Weekly Release #18
5/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
2006-07 Weekly Release #18
Upcoming Schedule
Wed-Mon., May 23-28 -- at NCAA Singles Championship (Athens, Ga.)
May 23 -- Hung (U-M) vs. Poole (Mississippi) in Round of 64, 9 a.m.
Maravic (U-M) vs. Omerzel (Georgia) in Round of 64, 4:30 p.m.
May 24 -- Round of 32, Time TBA
May 25 -- Round of 16, Time TBA
May 26 -- Quarterfinals, Time TBA
May 27 -- Semifinals, Time TBA
May 28 -- Championship Match, Time TBA
Thur-Mon., May 24-28 -- at NCAA Doubles Championship (Athens, Ga.)
May 24 -- Hung/Maravic (U-M) vs. Hubble/Rogers (Tennessee) in Round of 32, Time TBA
May 25 -- Round of 16, Time TBA
May 26 -- Quarterfinals, Time TBA
May 27 -- Semifinals, Time TBA
May 28 -- Championship Match, Time TBA
Hung, Maravic Invited to NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
Senior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and junior Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) will represent the University of Michigan men's tennis team at the 2007 NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships, to be held May 23-28 at the University of Georgia's Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. Hung and Maravic each earned one of 48 at-large bids into the 64-player singles bracket, and the Wolverine pair received one of 24 at-large bids into the 32-team doubles tournament. It will mark the second NCAA appearance for both student-athletes.
Wednesday's (May 23) singles first round will pit Hung against Mississippi's Robbye Poole at 9 a.m. and Maravic against Georgia's Matic Omerzel at 4:30 p.m. Hung and Maravic will face Tennessee's Adam Hubble and Ben Rogers in the opening round of doubles play on Thursday (May 24, Time TBA).
NCAA Championship Central
All information regarding the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships, including live scoring and video, can be found on the University of Georgia's official athletic site.
Scouting the First Round Opponents
Brian Hung (U-M) vs. Robbye Poole (Mississippi) -- The 33rd-ranked Poole was the top singles performer for seventh-ranked Ole Miss, who reached the Sweet Sixteen at this year's NCAA Championship and finished the season at 24-5. Poole has compiled a team-best 33-10 overall record, including a 19-5 dual match mark at Nos. 2-4. The All-Southeastern Conference first-team selection went 8-2 in league play. He played his freshman season at Clemson, helping the Tigers to a NCAA Elite Eight finish in 2005. Mississippi on the Internet: www.olemisssports.com
Matko Maravic (U-M) vs. Matic Omerzel (Georgia) -- The 35th-ranked Omerzel is one of four 30-match winners for the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Bulldogs (31-0), who will play Illinois for the national championship later this afternoon. Omerzel has tallied an overall mark of 34-6, including a 24-2 dual match record at Nos. 2-5. The All-Southeastern Conference second-team member has been undefeated in his last 10 matches. Georgia on the Internet: www.georgiadogs.com
Hung/Maravic (U-M) vs. Adam Hubble/Ben Rogers (Tennessee) -- Hubble and Rogers, ranked 29th in the nation, have collected a team-best 22-9 overall record in 2006-07. The pair went 15-5 in dual match play at Nos. 1 and 2, helping the 25th-ranked Volunteers to a second round appearance at the NCAA Championship and a final record of 17-8. Hubble and Rogers have won five of seven matches against nationally ranked opponents this year. Tennessee on the Internet: www.utsports.com
Michigan at the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
Michigan will look to secure its third NCAA singles title in the 114-year history of the program. Barry MacKay (1955-57) earned U-M's first national singles championship in 1957, and Michael Leach (1979-82) last accomplished the feat in 1982. The Wolverines have never claimed an NCAA doubles crown.
The last time Michigan had two NCAA singles qualifiers in one year was in 1989, when Dan Goldberg (1986-89) reached the round of 16 and MaliVai Washington (1988-89) lost in the opening round.
Hung and Maravic hope to be the first U-M players to advance past the first round in singles since 1992, when David Kass (1989-92) won three matches before falling in the quarterfinals.
Hung and Maravic will also look to advance past the first round in doubles for the second straight year. Last year's opening round win was the program's first at the national doubles tournament since 1986. The last U-M team to reach the quarterfinals was former head coach Mark Mees (1980-83) and Tom Haney (1980-83), who fell two games shy of reaching the semifinal round in 1983.
Last Year at the NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships
Hung and Maravic earned a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Boise State's Thomas Schoeck and Luke Shields in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Doubles Championship on May 25 at Stanford University's Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif. The triumph marked Michigan's first NCAA Doubles Championship win in 20 years. Ed Filer (1985-87) and Jim Sharton (1983-86) advanced to the second round at the 1986 national tournament.
The Wolverine tandem then dropped a 6-3, 7-6(0) decision to Callum Beale and Miguel Reyes Varela of Texas in the round of 16 on May 26. In a tightly contested match, Beale and Reyes Varela earned a late break to help clinch the first set and then followed with a dominating performance in the second-set tiebreaker to advance to the quarterfinals.
Hung and Maravic, who were Michigan's first NCAA doubles qualifiers since 1996, concluded the season with a team-best 26-10 overall record, including a 19-6 mark in dual match play.
2007: A Year to Remember
The 2007 dual match season proved to be a monumental year for the Michigan program. In head coach Bruce Berque's third season at the helm, the Wolverines experienced their greatest season since the late 1980s. U-M finished the year with an overall record of 20-7; its first 20-win campaign since 1988. The Maize and Blue posted an 8-2 mark in the Big Ten Conference and entered the league tournament with the No. 2 seed, both of which hadn't happened since 1999. The Wolverines earned a 5-2 home victory over then No. 12-ranked Texas on Jan. 27, which was the program's first win over a top-25 opponent in nearly five years. Michigan went one step further on April 6, claiming a 5-2 home win over then No. 8-ranked Illinois to end the program's 12-match losing skid to the Fighting Illini dating back to 1997. This season also saw U-M defeat Minnesota for the first time since 1999. The Wolverines capped off the year with 4-0 win over Drake in the first round of the NCAA Championship; their first victory at the national tournament since 2000.
Hung Receives ITA Sportsmanship & Leadership Award
Senior Brian Hung was named the recipient of the Midwest Region's Intercollegiate Tennis Association/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship, announced May 15 by the ITA regional committee. Hung is the first Wolverine to earn the honor since its inception in 1983.
The purpose of the ITA/Arthur Ashe Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship is to honor Arthur Ashe and the vision which he embodied of the importance of education, sportsmanship and leadership. The accolade goes to a junior or senior player who has exhibited outstanding sportsmanship and leadership as well as scholastic, extracurricular and tennis achievements.
Each Regional Award winner will be considered for selection along with at-large nominees (made by the National Awards Committee) for the National Award, which will be announced May 22nd following the NCAA Team Championship title match in Athens, Ga.
U-M's Hung and Maravic Selected to All-Big Ten Team
Senior Brian Hung and junior Matko Maravic were named to the 2007 All-Big Ten Conference team, the league office announced April 26. It marked the first time since 1996 that the Wolverines placed at least two members on the All-Big Ten team in one season. It marks the third career All-Big Ten selection for Maravic; the first for Hung. Maravic is the first Wolverine to earn the honor three times in a career since John Costanzo, who was named to the all-conference squad from 1994-96.
Hung Making Most of Senior Season
Senior Brian Hung will end is illustrious career on a high note thanks to decorated senior campaign. Serving as a team-captain for the second straight year, Hung has compiled an overall singles record of 21-14 (his third career 20-win season), including a 13-10 dual match record at Nos. 1 and 2. Hung also reached a career high in overall doubles wins with 28 (28-8), helping him secure his first All-Big Ten Conference nomination. He has been ranked as high as No. 39 in the national singles rankings, which is a career best.
Hung's Week-by-Week National Ranking
| Date | Rank |
| September 8 | NR |
| January 9 | No. 59 |
| February 21 | No. 64 |
| March 6 | No. 39 |
| March 20 | No. 61 |
| April 3 | No. 50 |
| April 17 | No. 45 |
| April 24 | No. 48 |
| April 30 | No. 40 |
Maravic Putting Finishing Touches on Breakout Junior Season
Junior Matko Maravic continues to leave his mark on the Michigan men's tennis program, having claimed the school's 21st Big Ten Singles Championship title (and first since 1996) in November. Maravic finished the fall season with a team-best 9-2 record, including victories over two nationally ranked opponents. The two-time All-Big Ten performer enters the NCAA Singles Championship with a career record of 64-45, including a 44-29 dual match record. Maravic has been U-M's top singles player since his arrival in Ann Arbor, compiling a career record of 24-20 at the No. 1 position. Also a three-time team MVP, Maravic has knocked off 22 nationally-ranked players during his career, and last year he earned Michigan's first trip to the NCAA Singles Championship since 2000. As a sophomore in the 2005-06 season, Maravic finished with career-best final ITA singles rankings of No. 37 nationally and No. 7 regionally.
Maravic has put up career-best numbers in overall singles wins (26) and dual match singles victories (17) as a junior. Victorious in nine of his final 12 matches of the regular season, Maravic has been listed as high as No. 25 in the national singles rankings in 2006-07.
Maravic's Week-by-Week National Ranking
| Date | Rank |
| September 8 | No. 25 |
| January 9 | No. 44 |
| February 21 | No. 34 |
| March 6 | No. 52 |
| March 20 | No. 55 |
| April 3 | No. 68 |
| April 17 | No. 44 |
| April 24 | No. 49 |
| April 30 | No. 50 |
Hung and Maravic Aim to be U-M's First All-Americans Since 1994
Michigan's top doubles tandem of senior Brian Hung and junior Matko Maravic put forth a remarkable effort during the fall, finishing as the runner-up at the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships on Oct. 5-8 before reaching the semifinals at the ITA National Indoor Championships on Nov. 2-5. Hung and Maravic concluded the 2005-06 season ranked No. 19 after finishing the year at 26-10 overall and advancing to the second round at the NCAA Doubles Championship. The duo was U-M's first NCAA doubles qualifier since 1996, and its first-round win was the Maize and Blue's first victory at the national tournament since 1986.
Hung and Maravic have tallied a team-best 25-8 overall record, including a 17-6 dual match record at No. 1, in 2006-07. The pair has been ranked in the top five in every poll but two, highlighted by No. 2 listings on Jan. 9 and March 6. Hung and Maravic hold a career record of 63-24 heading into the NCAA Doubles Championship.
Hung and Maravic's Week-by-Week National Ranking
| Date | Rank |
| September 8 | No. 5 |
| January 9 | No. 2 |
| February 21 | No. 3 |
| March 6 | No. 2 |
| March 20 | No. 3 |
| April 3 | No. 3 |
| April 17 | No. 4 |
| April 24 | No. 8 |
| April 30 | No. 10 |
Hung and Maravic's 2006-07 Tournament Season Review
Senior Brian Hung and junior Matko Maravic, the fourth seed in the 32-team main draw at the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships on Oct. 2-8, picked up four convincing victories over nationally-ranked opponents throughout the week to earn Michigan's first-ever berth in the doubles championship match at the event. The U-M men's tennis program's quest at its first-ever national doubles championship came to an end on Oct. 8, as Hung and Maravic dropped an 8-3 decision to Georgia's No. 9-ranked Luis Flores and John Isner in the title match. It was Michigan's first appearance in a national championship match since 1989, when MaliVai Washington (1988-89) defeated teammate Dan Goldberg (1986-89) for the singles title at the ITA National Indoor Championships.
Hung and Maravic fell just shy of a second straight berth in the championship match of a national doubles tournament as the Wolverine duo dropped an 8-5 decision to Middle Tennessee State's No. 3-ranked Marco Born and Andreas Siljestrom in the semifinal round of the 2006 ITA National Indoor Championships on Nov. 2-5. It marked the second time in three years that Michigan suffered a loss in the doubles semifinals at the national tournament.
Maravic wrapped up the fall in winning fashion, winning six straight matches in the 64-player main draw of the Big Ten Singles Championship to claim Michigan's first conference singles title since 1996.
The Leader of the Wolverines
Bruce Berque is in his third season at the helm of the Michigan men's tennis program after leading the Wolverines to an NCAA Championship appearance in 2005-06, their first in four years. During his first season in 2004-05, Berque guided U-M 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 Michigan. 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 next five years. During Berque's 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. Berque 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.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
