Michigan
Michigan State
Singles Dominance Sends Wolverines Past Spartans
3/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 28-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team improved to 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference by posting a 5-2 victory over intrastate rival Michigan State Friday night (March 16) at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center. The Wolverines (10-4, 2-1 Big Ten) fell just a couple of games short of clinching the doubles point but rebounded to win singles matches at Nos. 2-6 to secure the team victory and increase their all-time series record against the Spartans (7-9, 0-4 Big Ten) to a commanding 89-19.
MSU's Adam Monich and Nick Rinks handed U-M's No. 2-ranked doubles team of senior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and junior Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) a close 8-6 defeat at the top spot to get the Spartans off on the right foot. After winning 10 of their first 11 dual matches, Hung and Maravic have now dropped two straight. The pair stands at 18-5 overall in 2006-07.
Senior Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and sophomore Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) evened up the doubles competition with their third straight victory at the No. 2 slot, an 8-5 decision over Michael Flowers and Alex Forger. Heller and Mazlin have won nine of 11 dual matches this season and are the only U-M doubles pair that remains undefeated in Big Ten play at 3-0. They improved to 12-3 overall with this evening's win.
The Wolverines missed out on securing their third straight doubles point, as freshmen George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) and Mike Sroczynski (Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) fell to John Allare and Tyler Sauerbrey by a 9-7 margin at No. 3. It was just Navas and Sroczynski's fourth loss in 14 matches in 2006-07.
Navas got his revenge on Sauerbrey in singles play, earning a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 6 to tie the match at 1-1. The 39th-ranked Hung then put the Maize and Blue ahead for good, defeating Forger by a score of 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 to snap a three-match losing skid. Sroczynski followed suit, closing out Jason Norville by a 6-4, 6-3 margin at No. 5 to improve his dual match record to 7-2 and move the Wolverines one win away from wrapping up the team victory.
The 71st-ranked Rinks kept Michigan State alive, as his 6-2, 6-4 upset over the 52nd-ranked Maravic at No. 1 cut Michigan's lead to 3-2.
Mazlin ended any hopes of a Spartan comeback, outlasting Monich by a score of 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 at No. 3 for the decisive fourth team point. Mazlin has been the hottest Wolverine of late, with tonight's win moving his dual match ledger to a team-best 10-2. He has won four straight matches and holds an impressive overall mark of 18-5.
Heller, another one of the team's most consistent singles performers this season, closed out the match with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 decision over Allare at No. 4. Heller has won nine of 12 matches in dual match action and stands at 2-1 against Big Ten oppositon.
The Wolverines return home to the Varsity Tennis Center to host Pennsylvania on Sunday (March 18) at noon.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #71 Nick Rinks (MSU) d. #52 Matko Maravic, 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -- #39 Brian Hung (U-M) d. Alex Forger, 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 -- Andrew Mazlin (U-M) d. Adam Monich, 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
No. 4 -- Ryan Heller (U-M) d. John Allare, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
No. 5 -- Mike Sroczynski (U-M) d. Jason Norville, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 -- George Navas (U-M) d. Tyler Sauerbrey, 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Monich/Rinks (MSU) d. #2 Hung/Maravic, 8-6
No. 2 -- Heller/Mazlin (U-M) d. Michael Flowers/Forger, 8-5
No. 3 -- Allare/Sauerbrey (MSU) d. Navas/Sroczynski, 9-7
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3, Singles 6-2-5-1-3-4
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
