When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
The going can't get any tougher for the Penn State men's tennis team.
The Nittany Lions (11-6, 0-4 Big Ten) are coming off a heartbreaker to Iowa, 4-3. But, to make things worse they are without the services of senior tri-captain Damon Accardi for the rest of the season.
"It's definitely disappointing, you just like to see an athlete get their last chance at bat," Penn State men's tennis coach Jan Bortner said.
"You like a senior to get that last chance to walk off the court. But, Damon has been outstanding as a leader and captain this week in practice. He will continue to be one of our leaders each and every day."
The Lions this weekend make a trip to Michigan to take on Michigan and Michigan State. The Wolverines (7-7, 1-3), Spartans (6-12, 0-4), and Lions make up the basement of the Big Ten with Michigan State and the Lions tied for last at 0-4 and the Wolverines one spot ahead at 1-3.
Three juniors lead the Wolverines. Henry Beam is their No. 1 seed, ranked No. 69 in the country by the ITA, Ben Cox is at No. 2 and Dan McCain is No. 3. The Wolverines defeated the Lions last season 5-1, but the Lions are confident that tomorrow's match can be a different story.
The Lions defeated the Spartans last season to gain their lone Big Ten victory. The Spartans return just three letter winners from their team that finished 2-8 last year in Big Ten play. Michigan State comes into their Sunday match against the Lions having won just one of their last 12 matches.
"We worked real hard this week and the weather cooperated so we could get in some work outdoors," sophomore Brad Nudell said. "These are two teams we know we can do well against."
The Lions will look to use the doubles' game to grab an early edge on each team. The Lions have won the doubles' point in two of their four Big Ten outings.
"We have made good improvement in our doubles game, it has consistently gotten better," Bortner said. "With Accardi out for the rest of the year and DeStefano out for this weekend we basically had to make adjustments to our doubles."
Despite opening the Big Ten season 0-4 the Lions know they have been competitive and still maintain their top 75 ranking. Wins early in the season over Florida State and Virginia Tech boosted confidence, but to have a successful season, winning in the Big Ten is important.
"This team knows we are good we have been right there," Nudell said. "That's the way it's going to be in the Big Ten. We know we can win matches and plan on doing it this weekend."
