Michigan State University
Michigan
Men's Tennis Upends Michigan, 5-2
4/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 2, 2003
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team ended a 10-year and 12-match losing streak to Michigan Wednesday (April 2) when the Spartans (11-9 Overall, 2-3 Big Ten) upset the No. 68 Wolverines (5-10, 0-5), 5-2. The match was No. 100 overall against each other in the programs' storied histories.
The atmosphere in the Indoor Tennis Facility was energized and State came out as if it were ready to buy the Electric Company in Monopoly. After each team held serve to reach 3-3, the doubles tandem of junior Eric Simonton (Annandale, N.J.) and sophomore Cameron Marshall (Louisville, Ky.) finally broke serve at No. 1 against Chris Rolf and Michael Rubin on the third break point. With another break at 5-3 under its belt and Marshall serving at 7-4, MSU staved off numerous break points by UM and eventually won on its fifth match point, 8-4. Their record together now stands at 16-7 while posting a 10-4 showing at the No. 1 position.
A different story would develop, however, in the remaining doubles matches. Junior Chris Mitchell (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and sophomore Andrew Formanczyk (Rochester Hills, Mich.) fell behind 7-8 to David Anving and Vineeth Gossain at No. 3. The Wolverine duo would pick up three match points on Formanczyk's serve, but the lefty would deny Michigan the match and held serve to bring on a tiebreaker. The outcome, as well as the doubles point, was completed by Mitchell who converted a crosscourt winner off Anving's serve and then fired an ace to seal the match in the final two points, 9-8(3).
The No. 2 match would reach a tiebreaker just minutes after No. 3 was going the distance. Senior co-captains Adam Hourani (Lansing, Mich.) and Jimmy McGuire (Columbus, Ohio) needed to battle back from a 7-5 deficit on UM's serve for a 9-8(4) win. The match also ended with an ace as Hourani won the final two points on his serve for the victory.
"Yesterday's practice was one of the better practices of the year," said head coach Gene Orlando. "We practiced with a lot of energy. But there was nothing out of the ordinary in today's game plan."
State would take a 2-0 lead when Mitchell knocked off Jackson at No. 2, 6-1, 6-3. The win is his tenth of the season, marking the junior's third year in amounting double-digit victories. The Wolverines would close in on the Spartans by picking up a point at No. 3 moments later as Anving defeated Marshall, 6-4, 6-1.
The Green and White's lead would reach two once again with a win at No. 6, but it would not come easy. Simonton held off two break points on his serve at 6-4, 5-3 and finally won his match against Gossain on the fourth match point with a huge ace. The win brings Simonton's record to a team-leading 20-13, including wins in his last five contests.
Michigan returned the favor with a point at No. 1 to make the overall score 3-2. Falling in the first set by way of a tiebreaker, Formanczyk held a 3-1 advantage over Rubin but could not hang in a 7-6(4), 6-4 defeat.
That would be as close as UM would get as two MSU seniors would help post their first dual match victory over Michigan in their careers. Goran Topalo (Prague, Czech Rep.) managed to break Josef Fischer's serve at No. 4 on the second match point for a 7-5, 7-5 triumph. McGuire, meanwhile pulled out a close 7-6(4), 6-4 win at No. 5 over Shaya. McGuire won the first set tiebreaker 7-5 as Shaya double-faulted with the score tied at five and the Spartan's most vocal leader won the next point on his serve for the set.
"This was my first year as a coach coming into this match and it's really an honor to be a part of this storied rivalry," described assistant coach Albin Polonyi. "The win today will always be one of my coaching highlights. It was just nice to see that the guys finally put the pieces together and it was a great group effort. I'm happy to see all of our hard work pay off."
Michigan State returns to action Sunday (April 6) when No. 28 Indiana invades East Lansing. The match is scheduled for noon and if weather permits, it will be held at East Lansing High School.
Wednesday's Results Against No. 68 MichiganDoublesNo. 1 Marshall/Simonton (MSU) def. Rolf/Rubin (UM) 8-4No. 2 Hourani/McGuire (MSU) def. Jackson/Shaya (UM) 9-8(4)No. 3 Formanczyk/Mitchell (MSU) def. Anving/Gossain (UM) 9-8(3)
SinglesNo. 1 Michael Rubin (UM) def. Andrew Formanczyk (MSU) 7-6(4), 6-4No. 2 Chris Mitchell (MSU) def. Anthony Jackson (UM) 6-1, 6-3No. 3 David Anving (UM) def. Cameron Marshall (MSU) 6-4, 6-1No. 4 Goran Topalo (MSU) def. Josef Fischer (UM) 7-5, 7-5No. 5 Jimmy McGuire (MSU) def. Chris Shaya (UM) 7-6(4), 6-4No. 6 Eric Simonton (MSU) def. Vineeth Gossain (UM) 6-4, 6-3Michigan State defeats Michigan, 5-2
