Michigan
Texas A&M
Michigan Drops Nailbiter to Texas A&M in Hawaii
3/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
WAIKOLOA, Hawaii -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team suffered a tough 4-3 loss to No. 28-ranked Texas A&M Friday afternoon (March 2) at the Hilton Waikoloa Village. The Wolverines (8-3) surrendered the doubles point for just the second time in 11 matches this season but battled back to tie the match at 3-3 before the Aggies (8-3) earned a three-set victory in the decisive match at No. 2 to escape with the team win.
Senior Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and sophomore Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) had their six-match winning streak snapped, falling 8-5 to Mike Beatty and Bryan Wooten at No. 2. It was just the Wolverine tandem's third loss in 12 matches in 2006-07.
Michigan's No. 3-ranked duo of senior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and junior Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) evened the doubles competition with an 8-6 triumph over Brett Joelson and Jerry Makowski at No. 1. Hung and Maravic have won 10 of 11 in dual match play, including four straight dating back to Feb. 18.
In the deciding match at No. 3, Matt Bain and Conor Pollock slipped past freshmen George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) and Mike Sroczynski (Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) by a score of 8-6 to give Texas A&M a 1-0 lead.
After Bain posted a 6-3, 6-3 win over Sroczynski at No. 5 singles to put the Aggies up 2-0, Heller came up with a big victory at No. 3 to keep the Maize and Blue in contention. Heller's 7-5, 6-2 decision over Brad Williams moved his dual match record to 7-2.
The 34th-ranked Maravic stepped up and earned a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 comeback win over Makowski at No. 1, allowing the Wolverines to tie the match at 2-2. Maravic stands at 17-7 overall and leads U-M with eight dual match victories this season.
Texas A&M moved ahead once again thanks to Luka Ocvirk, who earned a 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2 decision over Navas at No. 4. Sophomore Scott Bruckmann (Sarasota, Fla./Saint Stephen's Episcopal School) kept Michigan alive, recording a huge 7-6(5), 6-4 triumph over Clay Donato at No. 6 to tie the match at 3-3. Bruckmann remains perfect in dual match play at 3-0.
The Aggies came away with the clincher, with Pollock outlasting the 64th-ranked Hung by a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 margin to give Texas A&M the neutral-site win.
The Wolverines will head back to Ann Arbor and prepare for their first home dual matches in more than a month. Michigan will host Ball State on Friday (March 9) and Penn State on Saturday (March 10), with both matches scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #34 Matko Maravic (U-M) d. Jerry Makowski, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1
No. 2 -- Conor Pollock (A&M) d. #64 Brian Hung, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4
No. 3 -- Ryan Heller (U-M) d. Brad Williams, 7-5, 6-2
No. 4 -- Luka Ocvirk (A&M) d. George Navas, 3-6, 7-6(1), 6-2
No. 5 -- Matt Bain (A&M) d. Mike Sroczynski, 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 -- Scott Bruckmann (U-M) d. Clay Donato, 7-6(5), 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- #3 Hung/Maravic (U-M) d. Brett Joelson/Makowski, 8-6
No. 2 -- Mike Beatty/Bryan Wooten (A&M) d. Heller/Andrew Mazlin, 8-5
No. 3 -- Bain/Pollock (A&M) d. Navas/Sroczynski, 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 5-3-1-4-6-2
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
