Michigan State University Athletics
Men's Tennis to Host Butler and IUPUI
3/2/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 2, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team will play host to Butler and IUPUI on Saturday, March 6, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
Last Time Out
The Spartans last fell to No. 41 Notre Dame on Saturday, Feb. 27, in South Bend, Ind., putting the Green and White at 7-4 on the season. Junior John Stratton (Monroeville, N.J.) posted the only win for MSU when he downed No. 105 Blas Moros at No. 5 singles, 7-6(4), 6-0.
Fierce Freshmen
The freshmen have continued to impress this season as Will Davis (Louisville, Ky.), Christian Roehmer (Mt. Pleasant, Mich.) and Denis Bogatov (Gurnee, Ill.) have all contributed to the success thus far this season.
Davis has seen action at No. 5 singles where he 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 he outlasted his Toledo opponent at No. 3 singles, 7-6 (8-6), 6-7 (7-5), 12-10, he stands at an overall singles record of 8-3, the most singles wins on the team. He is also 9-1 with partner Clark Richardson (Leawood, Kan.) on the year.
Dynamic Doubles
Doubles action has proven to be a strong point for the Green and White. MSU has attained the doubles point in seven of its ten matches. No. 1 doubles has four wins, while No. 2 and No.3 doubles both have winning overall records.
The pairing of Bogatov and Richardson has been a stable part of the Spartan doubles lineup at the No. 3 position and is currently ranked at No. 45. The duo stands at an impressive 9-1 on the season. The tandem earned the only doubles win for the Green and White against William & Mary, Cleveland State and Nebraska.
At No. 2 doubles, junior Jason Norville (Farmington Hills, Mich.) and senior Joe Vallee (Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.) have compiled a 7-4 overall record after most recently defeating Toledo's Sven Burus and Leo Sarria, 8-4.
The No. 1 doubles pairing of Stratton and sophomore Austin Brooks (Houston, Texas) currently have four wins on the season together. The most recent win the two have earned was 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.
Stratton has the second most wins (seven) in dual play on the team, seeing action at No. 4 and 5 singles. He impressed in his match against Notre Dame when he earned the only win for the Green and White after topping No. 105 Blas Moros at No. 5 singles, 7-6 (4), 6-0.
Sophomore Ronnie Hulewicz (Tequesta, Fla.) has played primarily at the No. 1 spot, with one match at No. 2, and has compiled a 6-5 overall record. He most recently outlasted Nutthavait Likitkumchorn of Toledo, 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-0.
Brooks has played primarily at the No. 2 spot where he posted his most recent win over Javier Bernabe of NIU, 6-0, 6-3, to put him at 4-6 overall. He is the only Spartan to post two 6-0 marks over an opponent so far this season, Bernabe, 6-0, 6-3, and Milos Romic of Bradley, 6-0, 6-4.
Butler
Butler currently stands at 4-6 on the season after most recently falling to Western Michigan, 7-0. The Bulldog's most recent win came over Toledo, 4-3, the day before the WMU match. MSU leads the all-time series, 4-0, since its first meeting in 2003. The last time the two schools met was in January of 2008, when the Spartans swept Butler, 7-0. The Bulldogs are coached by Brian Suscha who is in his 12th season.
IUPUI
The Jaguars have compiled an overall record of 1-9 on the 2010 season. Their most recent loss came at the hands of Ball State, 7-0. IUPUI's lone win came over Valparaiso, 5-2. Michigan State leads the all-time series, 2-0, with the first meeting occurring in 2008. The last time the two schools met in 2009, the match ended in MSU's favor, 7-0. Brandon Currie is in his fourth season as head coach IUPUI.
Next Up
The Spartans next host Eastern Illinois and Dayton at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on Saturday, March 13, at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
