Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Tennis Set to Host Nebraska and Toledo.
2/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 16, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team is set to host two schools over the upcoming weekend. The Spartans will first host Nebraska on Friday, Feb. 19, at 3 p.m. and then entertain Toledo on Saturday, Feb., 20, at 4 p.m. Both matches will be played at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.
Last Time Out
The Michigan State men's tennis team defeated Ball State, the alma mater of head coach Gene Orlando, 5-2, on Saturday, Feb. 6, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility to extend its winning streak to four matches.
Fierce Freshmen
The freshmen have continued to impress as Will Davis (Louisville, Ky.), Christian Roehmer (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) and Denis Bogatov (Gurnee, Ill.) have all contributed to the success this season.
Davis played at No. 5 singles and defeated both his NIU and Detroit opponents. Roehmer's most recent win was over Wright State's Mihkel Kruusmagi, 1-6, 6-3, 6-3.
Bogatov continues to be the standout freshman competing in both singles and doubles action at the No. 3 slot. After his win over his Ball State opponent, Alex Doherty, 7-5, 6-1, he stands at an overall singles record of 7-1. He is also undefeated in doubles play with partner Clark Richardson (Leawood, Kan.).
Dynamic Duo
Doubles action has proven to be a strong point for the Green and White as they have attained the doubles point in six of their eight matches.
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 7-0 on the season after topping opponents from Duquesne, Bradley, William & Mary, Cleveland State, Wright State, NIU, Detroit and Ball State. The tandem picked up the only doubles win for the Green and White against William & Mary.
At No. 2 doubles, junior Jason Norville (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and senior Joe Vallee (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) have compiled a 6-2 overall record after most recently defeating Ball State's tandem of Andres Monroy and Zane Smith, 8-4.
The No. 1 doubles pairing of sophomore Austin Brooks (Houston, Texas) and junior John Stratton (Monroeville, N.J.) stand at 4-4 on the season thus far. They picked up their most recent victory over NIU's Javier Bernabe and Mikhail Titov, 8-2.
Spartan Depth
The Spartans have showed versatility and depth with sturdy play from the sophomores and juniors.
Sophomore Ronnie Hulewicz (Tequesta, Fla.) has played at the No. 1 spot for MSU and has compiled at 5-3 overall record. He most recently had a dominating win over Patrick Troy of Detroit, 6-1, 6-1.
Brooks has played primarily at the No. 2 spot and picked up his most recent win over Javier Bernabe of NIU, 6-0, 6-3, putting him at 4-3 overall. He is the only Spartan to post a 6-0 mark over his opponent so far this season with his win over Bernabe in addition to his victory over Milos Romic of Bradley, 6-0, 6-4.
Stratton also contributed primarily at the No. 4 spot with an overall record of 4-1. He just recently competed at No. 5 singles against Ball State and posted a win over Dalton Albertin, 7-6(5), 6-2.
Nebraska
The Huskers have compiled an overall record of 3-3 on the season, falling last to Big Ten counterpart Wisconsin, 5-2. Nebraska and MSU have met once before in 1994, when the Spartans came out with the win, 6-1. Nebraska is coached by Kerry McDermott who is in his 26th season with the Huskers.
Toledo
Today's match marks the 14th meeting between the Rockets and the Spartans. MSU leads the all-time series, 13-0. In the last meet, Michigan State topped Toledo, 5-2. Toledo sits at 6-4 on the season, most recently defeating Valparaiso, 6-1. The Rockets are coached by Al Wermer who is his 15th season with the team.
Next Up
Michigan State hits the road after a seven-match stretch at home as it travels to South Bend, Ind. to take on Notre Dame at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 27.
