
STRONG SINGLES
The Spartans have a combined record of 44-23 at the No. 1, 3 and 4 positions in dual-match play, going 16-6 at No. 1, 13-9 at No. 3, and 14-7 at No. 4. Nick Rinks has played all of his matches at No. 1, going 14-6 so far, and is currently ranked No. 105 in the nation. Junior John Allare holds a 8-8 record at No. 3, while Adam Monich is 2-1 at flight 3. Monich has posted a 10-6 record for the Spartans at No. 4, and recorded his first-career victory at No. 1 singles over Gabriel Garcia of IUPUI on Feb. 2.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Spartans are 10-2 this season in East Lansing, compared to a record of 1-9 when on the road.
BY THE NUMBERS
Michigan State is 7-0 on the season when winning at No. 2 and No. 5 singles. MSU has won 10 of 14 matches when winning the doubles point, compared to a 1-7 record when losing the one-point advantage.
WIN WATCH
Gene Orlando needs just two more victories to record his 200th win as head coach at Michigan State.
NEXT UP
Michigan State will compete at the Big Ten Championships, hosted by the University of Iowa. First-round action is set to begin on Thursday, April 24.
Players Mentioned
