Michigan
Vanderbilt
Michigan Rallies from Three Down to Win at Vanderbilt
2/25/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 25, 2012
Site: Nashville, Tenn. (Currey Tennis Center)
Score: #30 Michigan 4, #40 Vanderbilt 3
Records: U-M (5-4), Vanderbilt (5-5)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, March 1 -- at Hawaii (Honolulu, Hawaii), 3 p.m. HST
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 30-ranked University of Michigan men's tennis team claimed the final four singles matches off court to complete a 4-3 comeback victory at No. 40 Vanderbilt on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 25) at Currey Tennis Center.
Sophomore Alex Buzzi (Key Biscayne, Fla./Gulliver Prep) sealed the Wolverine win in the final match, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 decision against Alex DiValerio at the No. 6 singles position. After taking the first set handily, he claimed the final four games in the second to secure his second straight dual victory.
The Wolverines trailed 3-0 after dropping the doubles point and the first two singles matches off court. Freshman Alex Petrone (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs Prep) initiated the rally from the No. 3 position, defeating Anton Kovrigin, 7-6 (5), 6-4. After claiming the first-set tiebreaker to gain the advantage, Petrone earned a break in the fifth game of the second to seal the win.
Junior Evan King (Chicago, Ill./Kaplan Prep) and sophomore Barrett Franks (Christchurch, New Zealand/Shirley Boys' School) claimed back-to-back matches in three sets to even the team score at 3-3. King, ranked No. 8, knocked off No. 66 Charlies Jones, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, at the No. 1 position, using an early break in the third set to improve to 7-2 in dual-match competition. Franks rallied after losing the first set to Joe Dorn at the No. 5 spot, taking advantage of early breaks in the remaining two sets to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-5. On serve through 4-5 in the third, he claimed the final three games to secure the dual-tying decision.
The Commodores earned wins at the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles positions to claim the dual's initial point. Despite a late rally, U-M's top team of King and sophomore Shaun Bernstein (Plainview, N.Y./Old Bethpage JFK HS) saw their five-match win streak halted as Gonzalez Austin and DiValerio posted an 8-6 victory to clinch the point.
Michigan earned a win at the No. 2 position, where Franks and Buzzi strung together three straight games late en route to an 8-5 decision against Jones and Kovrigin. The Wolverine pair improved to 4-4 in dual competition.
The Wolverines will hit the road for spring break, traveling to Honolulu, Hawai'i, to face Hawai'i on Thursday (March 1). The match is slated for a 3 p.m. HST start at the UH Tennis Complex.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 8 Evan King (U-M) d. No. 66 Charlie Jones (Vanderbilt), 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
No. 2 -- Gonzalez Austin (Vanderbilt) d. Shaun Bernstein (U-M), 6-2, 7-6 (3)
No. 3 -- Alex Petrone (U-M) d. Anton Kovrigin (Vanderbilt), 7-6 (5), 6-4
No. 4 -- Jeff Offerdahl (Vanderbilt) d. Michael Zhu (U-M), 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 -- Barrett Franks (U-M) d. Joe Dorn (Vanderbilt), 4-6, 6-4, 7-5
No. 6 -- Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Alex DiValerio (Vanderbilt), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Gonzalez Austin/Alex DiValerio (Vanderbilt) d. No. 10 Evan King/Shaun Bernstein (U-M), 8-6
No. 2 -- Barrett Franks/Alex Buzzi (U-M) d. Charlie Jones/Anton Kovrigin (Vanderbilt), 8-5
No. 3 -- Joe Dorn/Jeff Offerdahl (Vanderbilt) d. Alex Petrone/Michael Zhu (U-M), 8-4
Order of Completion: Singles 4-2-3-1-5-6; Doubles 3-1-2
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
