March 27, 2008

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MSU Head Coach Gene Orlando

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COMING UP
No. 70 Michigan State returns from three-straight matches on the road, playing host to No. 44 Indiana on Saturday, March 29 and No. 2 Ohio State on Sunday, March 30. Both matches are scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing. Indiana holds the edge over MSU in the all-time series at 47-20, while the Spartans have gone 38-35 against Ohio State since 1933.

LAST TIME OUT
Michigan State has not played a match since March 12 and is coming off a 5-2 loss to No. 10 Michigan.

The Spartans came out looking strong as they took the early 1-0 lead over the Wolverines, winning two out of three matches in doubles. Nick Rinks and Adam Monich improved their undefeated doubles record to 11-0 on the season, defeating No. 24 Michigan's Matko Maravic and George Navas, 8-4. Alex Forger and Billy Gardner secured the doubles point for the Spartans, as they picked up a big win at No. 2, defeating the No. 7 ranked duo in the country, Michigan's Jason Jung and Mike Sroczynski, 9-7.

The Wolverines dominated the singles competition, however, sweeping MSU in flights 2-6. At No. 1, MSU's Rinks improved his record to 13-2 on the season, as he took out Sroczynski in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6. At No. 4, Monich lost his matchup for only the third time this season, as he fell to Michigan's Mazlin, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-8).

SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
No. 44 Indiana is 11-4 (1-1 Big Ten) in dual-match competition this season, and is coming off a 4-3 win over Big Ten rival Minnesota. Indiana is back on track after dropping two-straight matches to Texas A&M and Louisville, and has won four of its last six matches. Senior Michael McCarthy and freshman Santiago Gruter are tied for the team lead in singles wins, each posting a record of 11-4 in dual-match play. Gruter and junior Peter Antons own the best record in doubles, with a mark of 10-1 at No. 3.

A LOOK AT THE BUCKEYES
No. 2 Ohio State is currently on a seven-match win streak, with its only loss coming on Feb. 18 to No. 1 Virginia. The Buckeyes currently have three singles players ranked in the top 30 in the nation, including No. 19 Justin Kronauge (22-7 overall, 9-4 dual), No. 24 Bryan Koniecko (19-7 overall, 11-3 dual) and No. 27 Steven Moneke (17-6 overall, 14-1 dual). The doubles tandem of Drew Eberly and Kronauge are currently ranked No. 5 in the nation, and hold a record of 9-2 in dual match play.

SENIORITY RULES
The Spartans are now 11-6 on the season, and are ranked 70th in the latest national polls. Seniors Nick Rinks (13-2) and Adam Monich (12-3) have led the way for the Spartans in singles play. The doubles duo of Rinks and Monich is 11-0 in dual-match play, and currently ranked 11th in the nation.

MOVING UP THE RANKS
Alex Forger and Billy Gardner have snuck their way into the latest national doubles rankings at No. 59 after their big win over Michigan's No. 7 doubles team in the country.

SINGLES SENSATIONS
The Spartans have a combined record of 41-10 at the No. 1, 3 and 4 positions in dual-match play, going 15-2 at No. 1, 12-5 at No. 3, and 14-3 at No. 4. Nick Rinks has played all of his matches at No. 1, going 13-2 so far. Junior John Allare holds a 7-5 record at No. 3, while Adam Monich is 2-0 at flight 3. Monich has posted a 9-3 record for the Spartans at No. 4, and recorded his first-career victory at No. 1 singles over Gabriel Garcia of IUPUI on Feb. 2.

WIN WATCH
Gene Orlando needs just two more victories to record his 200th win as head coach at Michigan State.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Spartans are currently undefeated at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility this season, recording 10-straight victories. Overall, MSU has posted 12-consecutive home wins, dating back to last season.

NEXT UP
Michigan State travels to Minneapolis, Minn., to take on Minnesota on Friday, April 4 at 3 p.m. The Spartans then travel to Iowa City, Iowa, for a matchup with No. 46 Iowa on Sunday, April 6 at 11 a.m.