M. Tennis takes care of Rutgers to end homestand

The Penn men's tennis team capped an eight-match homestand on Saturday with a commanding 6-1 win over Rutgers. The Quakers finished the home stint with a 6-2 record as their losses came only against ranked teams: Virginia and Old Dominion. In the match with Rutgers, Penn's No. 2 and No. 3 doubles teams each secured the doubles point with 8-4 victories. The Quakers only surrendered two sets in singles play as they won five of the six matches. "I think this is our best all-around performance so far this year," Penn coach Mark Riley said. "With a solid team, we beat them and did a good job." Penn sophomores Todd Lecher and Craig Rubin opened play with a victory over Rutgers' pair of senior Kevin Bielen and freshman Tyler Deming. Following suit, Penn secured the doubles point as sophomore David Lynn and freshman Jimmy Fairbanks topped Rutgers' duo of senior Maarten Vissers and freshman Gordie Milchutsky. "We're getting more comfortable playing together," Fairbanks said. "Now we're winning matches easier and hopefully that will continue on into the season." After the point was secured, Rutgers won the first-seeded doubles match as the Scarlet Knights' seniors Greg Schweitzer and Brook Deming, older brother of teammate Tyler, beat Penn's top pair of senior Ryan Harwood and sophomore Anthony Pu, 9-8. Lynn set the tone in singles play with a masterful performance over Bielen. The Clarkston, Mich., native blanked his opponent, 6-0, 6-0. Lynn won virtually every critical point to prevent his opponent from winning a single game. "I played a very smart match," Lynn said. "I mixed a lot of balls up, I served really well. I returned really well, and just played well in most of the important points. I guess that's what it's all about." In first-seeded play, Harwood rebounded from his close doubles defeat to beat Schweitzer, 6-3, 6-1. After winning the first set, Harwood broke his opponent's serve to start the second set and never looked back. Penn senior Andy Kolker secured the victory for the team as his fourth-seeded match ended moments after Harwood's. Kolker provided a strong performance in his 6-1, 6-2 victory over Milchutsky. "I felt pretty solid out there," Kolker said. "I tried to keep it simple and just limit my mistakes, and it seemed to work pretty well today." In the international match of the day, Rutgers' Dutchman Vissers ground out a 7-6 (8-6), 6-4 win over Penn junior and Austrian native Alex Fritz in a match that was marked by long points. In fifth and sixth-seeded doubles, Lecher and Rubin did not do much to help the Deming's family pride. Rubin topped Tyler, 6-1, 6-3, and Lecher defeated Brook, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3). Penn will hit the road for the first time over spring break visiting No. 35 Rice, Lamar, and Army before returning home to play Navy on March 26. "I think it will be a test of how good we are," Penn assistant coach Joel Berman said. "It's great to play at home, but you know what, you're also going to have to win big matches on the road."

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