Netmen bring renewed spirits into 2 matches this weekend

By STEVE FEITL
Collegian Sports Writer

Sometimes it takes a change of scenery to put things back into perspective. Two weeks ago, the men's tennis team dropped a 6-1 decision to Ohio State. Last week, they trained in the warm climate of Waco, Texas, defeated Baylor 6-1 and returned a more confident team.

"Having a week down there changed the mentality of the team," senior Ivan Spinner said. "Before that, some guys were struggling. We weren't executing our shots.

"But Coach (Jan) Bortner put us through a tough week of training," he added. "It really helped us out."

The Lions (2-1) will put their newly found confidence to the test when they face Pennsylvania at 1 p.m. tomorrow in Philadelphia and host Duquesne at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Penn State Tennis Club.

Penn was ranked fourth in the East following the fall season and is in contention to qualify for the NCAA regionals in May. The Quakers have a balanced team with a good mixture of veteran players and some good freshmen, Bortner said.

"They have a real outstanding team," he said. "Penn is obviously one of those teams we're going to have to beat if we are going to get into the Eastern qualifier."

Junior Doug Schoenly, Spinner's doubles partner, has been sick this week and missed several practices. Bortner said the doubles point could be a deciding factor in what he expects to be a close match. He is hopeful Schoenly will play.

"You've got to be good, and you've got to be lucky," Bortner said. "(Schoenly's illness) has affected our ability to work on doubles as we'd like to. When one guy is out, it really throws off your routine."

Bortner also expects a competitive match from Duquesne. He credits its coach, Tony Martin, for the team's focus.

"This is one of their big matches," Bortner said. "Tony Martin always looks forward to playing Penn State. When they come in here, they're going to be gunning for us."

With two key matches this weekend, the Lions hope all the work they've done over the past two weeks will lead to a pair of victories.

"I'm a lot more confident than I was," Spinner said. "I was a little rusty, but I feel I'm playing well again. I'm ready to go out there and hopefully get a couple W's this weekend."