Notes & Quotes: Michigan 5, Purdue 2
3/31/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
March 31, 2012
N O T E S
• With today's win, Michigan improved to 67-10 in the all-time series against Purdue. The Wolverines have won eight straight in the series.
• Michigan has claimed the doubles point in nine of 14 matches this season.
• Sophomore Alex Buzzi has clinched two duals for Michigan this season. He also clinched U-M's 4-3 comeback win at Vanderbilt in the final match.
• Freshman Michael Zhu has appeared at three different positions in the singles lineup. He is 1-0 at No. 3, 7-5 at No. 4 and 0-1 at No. 5.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Bruce Berque
On freshmen playing at No. 2 and No. 3 singles today ... "We had a lot of confidence in those two guys and their skills when we recruited them. But that's a lot to ask of freshmen. They're getting better every time, and they both really love to play and practice. That's why they're getting better each week.
On freshman Michael Zhu ... "Mike is really learning everything that is involved with competing at a high level -- even when he's not hitting the ball at his best. That's the thing he's really improved. I thought he was the leader today on that doubles court. He's got great doubles skills, and he fought well and had great energy."
On Michigan's rally at No. 1 doubles ... "It's not easy to come back from two breaks. They just fought really hard. That first game, in which Evan [King] got broken, was kind of a downer, because they made some mistakes that they don't usually make. But they turned it around. Evan and Shaun [Bernstein] know how to play college tennis and how important it is to keep your attitude in check, stay hungry and keep your energy up. They believe in their skills. They were missing one today, with Shaun's serve, but they have plenty of others."
U-M Freshman Alex Petrone
On playing up at the No. 2 singles spot ... "It pretty much felt the same. I had to do it for the team. He was pretty good, pretty solid from the baseline. I came out firing and thought I did a pretty good job of keeping my energy up. I was up 5-4 in the second and got a little tight, but I regrouped and got the job done. I was pretty pleased with how I did."
On his doubles play ... "We were on a five-match winning streak but then we lost a few. The things we do great -- returning well, serving well and basically beating guys off the baseline, I think we fell off a little bit. But we're getting back on track. Me and Mike [Zhu] jell pretty well as a team, and I think we'll get the momentum going again."
U-M Freshman Michael Zhu
On playing at No. 3 singles ... "We were expecting to play up a spot since Shaun was having problems with his arm this week. It doesn't really matter; you just step out onto the court and play who you're going to play. It was definitely different [playing next to Evan King], but we're all supportive of each other no matter what, and you feed off the energy of whoever is next to you."
