Michigan
Michigan State
Singles Sweep Sends Michigan Past Michigan State
3/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 29 University of Michigan men's tennis team snapped a three-match losing streak and improved to 2-0 in Big Ten Conference play by shutting out Michigan State Friday evening (March 17) at the Varsity Tennis Center. In a quick match that lasted just two and a half hours, the Wolverines (7-6, 2-0 Big Ten) claimed wins in all but one of the nine matches contested. It marked the first time U-M earned a 7-0 sweep over the Spartans (4-11, 0-3 Big Ten) since the 1995 season.
With the victory, the men's tennis team secured a half-point for U-M in the first contest of the Challenge Cup spring session. Should the U-M women's tennis team win at Michigan State next Wednesday (March 22), the Wolverines will take a 1-0 lead over the Spartans.
Michigan's No. 2 doubles team of junior Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and freshman Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS) broke a two-match losing skid in dramatic fashion, defeating John Allare and Joseph McWilliams by a score of 8-6. Heller and Mazlin found themselves in an early 5-2 hole, but the Wolverine tandem maintained its composure and went on to win six of the next seven games en route to their victory. The win gives Heller and Mazlin a 6-5 record in dual match play.
Junior Steve Peretz (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Dwight School) and freshman Scott Bruckmann (Sarasota, Fla./Saint Stephens Episcopal) never trailed in their 8-6 victory over Michael Flowers and Scott Rasmussen at No. 3, which clinched the doubles point for Michigan. The two pairings were on serve through 10 games, until Peretz and Bruckmann claimed three of the final four games to secure the win and break a four-match losing streak.
U-M's No. 15-ranked duo of junior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) and sophomore Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) held a 7-6 lead over Adam Monich and Nick Rinks at No. 1 and was serving for the match, but the Spartan pair broke serve and eventually forced a tiebreaker. In the extra set, Monich and Rinks prevailed by a 7-4 margin. It was just Hung and Maravic's fifth loss in their last 21 matches dating back to the fall season and their fourth defeat in 13 dual matches this season.
Tonight marked the first match this season that Michigan has claimed the doubles point without receiving a victory from Hung and Maravic at No. 1.
Returning to the lineup for the first time since U-M's Big Ten opener at Northwestern on Feb. 24, freshman Peter Aarts (Pound Ridge, N.Y./Fox Lane HS) made quick work of Rasmussen at No. 6 singles, earning a 6-1, 6-0 win to improve his dual match record to 3-4 and give the Wolverines a 2-0 lead.
Two dominating performances by Mazlin and Hung clinched the team victory for Michigan. Mazlin handily defeated Flowers at No. 4, 6-3, 6-3, for his first win in four matches. Hung provided the clinching point at No. 2, overpowering Monich by a 6-2, 6-3 score to move his record to 7-6 in dual match action.
With the outcome decided, Peretz and Maravic won their respective matches in super-tiebreakers after suffering 6-1 losses in each of their first sets. Peretz provided U-M with a 5-0 lead with a 1-6, 6-1, 1-0(5) decision over McWilliams at No. 5, while the 37th-ranked Maravic battled back to beat Rinks, 1-6, 6-3, 1-0(7) at No. 1.
Heller completed the singles sweep at No. 4, defeating Allare by a 6-4, 6-1 margin to move his dual match record to 7-6.
The Wolverines close out their non-conference schedule this Sunday (March 19) when they travel to Cambridge, Mass., to take on Harvard. The match is scheduled for a noon start at the Murr Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #37 Matko Maravic (U-M) d. Nick Rinks, 1-6, 6-3, 1-0(7)
No. 2 -- Brian Hung (U-M) d. Adam Monich, 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 -- #125 Ryan Heller (U-M) d. John Allare, 6-4, 6-1
No. 4 -- Andrew Mazlin (U-M) d. Michael Flowers, 6-3, 6-3
No. 5 -- Steve Peretz (U-M) d. Joseph McWilliams, 1-6, 6-1, 1-0(5)
No. 6 -- Peter Aarts (U-M) d. Scott Rasmussen, 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Monich/Rinks (MSU) d. #15 Hung/Maravic, 9-8(4)
No. 2 -- Heller/Mazlin (U-M) d. Allare/McWilliams, 8-6
No. 3 -- Bruckmann/Peretz (U-M) d. Flowers/Rasmussen, 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3-1, Singles 6-4-2-5-1-3
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
