Michigan State University
Toledo
MSU Men's Tennis Earns Two Wins at Home Opener
1/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Final Stats: Toledo | Final Stats: Wright State
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The MSU men's tennis team (2-1, 0-0) went a perfect 2-0 on the day in their first home action of the spring season on Monday with a 6-1 victory over Toledo and a 7-0 win over Wright State in the nightcap.
The Spartans started the day by earning the doubles point in a clean 3-0 sweep of the Rockets. Mac Roy and Michael Dube won, 6-3, at No. 1 doubles, while the team of John Patrick Mullane and Colin Harvey were victorious at No.2 doubles, also winning 6-3. Billy Shisler and Jasper Koenen picked up a 6-5 win at No. 3 doubles.
In singles play the Spartans took all but one contest, with Koenen making quick work of UT's Stephen Miller, winning 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 4 singles spot. Next came a 6-1, 6-1 win for Mullane at No. 1, followed by a hard-fought 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win for Alexander Kim at No. 5 singles. Dube picked up a 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win at the No. 3 spot and Ivan Rakic won at No. 6 to give the Spartans the 6-1 decision.
The 6-1 win over the Rockets also gave MSU head coach Gene Orlando his 300th Spartan victory.
"It's a great milestone and I'm excited to have the opportunity to be able to coach here for 25 years," Orlando said. "To get 300 wins is a great accomplishment and Michigan State is a great place to be because we have a great university and a great athletic department."
The Spartans brought Orlando win No. 301 against Wright State to close out the day. MSU earned the doubles point in the nightcap with wins from the team of Shisler and Koenen at No. 2 doubles and Harvey and Rakic at No. 3 doubles.
The Spartans swept singles competition, but it wasn't easy, with tiebreakers and back-and-forth sets on almost every court.
"Nothing was easy. Wright State made us feel uncomfortable in the singles and we had to fight through it, but it was exactly what we wanted," Orlando said. "We just want to continue to get better in each match we play and it's always better to get the win and improve."
Roy earned another tough victory at No. 1 singles, winning 7-6, 6-2, while Dube beat Daniel Gilbert 6-2, 6-3 at No. 2 singles and Koenen earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 3 singles. Shisler managed a come-from-behind win at No. 4, defeating Jose Pestana 6-4, 7-6, while Harvey defeated Diego Venegas 7-5, 4-6, 10-6 and Kim beat Fernando Nardelli 7-5, 6-2 to round out the day.
"We had the momentum going for us," Roy said. "We might have had a little slow start in our singles matches, but it's not somewhere we haven't been before. We've always been able to dig ourselves out and we just fought hard all day long."
The Spartans return to action this weekend as they take on Texas Arlington on Saturday, Jan. 23 and Arkansas on Jan. 24, with both matches taking place in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Michigan State 6, Toledo 1
Jan. 18, 2016 at East Lansing, Mich. (MSU Indoor Tennis Courts)
Singles Competition
1. John Patrick Mullane (MSU) def. Omar Espinosa (UT) 6-1, 6-1
2. Luka Vitosevic (UT) def. Mac Roy (MSU) 6-7 (9-11), 6-4, 10-4
3. Michael Dube (MSU) def. Vince Anzalone (UT) 7-6 (7-3), 6-3
4. Jasper Koenen (MSU) def. Stephen Miller (UT) 6-1, 6-2
5. Alexander Kim (MSU) def. Serjen Olmedo (UT) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
6. Ivan Rakic (MSU) def. Juan Carranza (UT) 7-6, 6-3
Doubles Competition
1. Mac Roy/Michael Dube (MSU) def. Omar Espinosa/Serjen Olmedo (UT) 6-3
2. John Patrick Mullane/Colin Harvey (MSU) def. Danilo Pejovic/Luka Vitosevic (UT) 6-3
3. Billy Shisler/Jasper Koenen (MSU) def. Vince Anzalone/Reid Teatsorth (UT) 6-5
Michigan State 7, Wright State 0
Jan. 18, 2016 at East Lansing, Mich. (MSU Indoor Tennis Courts)
Singles Competition
1. Mac Roy (MSU) def. Andrew Connolly (WSU) 7-6. 6-2
2. Michael Dube (MSU) def. Dan Gilbert (WSU) 6-2, 6-3
3. Jasper Koenen (MSU) def. Marc Sodini (WSU) 6-2, 6-2
4. Billy Shisler (MSU) def. Jose Pestana (WSU) 6-4, 7-6
5. Colin Harvey (MSU) def. Diego Venegas (WSU) 7-5, 4-6, 10-6
6. Alexander Kim (MSU) def. Fernando Nardelli (WSU) 7-5, 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. Andrew Connolly/Dan Gilbert (WSU) def. Mac Roy/Michael Dube (MSU) 6-4
2. Billy Shisler/Jasper Koenen (MSU) def. Jose Pestana/Diego Venegas (WSU) 6-2
3. Colin Harvey/Ivan Rakic (MSU) def. Marc Sodini/Fernando Nardelli (WSU) 7-5
Players Mentioned
