Michigan
Iowa
Michigan Drops Heartbreaking Road Match to Iowa
3/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex)
Score: Iowa 4, Michigan 3
Records: U-M (6-11, 0-2 Big Ten), Iowa (10-2, 2-0 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, March 28 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), Noon CDT
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The No. 40-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to No. 67 Iowa on Sunday afternoon (March 22) at the Hawkeye Tennis & Recreation Complex. The Wolverines (6-11, 0-2 Big Ten) put up a good fight after dropping the doubles point and won three of the first four singles matches to take a 3-2 lead, but the Hawkeyes (10-2, 2-0 Big Ten) claimed both of the remaining matches in three sets to clinch their first victory over U-M in six tries.
The two teams exchanged 8-4 doubles wins to begin the match. Tommy McGeorge and Will Vasos defeated junior Mike Sroczynski (Chatham, N.J./Laurel Springs School) and sophomore/freshman Drew Daniel (Overland Park, Kan./Laurel Springs School) at No. 3, while senior Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) and sophomore Chris Madden (Lotus, Calif./Ponderosa HS) squared things up with a victory over Reinoud Haal and Gregory Holmat No. 2. Mazlin and Madden remain undefeated in dual-match play at 6-0.
In the deciding match at No. 1, Iowa's No. 55-ranked duo of Christian Bierich and Nikita Zotov posted an 8-5 win over Michigan's No. 26-ranked tandem of junior George Navas (Tampa, Fla./Tampa Preparatory School) and sophomore Jason Jung (West Torrance, Calif./West Torrance HS) to give the Hawkeyes a 1-0 lead on the team scoreboard. It marked Jung and Navas' second loss in seven dual matches this season.
Sroczynski stepped back into the singles lineup and picked up a big 7-5, 6-0 victory over Vasos at No. 4 to tie the match at 1-1. The Hawkeyes responded with a straight-set win at No. 2 to regain the lead, but Madden evened things up once again with a solid 6-4, 6-3 decision over Zotov at No. 3. The Wolverines took their first lead of the day, 3-2, when Daniel completed his 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 comeback victory over Holm at No. 6.
Bierich kept Iowa in contention by outlasting Mazlin in three sets at No. 1, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5, and McGeorge edged out Navas in the third-set tiebreaker at No. 5 to clinch the team victory for the Hawkeyes.
The Wolverines continue the Big Ten Conference season on the road next weekend. Michigan will face Wisconsin on Saturday (March 28, Noon CDT) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis., and Northwestern on Sunday (March 29, 1 p.m. CDT) at the Combe Tennis Center in Evanston, Ill.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Christian Bierich (Iowa) d. Andrew Mazlin, 6-4, 5-7, 7-5
No. 2 -- Reinoud Haal (Iowa) d. Jason Jung, 7-5, 6-0
No. 3 -- Chris Madden (U-M) d. Nikita Zotov, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 -- Mike Sroczynski (U-M) d. Will Vasos, 7-5, 6-0
No. 5 -- Tommy McGeorge (Iowa) d. George Navas, 7-6(4), 3-6, 7-6(4)
No. 6 -- Drew Daniel (U-M) d. Gregory Holm, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- #55 Bierich/Zotov (Iowa) d. #26 Jung/Navas, 8-5
No. 2 -- Madden/Mazlin (U-M) d. Haal/Holm, 8-4
No. 3 -- McGeorge/Vasos (Iowa) d. Daniel/Sroczynski, 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 4-2-3-6-1-5
Players Mentioned
