Friday, April 15
University Park, PA
4 PM
Michigan State University
3
at
4
Penn State
Spartans Drop Close Match to Penn State
4/15/2022 7:32:00 PM | Men's Tennis
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Michigan State men's tennis dropped a close match today against Penn State, falling 4-3 in the first of a pair of road matches this weekend.
The Spartans are now 14-11 overall and 1-6 in conference play, while the Nittany Lions improve to 12-10 with a 3-3 mark in Big Ten action.
Michigan State went up 1-0 with the team's first winning of the doubles point since March 18 against Niagara. Carson Gates and Max Sheldon quickly defeated Penn State's Loren Byers and Sam Bossem with a 6-1 victory on the No. 3 court. Shortly after, Jack Winkler and Graydon Lair won 6-3 over Malik Bhatnagar and Charl Morgan of the Nittany Lions to secure the first point of the match.
The Spartans also earned the first singles point of the match with Sheldon picking up a win at the No. 2 court. The freshman put MSU up 2-0 over Penn State with a 6-1, 7-6 win against Bhatnagar, improving his singles record to 20-10 on the year.
Penn State tied things up with back-to-back points won at No. 6 and 4 singles. Freshman Josh Portnoy fell in a close match against Chikaya Sato, 7-6, 6-2. At No. 4, Lair went into a three-set battle with Byers of the Nittany Lions. After falling 6-2 in the first set, Lair went up 6-2 in the second to force a third set. Byers came away with the win after a 6-3 victory in the third set.
The final point for MSU was won by Winkler on the top court. The senior won the first set 6-3 before pulling off the victory with a lengthy tiebreaker win in the second set. Winkler improved to 13-14 this season in singles action.
Penn State outscored MSU 2-1 in the second half of the match to earn the win, earning points at No. 3 and No. 5 singles to close out the day. Gates fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to Morgan, winning one of three sets. Also in a third-set decision, Luke Baylis won 6-4 in the first set before falling 6-2, 6-4 to Penn State's Sam Bossem on the third court.
The Spartans are back in action this Sunday, April 17 for a match at Ohio State. Competition in Columbus is set to begin at noon at the Outdoor Varsity Tennis Center.
The Spartans are now 14-11 overall and 1-6 in conference play, while the Nittany Lions improve to 12-10 with a 3-3 mark in Big Ten action.
Michigan State went up 1-0 with the team's first winning of the doubles point since March 18 against Niagara. Carson Gates and Max Sheldon quickly defeated Penn State's Loren Byers and Sam Bossem with a 6-1 victory on the No. 3 court. Shortly after, Jack Winkler and Graydon Lair won 6-3 over Malik Bhatnagar and Charl Morgan of the Nittany Lions to secure the first point of the match.
The Spartans also earned the first singles point of the match with Sheldon picking up a win at the No. 2 court. The freshman put MSU up 2-0 over Penn State with a 6-1, 7-6 win against Bhatnagar, improving his singles record to 20-10 on the year.
Penn State tied things up with back-to-back points won at No. 6 and 4 singles. Freshman Josh Portnoy fell in a close match against Chikaya Sato, 7-6, 6-2. At No. 4, Lair went into a three-set battle with Byers of the Nittany Lions. After falling 6-2 in the first set, Lair went up 6-2 in the second to force a third set. Byers came away with the win after a 6-3 victory in the third set.
The final point for MSU was won by Winkler on the top court. The senior won the first set 6-3 before pulling off the victory with a lengthy tiebreaker win in the second set. Winkler improved to 13-14 this season in singles action.
Penn State outscored MSU 2-1 in the second half of the match to earn the win, earning points at No. 3 and No. 5 singles to close out the day. Gates fell 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 to Morgan, winning one of three sets. Also in a third-set decision, Luke Baylis won 6-4 in the first set before falling 6-2, 6-4 to Penn State's Sam Bossem on the third court.
The Spartans are back in action this Sunday, April 17 for a match at Ohio State. Competition in Columbus is set to begin at noon at the Outdoor Varsity Tennis Center.
Team Stats
#1 Doubles Match
#2 Doubles Match
#3 Doubles Match
Order of Finish:
3
#1 Singles Match
12
67
Miko Eala / 0 [PSU]
36
#2 Singles Match
12
67
Malik Bhatnagar / 0 [PSU]
16
#3 Singles Match
123
624
Sam Bossem / 0 [PSU]
466
#4 Singles Match
123
263
Loren Byers / 0 [PSU]
626
#5 Singles Match
123
463
Charl Morgan / 0 [PSU]
636
#6 Singles Match
12
62
Chikaya Sato / 0 [PSU]
76
Order of Finish:
2,6,4,3,1,5
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
/ Men's Tennis
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