Men's Tennis Hosts Final Matches of 2010 Season
4/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 13, 2010
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Assistant Coach Matt Roberts
Jason Norville
Denis Bogatov
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team will play its final home matches of the 2010 season against Western Michigan on Wednesday, April 13 at 4 p.m. and then conclude its home portion of the schedule against Purdue on Saturday, April 17 at 12 p.m. Both matches will be played at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts, weather permitting.
Last Time Out
The Michigan State men's tennis team fell by the close margin of 4-3 to Penn State in University Park, Pa., on Sunday, April 11th. The loss left the Spartans at an even 12-12 overall record.
The Spartans earned wins at the No. 2, 3 and 5 singles positions. SophomoreAustin Brooks(Houston, Texas) fought hard at No. 2 singles to come out with a victory over Ryan Gormley, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3. FreshmanDenis Bogatov(Gurnee, Ill.) posted a 6-3, 6-4 win over Warren Hardie at the No. 3 spot, whileJohn Stratton (Monroeville, N.J.) came out on top in a three-set match over Guillaume St. Maurice, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4.
Fierce Freshmen
The freshmen have continued to impress this season as Will Davis (Louisville, Ky.), Christian Roehmer (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) and Bogatov have all contributed to the Spartans' success thus far this season.
Davis has seen action at No. 5 and No. 6 singles where he has compiled a 5-8 record on the year. Davis' most recent win came in a 7-6(8), 6-4 decision over Taylor Tunis of IUPUI.
Roehmer has picked up three wins at the No. 6 spot with his most recent being over Malcolm Peace of IUPUI, 6-2, 6-1.
Bogatov continues to be the standout freshman competing in both singles and doubles action at the No. 3 position. After picking up one of three Spartan singles wins last weekend, he stands at 15-6 overall in singles, the most singles wins on the team. He is also 13-7 with partner Clark Richardson (Leawood, Kan.) on the year at No. 3 doubles.
Dynamic Doubles
Doubles action has proven to be a strong point for the Green and White. MSU has attained the doubles point in each of its 11 wins this season. No. 3 doubles has posted the most wins out of any other doubles position having compiled a 14-8 mark. No. 2 doubles currently holds a record of 13-9, while No. 1 doubles has picked up eight wins.
The pairing of Bogatov and Richardson has been a stable part of the Spartan doubles lineup at the No. 3 position. The duo stands at an impressive 13-7 on the season.
At No. 2 doubles, Norville and Vallee have compiled a 12-9 overall record after most recently defeating Northwestern opponents.
The No. 1 doubles paring of Stratton and Brooks currently has seven wins on the season together. The most recent win the two earned was over Justin Haaq and Jeff Rutherford of Eastern Illinois, 8-6.
Spartan Depth
The Spartans have showed versatility and depth with sturdy play from the sophomores and juniors. Stratton has the third most wins (10) in dual play on the team, seeing action at No. 3 (1-0), No. 4 (4-2) and No. 5 (5-6) singles.
He impressed in the teams match against Notre Dame when he earned the only win for the Green and White after topping No. 105 Blas Moros at No. 5 singles, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Sophomore Ronnie Hulewicz (Tequesta, Fla.) has seen a majority of the action at No. 1 singles, but has also played three matches at No. 2. Overall, Hulewicz stands at 12-10 overall, attaining the second most wins on the team.
Brooks has played primarily at the No. 2 spot where he posted his most recent win over Ryan Gormley of Penn State, 6-3, 5-7, 6-3, to attain one of three wins for the Green and White.
Western Michigan
The Broncos have compiled an overall record of 16-9. This match marks the 83rd meeting between WMU and MSU. The Spartans lead the all-time series, 55-27. The most recent meeting between the Broncos and the Spartans was in the spring of 2009 when Michigan State defeated Western Michigan, 6-1. Dave Morin is in his 13th season at the helm of the Broncos' tennis program.
Purdue
Purdue is currently 11-10 overall on the season and 1-5 in the Big Ten. The Boilermaker's lone conference win came over No. 48 Northwestern, 5-2. MSU leads the all-time series, 40-28, making this match the 69th between the two schools. Their last meeting, in the spring of 2009, ended in Purdue's favor, 5-2. Pawel Gajdzik is in his ninth season as Purdue's head tennis coach.
Next Up
The Spartans head out of town for their last road trips of the 2010 season as they head to Bloomington, Ind., on Saturday, April 24 to take on Indiana at 12 p.m. and then to Champaign, Ill., on Sunday, April 25 to take on Illinois. Both matches are slated to begin at 12 p.m.
Players Mentioned
