Men's Tennis Set For Big Ten Championships
4/21/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 21, 2009
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2009 Big Ten Championships
Eleventh-seeded Michigan State will take on the sixth-seed and 53rd-ranked Indiana on the first day of action at the Big Ten Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich. The meeting will be the second for the two teams within a two week span.
Last Time Out vs. Indiana
The two teams faced each other on Saturday, April 18 at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts, with the Hoosiers defeating the Spartans, 5-2. MSU's two freshmen, Austin Brooks and Ronnie Hulewicz picked up wins in singles over Stephen Vogel, 7-5, 3-6, 6-2, and Maxime Armengoud, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3, respectively. The pairing of senior Alex Forger and sophomore John Stratton recorded the lone doubles a win for the Green and White over the Indiana duo of Stephen Vogel and Lachlan Ferguson at the No. 2 position, 8-7.
2008 Big Ten Championships
The Spartans had an early exit from last year's championships as they were downed by Minnesota, 4-1. Nick Rinks had the only win for the Green and White, taking out Minnesota's Raoul Schwark in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.
Regular-Season Finale
MSU concluded the 2009 dual season Sunday, after dropping a 6-1 decision to No. 11 Illinois. Senior Alex Forger picked up the Spartans lone win at No. 2 singles, defeating 68th-ranked Marc Spicijaric, 6-4, 7-5, and was the last singles match to conclude. The match between the MSU doubles tandem of freshman Austin Brooks and junior Brendan Kinkopf and Meedo El Tabakh and Ruan Roelofse of Illinois went into a tie-breaker, but the Fighting Illini came out with the win, 8-7(5).
A Look Back
The Spartans had a dominating start to the 2009 season, going 12-1 to begin dual play. The lone loss came at the hands of No. 25 Notre Dame. MSU topped last year's record, making it the best start under head coach Gene Orlando. MSU swept five teams in the beginning of the season, defeating Detroit Mercy, Youngstown State, Western Illinois, Valparaiso and IUPUI, all by a 7-0 score. The Green and White picked up a hard-fought win over Santa Clara while in California over spring break, posting a 4-3 victory. While Michigan State saw success early on, they failed to pick up a win in Big Ten play despite remaining competitive in a few matches including a heart-breaking loss to Iowa, 4-3.
Doubles Duo
The doubles pairing of senior John Allare and junior Jason Norville have impressed with their play this season and was recently ranked 79th nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The duo is the first doubles team from MSU to be ranked this season. Currently, the two have a 15-12 overall record, including a 12-10 tally in dual matches. Allare and Norville opened the dual season with nine straight wins and hold an unblemished 7-0 mark at the No. 2 position.
Freshman Sensation
Freshman Ronnie Hulewicz has started his career at Michigan State strong, proving himself as an asset to the Green and White. Hulewicz claims the best overall and dual record this season. He has tallied an impressive 26-12 overall singles record, is 19-5 in dual play and has a 6-4 record in the Big Ten. Hulewicz is also 14-4 at No. 5 singles and has compiled a 6-4 record in his last 10 matches. Before falling to Iowa, Hulewicz was riding an 11-match win streak. During the team's spring break trip to California, Hulewicz was the only Spartan to pick up a singles win in all three matches.
Leaving Big Shoes to Fill
Seniors John Allare, Scott Rasmussen and Alex Forger have all made substantial impacts on the team this season and have contributed greatly to the team's success.
Allare began the 2009 dual season ranked 22nd regionally and he finished play with an overall record of 20-17, and 10-14 in dual play. He has posted a 5-8 record at No. 1 and 5-6 at No. 2. Forger started the 2009 dual season ranked regionally at No. 27 and currently holds a 10-12 dual season record, going 5-5 at the No. 2 position and 5-7 at No. 1. Rasmussen has a dual record of 9-15, with wins coming at the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 positions. Three of his wins came at the No. 3 position, two at the No. 2 spot and the remaining four wins at the No. 4 spot.
Spartan Quickfacts
Michigan State has picked up the doubles point 12 times this season, most recently against Iowa. They are 12-13 in dual play with 11 of those wins coming at home and one on the road. Twelve of the thirteen teams that MSU has fallen to are all nationally ranked; No. 25 Notre Dame, No. 29 Tulsa, No. 60 California, No. 37 Minnesota, No. 26 Wisconsin, No. 58 Northwestern, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 51 Penn State, No. 47 Michigan, No. 53 Indiana and No. 11 Illinois. MSU has had six losses at home, coming from No. 25 Notre Dame, No. 5 Ohio State, No. 51 Penn State, No. 47 Michigan, No. 53 Indiana and No. 11 Illinois. The Spartans finished 0-10 in Big Ten play.
Players Mentioned
