Michigan State University
Virginia Tech
Spartans Dominate Singles in 5-2 Win at No. 69 Virginia Tech
4/1/2023 3:12:00 PM | Men's Tennis
BLACKSBURG, Va. - Michigan State men's tennis used a strong singles performance to top No. 69 Virginia Tech in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg.
MSU moves to 7-10 (0-3 B1G), while Virginia Tech drops to 8-12 (2-6 ACC). Saturday's win snapped a three-match losing streak for the Spartans and marked the second win over a ranked foe this season.
Virginia Tech took an early 1-0 lead after picking up the doubles point with wins on courts two and three. Junior Graydon Lair and sophomore Josh Portnoy fell to the Hokies' Alberto Orso and Scott Sculley, 6-3, at No. 2, while junior Reed Crocker and fifth-year senior Anthony Pero fell at No. 3 to Virginia Tech's Matt Harper and Frank Thompson, 6-3.
MSU's 17th-ranked doubles team of freshman Ozan Baris and Max Sheldon earned a 6-4 win over the Hokies' 18th-ranked team of Jordan Chrysostom and Ryan Fishback at No. 1 doubles, recording their fifth ranked win of the season.
MSU stormed back in singles with two-straight wins on courts three and five. Junior Luke Baylis tied the match with the first point of the day for the Spartans in a 6-4, 6-2 win over the Hokies' Scott Sculley at No. 3. Portnoy quickly picked up the second point for MSU to give the Spartans their first lead of the afternoon, defeating Alex Ix, 6-1, 6-4.
Virginia Tech cut into MSU's lead with a win on court one, as 49th-ranked Ryan Fishback defeated Baris, 6-2, 6-3.
Sheldon quickly increased the Spartan lead at No. 2 singles, topping Alvaro Ariza, 6-1, 7-5. Lair followed shortly after with a 6-2, 7-5 win on court four to clinch the match for MSU, earning his first clinch point of the season.
The teams played out the final match on court six after MSU clinched the match. In a back-and-forth match, freshman David Saye knocked off the Hokies' Hugo Maia, 7-6(3), 7-5, earning his second-straight singles win after recording the Spartans' lone point against No. 5 Michigan on March 30.
MSU returns to East Lansing for a pair of conference matches on April 7 and 9. The Spartans take on Ohio State on Friday at 4 p.m. before hosting Penn State on Sunday at noon. Match locations will be determined at a later date.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
2,3,1
#1 Singles Match
#2 Singles Match
#3 Singles Match
#4 Singles Match
#5 Singles Match
#6 Singles Match
Order of Finish:
3,5,1,2,4,6
Players Mentioned
