By John Ostapowicz
The Youngstown State University men’s tennis team went to work on a busy weekend at the YSU Indoor Tennis Center where the Penguins hosted the Michael Morley Invitational, Oct. 1-2.
The Penguins wasted no time on the court and made their presence known in hard-fought matchups against Th University at Buffalo, Eastern Kentucky University and Denison University. Niagara University and Case Western Reserve University also had individuals competing in singles matches.
In doubles play, sophomore Clement Mainguy and sophomore Harry Fouzas earned two 7-6 wins against Buffalo’s sophomore Cheng Tang and sophomore Yu-Shiang Huang. According to Fouzas, the chemistry between the two has been phenomenal since the start of the season.
“The good thing about [Mainguy] is that we have, if I’m not mistaken, three classes together as well as the whole day together in practice, the gym and conditioning,” Fouzas said.
The workability between the two doesn’t stop there even though it was the first time the duo has played together against other opponents.
“This is the first time [Mainguy] and I have ever played together, we tried that combination in practice and it worked very well,” Fouzas said.
Besides Mainguy and Fouzas, senior Will Everet and sophomore Nathan Favier defeated the Bulls 6-3 and Denison University 6-0 in thrilling fashion.
In singles matches, Everett and Fouzas remained fierce on the court and paved the way with three victories. Junior Asier Pena Ibanez and Mainguy followed behind the pair with two wins of their own.
The Penguins are set to hit the court again Oct. 20 when they compete at the International Tennis Association Midwest Regionals hosted by Illinois State University.
For the women’s team, it’s coming off a Horizon League Championship with a thrilling 4-3 win over the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee on May 1.
With the win, the Penguins advanced to the NCAA regionals to face off against The University of Virginia for the second time in school history.
All eight players from the team’s championship bid returned, the trio of sophomore Lili Minich, sophomore Elisa Rigazio and sophomore Julia Marko look to lead the team to another championship.
Minich clinched wins in two of the Horizon League postseason matches. Marko and Rigizio tied the team with 22 single wins.
Youngstown State looked to ride that momentum from last season as the women’s tennis team showed out in a three-day competition at the Michigan State University Spartan Invitational hosted at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Center, Sept. 30 to Oct. 2.
Over the three-day tournament, the Penguins started hot as graduate student Cecilia Rosas and Marko went unbeaten in singles matches, leading the Penguins to victory.
Adding a slew of victories to the Youngstown State’s total, sophomores Minich and Rigazio lit up the court earning wins over Oakland University, DePaul University and Michigan State in singles.
The pair also added a win against Bowling Green State University to top off the tournament. Senior Jessica Stanmore played lights out in doubles, teaming up with Bowling Green’s sophomore Maru Poppe to earn two doubles victories.
With the first tournament under their belt, the Penguins look to ride their momentum into the next match as the team is starting to figure things out early.
“The first tournament is an overview of what you need to do, what is working well and what the team has to keep working on,” Rosas said.
The Penguins are back in action Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 when they travel to Cleveland State University for the CSU Vikings Invitational.