Michigan State University
IUPUI
Men's Tennis Downs Butler and IUPUI in Doubleheader
3/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 6, 2010
EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team (9-4) continued action against Butler and IUPUI on Saturday, March 6, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility. The Spartans opened the day against Butler with a 7-0 win, and continued action with a 6-2 win over IUPUI. Sophomore Ronnie Hulewicz led the Spartans in action with three wins, two at No. 1 singles and another at No. 3 doubles.
"It was good to pick up two wins today over Butler and IUPUI," said head coach Gene Orlando. "It was a good way to begin spring break playing at home. We had a good week of practice in preparation of the matches today, and the guys are definitely improving. We are excited about staying home and spending a lot of time on the court, and working on our games individually. These four matches over break will help us get ready for Big Ten action in a couple of weeks."
In the opening match of the day against Butler, the Spartans got started early, posting wins at all three doubles positions. Sophomore Austin Brooks partnered with junior John Stratton to down Ben Raynauld and Bryce Warren, 8-5 (5), at No. 1 doubles. The tandem of seniors Joe Vallee and Jason Norville topped Lenz Theodor and Stephen McLoughlin at No. 2 doubles, 8-2, while Denis Bogatov and Clark Richardson downed Chris Herron and Zach Ervin at No. 3 doubles, 8-5.
MSU continued its doubles success as it transitioned to singles action. Hulewicz topped Herron at No. 1 singles, 7-6 (6), 7-5. Brooks also downed Raynauld by a score of 7-5, 7-6 (3) at No. 2 singles. No. 3 singles saw Bogatov defeat Bryce Warren, 6-4, 6-1. Norville posted a 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (5) win over Brandon Bayliss at the No. 4 spot. Stratton continued the Spartan singles success with a 6-1, 6-4 over Zach Ervin at No. 5 singles. Vallee completed the Spartan sweep when he posted a 7-6 (3), 6-2 win over Andrew Bayliss.
In the nightcap against IUPUI, the Spartans once again continued their doubles success as they again swept doubles competition. Brooks and Stratton took care of action at No. 1 doubles with an impressive 8-0 win over Malcolm Peace and Bren Vasalakis. The No. 2 doubles tandem of Norville and Vallee, as well as the pairing of Hulewicz and Kinkopf, each posted 8-5 wins over their respective IUPUI opponents. Norville and Vallee downed Deon Shafer and Nick Volz at No. 2 doubles, while Hulewicz and Kinkopf topped Taylor Tunis and Joel Modesitt at No. 3 doubles.
Hulewicz completed his third win of the day when he defeated Shafer, 6-0, 6-1, at No. 1 singles. Bogatov followed suit at No. 2 doubles when he posted a 6-1, 6-0 win over Volz. Richardson topped Vasalakis at No. 3 singles by a score of 6-3, 6-1. In the final match of the night, at No. 4 singles, Kinkopf was outlasted by Modesitt, 6-7 (2), 6-3, 12-10. Freshman Will Davis posted a 7-6 (8), 6-4 score over Tunis at No. 5 singles. Freshman Christian Roehmer, at No. 6 singles, earned a 6-2, 6-1 win over Peace.
MSU is back in action Saturday, March 13, when it hosts Eastern Illinois and Dayton at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.
Players Mentioned
