Men's Tennis Set for Big Ten Rival Matchup with Michigan :: Senior Nick Rinks and Adam Monich are 10-0 in doubles dual-match play.

March 11, 2008

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Head Coach Gene Orlando

COMING UP
Michigan State travels to Ann Arbor for a matchup with Big Ten rival Michigan on Wednesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. This week's showdown will mark the 106th meeting between the two schools since 1913, with Michigan taking an 85-20 edge in the all-time series.

LAST TIME OUT
MSU is now 0-2 in conference play after a pair of losses against No. 13 Illinois on Feb. 29, and Purdue on March 1.

The Fighting Illini took the early advantage over the Spartans as they won two of three doubles matches to gain a 1-0 lead. No. 21 MSU's Nick Rinks and Adam Monich added another impressive win to their undefeated doubles record, downing No. 20 Ryan Rowe and Billy Heiser, 8-6.

In singles action, Illinois used the momentum from its doubles victory, taking out the Spartans in five of six matches. No. 77 Illinois' Ruben Gonzales defeated Alex Forger at No. 2, 6-2, 6-1, while No. 13 Rowe knocked off MSU's Rinks, 6-7, 7-6, 1-0 (10-2), at No. 1 singles. Monich picked up the only win for the Spartans, as he took out Brandon Davis, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 4.

In the second matchup of the weekend Purdue picked up the doubles point after MSU's Forger and Billy Gardner lost to Eric Ramos and P.J. Rose at No. 2, 8-6. John Allare and Scott Rasmussen also fell at No. 3, to Purdue's Griff Nienberg and Jose Fuemayor, (8-6), giving the Boilermakers the 1-0 lead. Rinks and Monich extended their unbeaten streak, defeating Branko Kuzmanovic and Slavko Bijelica, 8-6, at No. 1, and are now 10-0 in dual-match play this season.

Rinks picked up the only win for the Spartans at No. 1 singles, as he took out Kuzmanovic, 6-3, 6-2. MSU's Monich lost his bout at No. 4 singles, to Ramos, 5-7, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6). The loss in only Monich's second of the season, as he now stands at 12-2 in dual-match play.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
No. 10 Michigan is now 9-2 on the season and is coming off a convincing 6-1 win over Brown. No. 52 Matko Maravic is now 7-4 in dual-match play this season, while No. 4 singles Andrew Mazlin is 8-2. No. 24 Maravic and George Navas are 8-2 in doubles play, but are coming off a tough 8-3 loss to Brown's Saurabh Kohli and Basu Ratnam. The Wolverines have won three-straight matchups, while taking six of their last seven.

SENIORITY RULES
The Spartans are now 11-5 on the season, and are ranked 59th in the latest national polls. Seniors Nick Rinks (12-2) and Adam Monich (12-2) have only two losses each in singles dual-match play. The doubles duo of Rinks and Monich is 10-0 in dual-match play, and currently ranked 19th in the nation.

SINGLES SENSATIONS
The Spartans have a combined record of 40-8 at the No. 1, 3 and 4 positions in dual-match play, going 14-2 at No. 1, 12-4 at No. 3, and 14-2 at No. 4. Nick Rinks has played all of his matches at No. 1, going 12-2 so far. Junior John Allare holds a 7-4 record at No. 3, while Adam Monich is 2-0 at flight 3. Monich has posted a 9-2 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
No. 38 Indiana comes to East Lansing as MSU hosts its first Big Ten match of the season on Saturday, March 29 at 12 p.m.

COVERAGE
Live video coverage of MSU vs. Michigan can be found at www.mgoblue.com