April 13, 2012
Site: University Park, Pa. (Sarni Tennis Center)
Score: No. 46 Northwestern 5, Penn State 2
Records: NU (13-7, 6-2 Big Ten), Penn State (11-10, 1-7 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Sunday, April 15 -- at No. 2 Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 11 a.m. CT
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- No. 46 Northwestern outlasted the pesky Penn State Nittany Lions at the Sarni Tennis Center in University Park, Pa. Friday afternoon, 5-2. For the Wildcats, it's their sixth win of the season in Big Ten play, most since 2009.
"We battled a very, very tough Penn State team this afternoon and I'm proud of the way that our team grinded out the win," said Northwestern head coach Arvid Swan. "Both teams came out firing today and we were fortunate to get out with a win."
Northwestern's talented doubles tandem of underclassmen Alex Pasareanu and Raleigh Smith collected the first victory of the day for the visitors when they disposed of Penn State's C.J. Griffin and Christopher Hasyn with ease. The Wildcats controlled the tempo throughout in the No. 2 match and cruised to an 8-1 triumph. For Smith, a sophomore, and Pasareanu, a freshman, it was their team-leading 12th win as a pair this spring.
The other two doubles battles were back-and-forth affairs. The Nittany Lions evened the score with a victory of their of own in the No. 3 doubles match. PSU's Taylor Cohen and Tomas Hanzlik defeated NU's Sidarth Balaji and Tobias Reitz, 8-6.
The doubles decision would be decided by the top pair that each school offered. The match between Josh Graves and Spencer Wolf of Northwestern and Russell Bader and Bryan Welnetz of Penn State was tied at seven games apiece when No. 3 match concluded. The 'Cats buckled down to win the next two frames to win the match, 9-7, and secure the coveted doubles point in the Big Ten battle.
Friday marked the 13th time this season that the Wildcats earned a point from doubles play. In 11 of the 12 of the previous instances, as they did on this Friday the 13th, Northwestern went on to win the match.
"Earning the doubles point proved to be very significant today as it usually does," said Swan. "We played aggressively and it certainly paid off."
Chris Jackman, inserted into the singles lineup at the No. 6 position, got off to a hot start in his match against Griffin. The NU junior won the first five games in the first set en route to 6-1 win. The junior followed a similar blueprint in the second stanza as he jumped all over Griffin once again. Jackman did not surrender a game in the second set and his straight-set win gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead for the match.
In the match at No. 3, Smith squared off against Cohen. The two players split the first six games, but Cohen got on a roll and ripped off three straight winners to win the first set of their match, 6-3. The second set featured more of the same as Cohen polished off Smith, 6-3, to earn the first point of the afternoon for the Nittany Lions.
Northwestern's No. 1-slotted singles player, Graves, took the first set from his foe, PSU's Hanzlik, when he doubled-up the Nittany Lion, 6-3. Nearby, Bader did the same thing by the same score to No. 107 Wolf.
Wolf was shutout in the second set versus Bader, 6-0, and the win for Penn State evened up the team score at two points apiece. Graves outlasted Hanzlik in a hard-fought second set, 6-3, to earn his third win in his last four matches and, more importantly, give the 'Cats a one-point edge at 3-2.
In the No. 4 and No. 5 singles matches, both Balaji and Pasareanu were edged in their first sets. After losing the first set against Welnetz, 6-4, Balaji rebounded to win the second set in convincing fashion, 6-1, to force a decisive third. Pasareanu dropped his opener, 7-6 (5), but came back to win, 6-3, to push Hasyn to a decider, as well.
Both Wildcats got off to good starts in the third frames. Balaji won the first two games off of Welnetz, while Pasareanu took an early 3-1 lead against Hasyn. Northwestern's duo continued to apply consistent pressure to their foes from Penn State as they both jumped up by the same cushion, 4-1.
In the end it was Pasareanu, the lone freshman in Northwestern's lineup, who delivered the knockout blow. Pasareanu won the third set, 6-1, to complete the comeback and clinch the victory for the Wildcats. The South Carolina, native has now won five of his last six matches in Big Ten play. In addition to today's decisive win, his victory over Minnesota's Jack Hamburg gave Northwestern a 4-3 win on March 31.
"Alex continues to play beyond his years," said Swan. "For a freshman to come in and play as confidently as he has done this year, has been a huge boost for all of us."
The final match of the afternoon went the way of the Wildcats. Balaji held off the comeback effort from Welnetz to win the third set, 7-5. With the win, the NU junior extended his team-best winning streak to four.
After a day away from competition Saturday, the Wildcats will return to the courts on Sunday, April 15 in Columbus, Ohio to take on the No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes. Northwestern will be seeking its first win against the scarlet and grey since the 2005 season.
Doubles
1. Josh Graves/Spencer Wolf (NU) def. Russell Bader/Bryan Welnetz (PSU) - 9-7
2. Raleigh Smith/Alex Pasareanu (NU) def. C.J. Griffin/Christopher Hasyn (PSU) - 8-1
3. Taylor Cohen/Tomas Hanzlik (PSU) def. Sidarth Balaji/Tobias Reitz (NU) - 8-6
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1*
Singles
1. Josh Graves (NU) def. Tomas Hanzlik (PSU) - 6-3, 6-3
2. Russell Bader (PSU) def. No. 107 Spencer Wolf (NU) - 6-3, 6-0
3. Taylor Cohen (PSU) def. Raleigh Smith (NU) - 6-3, 6-3
4. Sidarth Balaji (NU) def. Bryan Welnetz (PSU) - 4-6, 6-1, 7-5
5. Alex Pasareanu (NU) def. Christopher Hasyn (PSU) - 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-1
6. Chris Jackman (NU) def. C.J. Griffin (PSU) - 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 3, 2, 1, 5*, 4
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