Michigan State University
Ball State
MSU Men's Tennis Defeats Ball State and Detroit
1/30/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Ball State Results | Detroit Results
EAST LANSING, Mich -- The Spartans (5-2, 0-0) defeated Ball State and Detroit at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility on Saturday to remain undefeated at home.
"These were two teams that are hungry and they really came after us," MSU head coach Gene Orlando said. "Thankfully we were able to take on the challenge and find a way to win."
The Spartans started the day with a 4-3 win over Ball State (2-1). The Spartans won all three doubles matches to earn the doubles point, with the team of Mac Roy and Michael Dube winning 6-2 at No. 1 doubles, Jasper Koenen and Billy Shisler winning 6-2 at No. 2 doubles and the duo of Alex Kim and Ivan Rakic beating their Ball State opponents, 6-4, to secure the doubles point.
The doubles point proved to be pivotal for the Spartans, who split the six singles matches with the Cardinals. Dube beat his opponent at No. 2 singles, 6-3, 7-6, and Koenen was victorious, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 2 singles for the Spartans. Kim rolled to a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles before the Cardinals won the last three contests, including two that went to 10-point tiebreaks, to make the final score 4-3 in favor of the Spartans.
"I thought in some of our matches we didn't play our best tennis," Dube said. "The big thing was that we competed and played hard and that's what you really look for in your team."
The Spartans closed out the day against Detroit (1-4), who lost to Ball State earlier in the afternoon. The Titans started out quick, taking the doubles point with a 7-6 win at No. 2 doubles and a 6-3 edge at No. 1. The Spartans got a win from the duo of Kim and Colin Harvey, but the Titans earned the early 1-0 advantage with the doubles point.
MSU turned things around in singles play, with Koenen racing to a 6-0, 7-5 win at No. 3 singles. Roy hustled to a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 1, followed by Kim beating his Titan opponent 6-2, 6-2 at No. 5. Dube was the next Spartan to secure a singles point, beating his foe 6-1, 6-4. Rakic battled for a tough 6-3, 2-6, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles. Shisler was just edged out in a back-and-forth 6-7, 6-4, 12-10 tiebreaker, but the Spartans won five of the six singles matches, giving them the 5-2 victory over the Titans.
"Ball State and Detroit are two really good teams," Dube said. "They aren't ranked and they're smaller schools, but they're definitely really good teams and they pushed us today. We were able to just keep fighting and win."
The Spartans return to action on Saturday, Feb. 6 in the friendly confines of the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility against Cleveland State at 12 p.m. and Morehead State at 6 p.m.
"The guys were resilient and they worked hard all day," Orlando said. "They're learning to find ways to win and, again, we're growing. We aren't where we want to be yet, but we're growing with every match."
Michigan State 4, Ball State 3
Jan 29, 2016 at (MSU Indoor Tennis Facility)
Singles competition
1. Lucas Andersen (BSU) def. Mac Roy (MSU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
2. Michael Dube (MSU) def. Andrew Stutz (BSU) 6-3, 7-6
3. Jasper Koenen (MSU) def. Nemanja Guzina (BSU) 6-2, 6-4
4. Marko Guzina (BSU) def. Billy Shisler (MSU) 6-7, 6-2, 1-0 (10-8)
5. Alexander Kim (MSU) def. Conner Andersen (BSU) 7-5, 6-1
6. Collin Rigney (BSU) def. Colin Harvey (MSU) 6-7, 6-3, 1-0 (15-13)
Doubles competition
1. Mac Roy/Michael Dube (MSU) def. Lucas Andersen/Andrew Stutz (BSU) 6-2
2. Jasper Koenen/Billy Shisler (MSU) def. Conner Andersen/Collin Rigney (BSU) 6-2
3. Alexander Kim/Ivan Rakic (MSU) def. Marko Guzina/Matt Helm (BSU) 6-4
Michigan State 5, Detroit 2
Jan 29, 2016 at (MSU Indoor Tennis Facility)
Singles competition
1. Mac Roy (MSU) def. Patryk Koscielski (DET) 6-2, 6-3
2. Michael Dube (MSU) def. Nathan Ponton (DET) 6-1, 6-4
3. Jasper Koenen (MSU) def. Nicholas Solarewicz (DET) 6-0, 7-5
4. Ismail Kadyrov (DET) def. Billy Shisler (MSU) 6-7, 6-4, 1-0 (12-10)
5. Alexander Kim (MSU) def. Kacper Stelmaszak (DET) 6-2, 6-2
6. Ivan Rakic (MSU) def. Adam Zychowicz (DET) 6-3, 2-6, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Nicholas Solarewicz/Patryk Koscielski (DET) def. Mac Roy/Michael Dube (MSU) 6-3
2. Griffin Mertz/Chance Conley (DET) def. Jasper Koenen/Billy Shisler (MSU) 7-6
3. Alexander Kim/Colin Harvey (MSU) def. Rafael Orantes/Ismail Kadyrov (DET) 6-3
Players Mentioned
