Spartans open 2011 with Doubleheader vs. IUPUI, Wright State

Jan. 14, 2011

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State men's tennis team will play host to IUPUI and Wright State Saturday, January 15, at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.

Fall Recap
The Spartans competed in four fall tournaments during the 2010-11 fall season, hosting the Stan Drobac and Frank Beeman Invitationals and the Big Ten Indoor Championships, and traveling to the ITA Midwest Regionals in South Bend, Ind. Sophomore Denis Bogatov and junior Ronnie Hulewicz led the Spartans in singles action, as Hulewicz posted a 9-4 record with victories over Alex Robles of No. 23 Wisconsin and Ian Tesmond of No. 44 Indiana, while Bogatov posted an 11-4 record with signature wins over Michael Sicora of 33rd ranked Minnesota and Sean Tan of No. 38 Notre Dame.

The Spartans also enjoyed early success from standout freshmen Aaron Pfister and Drew Lied, as Pfister posted an impressive 11-3 record, including victories over Wyatt Lippert of No. 5 Ohio State and Connor Roth of No. 16 Illinois. Lied posted a record of 10-4 with signature victories over Alexander Teppert of 23rd ranked Wisconsin and Austin Kauss of 63rd ranked Iowa.

In doubles action, the Spartans were led by seniors Clark Richardson, Jason Norville and John Stratton. Richardson posted a 7-3 record in fall doubles play, while Norville and Stratton posted records of 9-4 and 11-3, respectively. Stratton posted victories over No. 63 Iowa and No. 69 Penn State with fellow senior Austin Brooks. Norville also recorded a victory over No. 63 Iowa, as well as No. 33 Minnesota, both with freshman Aaron Pfister. Richardson recorded a victory over No. 69 Penn State alongside freshmen Drew Lied.

IUPUI Scouting
The Jaguars competed in three fall tournaments in the fall and were selected to finish third in the Summit League after a second place finish last year. Junior Ivan Mojsejev has two years of experience playing at number one singles after transferring from Chicago State. Juniors Dan Klingenberg and Ben Vasalakis add depth to the Jags lineup.

Wright State Scouting
The Raiders of Wright State began their season at the Louisville Invitational where they suffered difficult losses to a high-ranked No. 12 Louisville squad. WSU then traveled to the 2010 USTA/ITA Division I Ohio Valley Regional Championships where it faced an even tougher opponent in No. 2 Tennessee. In the Wright State/Dayton Invitational, junior Martin Arguello advanced to the semifinals in flight A with wins over Youngstown State and Dayton while freshman Dan Hyman and Riyan Bennoui advanced to the semi-finals in Flight B.

Last Year vs. Opponents
The Spartans faced both IUPUI and Wright State last season, and won 10 of 12 matches in singles play, all coming from Ronnie Hulewicz, Denis Bogatov, Clark Richardson and sophomores Will Davis and Christian Roehmer. The Spartans recorded a perfect 6-0 record in doubles play.

Next Up
The Spartans next host Cleveland State at 10 a.m. and Youngstown State at 4 p.m. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on Saturday, January 22.