Michigan State University
Indiana
Men's Tennis Upended At No. 68 Indiana, 6-1
4/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
April 9, 2004
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Opening the second half of the Big Ten season, the No. 55 Michigan State men's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision at No. 68 Indiana Friday, April 9. The Spartans' record fell to 14-10 overall and 1-5 in the conference, while IU improved to 9-8 (3-2).
Indiana grabbed the first point of the match in doubles as State fell in all three matches for only the fourth time this season. At No. 3, Neil Kenner and Ryan McCarthy topped sophomore Mike Brown (Portage, Mich.) and freshman Michael Flowers (Memphis, Tenn.), 8-3, leaving IU needing only one more match for a 1-0 lead. State, however, was up 7-5 at No. 1 and 6-4 at No. 2 and was hoping to serve out both matches. The Hoosiers managed to come back in each, however, taking both contests 9-7.
State came back to tie the match early in singles play with a strong showing from junior Andrew Formanczyk (Rochester Hills, Mich.). The No. 77-ranked player in the nation, Formanczyk upset No. 60 Jakub Praibis at No. 1, 6-2, 6-3, to bring his conference singles record to 3-3. But Indiana captured the next five points, securing the overall victory.
Senior Chris Mitchell (Ann Arbor, Mich.) was the only Spartan to reach a third set in singles, although he eventually fell at No. 3 to Neil Kenner, 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3. Indiana took the other four singles matches in straight sets.
The Spartans return to the courts April 17-18 to face two of the toughest teams in the Big Ten in their final home regular season matches. State takes on Illinois, the top-ranked team in the nation, Saturday and Purdue, who MSU defeated in the 2003 Big Ten tournament, 4-3, Sunday. Both matches are set for noon.
Friday's Results Against IndianaDoublesNo. 1 Recht/Stone (IU) def. Formanczyk/Mitchell (MSU), 9-7No. 2 Ishtuganov/Praibis (IU) def. Marshall/Simonton (MSU), 9-7No. 3 Kenner/McCarthy (IU) def. Brown/ Flowers (MSU), 8-3SinglesNo. 1 #77 Andrew Formanczyk (MSU) def. #60 Jakub Praibis (IU) 6-2, 6-3No. 2 Ryan Recht (IU) def. Cameron Marshall (MSU) 7-6(3), 6-3No. 3 Neil Kenner (IU) def. Chris Mitchell (MSU) 6-7(4), 6-2, 6-3No. 4 Tom Bagnato (IU) def. Eric Simonton (MSU) 6-3, 6-4No. 5 David Bubenicek (IU) def. Mike Brown (MSU) 6-4, 6-2No. 6 Ryan McCarthy (IU) def. Anthony Stefani (MSU) 6-4, 6-4No. 68 Indiana defeats No. 55 Michigan State, 6-1Records: MSU 14-10 overall, 1-5 Big Ten IU 9-8 overall, 3-2 Big TenOrder of Finish: Doubles 3, 1, 2 Singles 1, 5, 2, 4, 6, 3Length of Match: 3:15Weather: 60 degrees, partly cloudy, winds at 6 mph
Players Mentioned
