Weekly Release #2
1/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, Jan. 21 -- vs. Western Michigan (Varsity Tennis Center), 10 a.m.
Saturday, Jan. 21 -- vs. Ball State (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 27 -- vs. William & Mary (Varsity Tennis Center) 6 p.m.
This Weekend
The No. 48 University of Michigan men's tennis team opens the 2006 dual match season this Saturday (Jan. 21) with a doubleheader at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines open the day against Western Michigan at 10 a.m. and close with Ball State at 6 p.m.
Tennis Squads Host Sixth Annual Kickoff Event
The Michigan men's and women's tennis programs will host the sixth annual kickoff event prior to Saturday's (Jan. 21) tripleheader at the Varsity Tennis Center. The U-M men's team will begin the day against Western Michigan at 10 a.m. and close with Ball State at 6 p.m. The U-M women's team will square off against DePaul between the two men's matches beginning at 2 p.m. Admission to the event is free, with fans having the opportunity to meet the players, win door prizes and receive a free beverage and snack.
Scoring Updates!
Match-by-match results will be regularly updated on the internet throughout each dual match competition. A "scoring updates" link will be available at the top of the main tennis page, mgoblue.com/tennis-m.
The Opponents
Western Michigan -- The Broncos (2-0) opened the 2006 dual match season with victories over DePaul, 7-0, and Indiana State, 6-1, in Kalamazoo last Sunday (Jan. 15). Western Michigan is coming off a 17-7 campaign in 2005 when they finished second in the Mid-American Conference and advanced to the MAC Tournament championship match. First-team All-MAC selections Jose Orozco and Brady Crosby highlight a roster that features eight returning letterwinners from last season. Second-team All-MAC honoree Tim Bradshaw and MAC Newcomer of the Year Alex Birchmeier also return for the Broncos. Western Michigan also features the top high school player in the state of Michigan last season, Ann Arbor native Kevin Hayward. Head coach Dave Morin is in his 10th season at WMU and holds a career record of 144-80 at the school. Michigan holds a commanding 46-8 lead in the all-time series, including a 5-2 victory in the two teams' last meeting on Jan. 15, 2005, at the Varsity Tennis Center. Western Michigan on the Internet: www.wmubroncos.com.
Ball State -- The No. 68-ranked Cardinals opened the 2006 dual match season with a pair of 7-0 sweeps over Wright State and IUPUI before falling to Northwestern by a score of 5-2 last Sunday (Jan. 15). Seniors Matt Baccarani and Patrick Thompson are ranked No. 4 in the national doubles rankings and have won the only match they've played in together during the dual match season. Ball State finished the 2005 dual match season with an impressive record of 20-9 and captured both the regular season and tournament championships in the Mid-American Conference. Head coach Bill Richards, who holds a career record of 502-269 in his 34th season at BSU, returns five letterwinners from last year's squad. Michigan is undefeated in nine all-time meetings with the Cardinals, including a 6-1 triumph in the last match-up on Feb. 5, 2005, at the Varsity Tennis Center. Ball State on the Internet: www.ballstatesports.com.
Michigan at Varsity Tennis Center
The Wolverines begin their 10th season of competition at the Varsity Tennis Center and have compiled an overall record of 71-21 (.772) at the facility. Michigan has won 47 of its last 60 dual matches at home dating back to the 2000-01 season, and last season's record of 11-1 was the program's best-ever at the Varsity Tennis Center. U-M holds an all-time record of 9-0 in season-openers at the VTC.
Wolverines Compete at Miami Invitational
Michigan closed out the tournament portion of its 2005-06 schedule by traveling to the University of Miami to compete in the Miami Invitational, last Saturday through Monday (Jan. 14-16) at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Three other quality teams joined the Wolverines at the three-day event -- the host Hurricanes, Duke and Texas -- all of which are ranked in the top 40 in the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings.
Michigan was led by its top doubles team of junior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and sophomore Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija). The Wolverine tandem went undefeated in its three doubles matches during the weekend, including one victory over a nationally ranked pairing. Freshman Mike DePietro (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Lahser HS) was the lone Michigan victor in singles, as he earned perhaps his biggest win of his young career with a 7-6(8), 6-3 decision over Luis Diaz Barriga Ibanez of Texas.
Heller and Hung Named Captains for 2006
Head coach Bruce Berque announced that juniors Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and Brian Hung have been elected by their teammates to serve as co-captains for the 2006 dual match season. It marks the first nomination for both student-athletes.
Michigan Team, Players in ITA National Rankings
Michigan is listed No. 48 in the first edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association last Tuesday, Jan. 10. The Wolverines, who ended last season with a final national ranking of No. 54, is the top Big Ten Conference team in the poll behind Illinois (No. 4) and Ohio State (No. 18). Virginia occupies the No. 1 spot heading into the dual match season. Michigan will be tested from start to finish this season, as all but four of its 22 dual match opponents are listed in the first national rankings, including the top-ranked Cavaliers, who U-M will face on Feb. 5 in Charlottesville, Va.
Two Wolverines are listed in the national singles rankings, with sophomore Matko Maravic at No. 58 and junior Ryan Heller at No. 62. It marks the first time that Heller has earned a national singles ranking, while Maravic broke into the poll as a freshman last season.
Wolverine Quartet Earn Fall Regional Rankings
Four Michigan student-athletes were awarded with regional rankings (Dec. 2) at the conclusion of the 2005 fall season. Sophomore Matko Maravic is the top Wolverine in the Midwest Region singles rankings at No. 7 after going 6-4 during the fall, including his first-ever trip to the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships. Junior Brian Hung who is listed at No. 24, went 5-4 in the fall and reached the round of 16 at the Big Ten Conference Singles Championship. Ryan Heller rounds out the singles rankings at No. 26 after claiming three qualifying victories to move into the main draw at the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships. Hung and Maravic earned a doubles ranking of No. 5, while Heller and freshman Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) are listed No. 14. Both tandems went 4-3 during the fall season.
2005 Fall Season Review
Michigan began the 2005 fall season at the Tom Fallon Invitational (Sept. 23-25) and were led by freshmen Peter Aarts (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane HS), Mike DePietro and Andrew Mazlin, who each collected three singles wins at the tournament. Junior Ryan Heller picked up three solid wins in qualifying action during his first trip to the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships (Oct. 3-9), while sophomore Matko Maravic was the top performer at the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships (Oct. 20-25) after reaching the singles quarterfinals. Junior Brian Hung advanced the furthest at the Big Ten Conference Singles Championship (Nov. 12-14), reaching the round of 16 in the 64-player draw.
The Leader of the Wolverines
Bruce Berque is in his second season at the helm of the Michigan men's tennis program after leading the Wolverines to a 15-10 overall record and its highest Big Ten Conference finish (third place) since 1999. Berque was a member of the University of Illinois men's tennis coaching staff for six seasons prior to his appointment at U-M. After joining the Fighting Illini as a volunteer assistant in January of 1999, Berque served as the associate head coach under Craig Tiley for the last five years. During his tenure, Illinois captured four NCAA championships (one team, one singles and two doubles), two National Indoor team championships, six Big Ten Conference crowns and an NCAA-record 64 consecutive dual match victories. He has coached 13 players to 17 NCAA All-America nominations during his career and was named the ITA National Assistant Coach of the Year in 2003.
And His Assistant ...
Ann Arbor native Michael Kosta is also in his second season as an assistant coach with the Michigan men's tennis program. Kosta played four years of tennis at Illinois (1999-2002) while Bruce Berque was the Illini's associate head coach. He finished his career at Illinois with a singles mark of 107-47, seventh on the Fighting Illini's all-time wins list, and a 37-7 record in Big Ten conference action. His doubles rsum includes an overall total of 77-41 and a 26-12 record in league competition. Kosta helped lead Illinois to four Big Ten regular season championships and three league tournament titles during his career and earned academic all-conference honors twice (2001-02).
Three Recruits Commit to Michigan for 2006-07
The University of Michigan men's tennis program announced Thursday, Nov. 17, that it has received National Letters of Intent from three student-athletes for the 2006-07 season: George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School), Matt Parks (Troy, Mich./Troy HS) and Michael Sroczynski (Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School).
Navas has been ranked as high as No. 9 nationally in Boy's 18-and-under singles, and as high as No. 2 in the state of Florida. He has earned even higher marks in Boy's 18s doubles, with No. 1 rankings at both the national and state level. Parks has earned all-state honors in each of his three season at Troy High School. He reached the state semifinals after claiming back-to-back regional championships as a freshman and sophomore. Sroczynski has earned career-high national rankings of No. 27 in Boy's 18s and No. 6 in Boy's 16s. He has had a wealth of experience in International Tennis Federation events, capturing the singles title at the Canadian International Championships last month after winning the doubles crown at the International Hard Court Championships in August.
2004-05 Season Review
The Wolverines finished the 2005 dual match season with a 15-10 overall record and a third-place showing in the Big Ten Conference at 7-3, which was U-M's highest finish in the league standings since 1999. A number of Wolverines experienced individual success last season. Brian Hung reached the singles final at the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships in October and teamed with junior Ryan Heller to reach the doubles semifinals at the ITA National Indoor Championships the following month. Matko Maravic became the first U-M freshman since 1997 to be named to the All-Big Ten team at the conclusion of the dual match season. Maravic also earned a conference-record four Big Ten Athlete of the Week citations during the regular season. Five Wolverines were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team in 2004-05 and three student-athletes were also named Scholar-Athletes by the ITA last season.
On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines continue their four-match homestand next Friday (Jan. 27) against William & Mary. The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
