April 28, 2010

Complete Release in PDF Format

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The 11th-seeded Michigan State men's tennis team will face sixth-seeded and No. 44 Indiana in the opening round of the Big Ten Championship in Bloomington, Ind., on Thursday, April 29. This will be the second time within a week MSU will have faced the Hoosiers.

Last Meeting
The last meeting between the two schools ended in Indiana's favor, 7-0. Although it was a tough loss for the Green and White, it was not one without bright spots coming from sophomore Austin Brooks and junior Clark Richardson. Brooks battled at No. 2 singles against Jeremy Langer. Although Brooks took the first set in a tie-breaker, 7-6 (9), Langer ended up taking the final two sets to take the match, 6-1, 6-0. Richardson also took Alexzander van Gils into a three-set match. Richardson started out strong winning the first set, 6-4, but ended up falling in the second and third sets, 4-6, 1-6.

Regular Season Finale
The Spartans dropped a 7-0 decision to Illinois in Champaign, Ill., to end the 2010 regular season. Freshman Denis Bogatov forced No. 79 Abe Souza into a three-set match. After topping Souza in the first set, 7-5, Bogatov fell in the last two sets, 4-6, 7-10.

Recapping the 2009 Big Ten Championship
The 11th-seeded Spartans bowed out early last year falling, 4-1, to sixth-seeded Indiana. Ronnie Hulewicz posted MSU's lone win when he defeated Maxime Armengaud, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 4 singles.

Scouting the Spartans
Michigan State enters the championship with a record of 13-13. Pacing the Spartans is Ronnie Hulewicz, who has an individual record of 23-15; her 23 wins leads the team. Anchoring the Spartans at No. 3 singles is Denis Bogatov. On the spring, Bogatov is one of three Spartans who has posted at least 10 wins, joining both Hulewicz and John Stratton during the spring season. No. 3 singles currently boasts the best win percentage (.692) out of any other position in the singles line-up. Combined, Bogatov, Brooks, Jason Norville, Richardson and Stratton have all contributed to the 18-8 mark this season.

Doubles Success
The Spartan tandem of Richardson and Bogatov claimed the 45th spot in the nation in the Feb. 18th Intercollegiate Tennis Rankings. The two only dropped one match in their first 14 matches together, which included one of two victorious matches MSU obtained over Michigan.

Freshman Sensation
Freshman Denis Bogatov has had a strong start to his Spartan career in both doubles and singles action. In singles play, Bogatov saw the most action at No. 3 singles (23 matches). He finished the season with an overall dual record of 17-8, and went 5-5 in Big Ten play, the most wins in the conference for the Green and White. Bogatov's 17 wins is the most in dual play this season.

Leaving Big Shoes to Fill
Leaving the Spartans at the conclusion of the 2010 season are seniors Brendan Kinkopf and Joe Vallee. Kinkopf is the only four-year Spartan on the 2010 roster, and although his senior season has faced much adversity, he earned two singles wins early on over his Northern Illinois and Dayton opponents, and two wins in doubles action with partners Ronnie Hulewicz and Will Davis over IUPUI and Eastern Illinois.

Vallee joined the Spartans at the beginning of the 2009-10 season, after transferring from Ball State University. Vallee saw most of his action in doubles play with partner Jason Norville. Together, the two have compiled an overall record of 12-10, picking up 11 of those wins at the No. 2 spot and one at No. 1 doubles. Vallee made his MSU singles debut against Nebraska. Although the Spartans fell 6-1, Vallee posted the only MSU win when he defeated Andre Stenger, 7-5, 3-6, 10-7. He also contributed to the Spartans lone conference win over Purdue, earning a win at No. 5 singles.

Scouting the Hoosiers
The Hoosiers are currently 15-9 and 5-5 in the conference, and are ranked No. 44 in the country in the latest ITA poll. Indiana's doubles pairing of Lachlan Ferguson and Josh MacTaggart are currently No. 39 in the country, as well. This match marks the 71st meeting between MSU and IU, with Indiana leading the all-time series, 50-20. Randy Bloemendaal is currently in his second season leading the Hoosiers.

Spartan Notes
MSU has earned the doubles point 10 times this season, most recently against Western Michigan. The Green and White is 13-13 in dual play with all 13 wins coming at home. Nine of the 13 teams that MSU has fallen to are ranked nationally - No. 41 Notre Dame, No. 66 Iowa, No. 39 Minnesota, No. 48 Northwestern, No. 30 Wisconsin, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 63 Penn State, No. 39 Indiana and No. 14 Illinois. MSU has suffered six losses at home this season - Cleveland State, Nebraska, No. 66 Iowa, No. 39 Minnesota, No. 48 Northwestern and No. 30 Wisconsin.