Maravic Earns Third MVP Award at Annual Banquet
5/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 2006-07 University of Michigan men's tennis team was honored at its annual banquet, held Wednesday evening (May 2) at the Junge Family Champions Center. Head coach Bruce Berque and the Wolverines gave their thoughts and reflections on the season in front of family, friends and the U-M tennis community, while one of the highlights of the event was the announcement of the three individual awards voted on by the team members.
For the third straight year, junior Matko Maravic (Zagreb, Croatia/V. Gimnazija) was voted as the team's Most Valuable Player. The tri-captain has tallied a career-best 26 overall singles wins this season, including eight victories over nationally-ranked opponents. Maravic, the first Wolverine in over a decade to be named to the All-Big Ten Conference team three times in a career, has also compiled a career-high dual match singles win total of 17 at the Nos. 1 and 2 positions. He claimed the Big Ten Singles Championship title this past fall, and has been ranked as high as No. 25 in the national rankings in 2006-07.
Maravic and senior Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) have paired together for a team-best 24-8 doubles record this year, including a 16-6 dual match mark at No.1. The tandem, which has been ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, was the runner-up at the Polo Ralph Lauren All-American Championships before reaching the semifinals at the ITA National Indoor Championships.
Senior Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) was the recipient of the Leadership Award. Serving as a team captain for second straight season, Heller has posted career-high singles totals in overall (21), dual match (17) and Big Ten (seven) victories in his final year as a Wolverine. He has been dominant during the dual match season, winning 14 of 17 matches in straight sets.
This season's Most Improved Player award went to sophomore Andrew Mazlin (Altamonte Springs, Fla./Lyman HS). Mazlin has put together a remarkable season, posting an overall singles record of 25-7 and a team-best dual match mark of 17-4 at Nos. 2-5. He won a team-high eight matches during the Big Ten season and has defeated 14 of 19 opponents from the Midwest Region.
Heller and Mazlin have played in instrumental role in Michigan's doubles success this season, teaming together for a 15-7 dual match record primarily at the No. 2 position. The pair, which has been ranked as high as No. 45 in the nation, went 7-3 in conference action and has dropped just eight of 26 matches overall in 2006-07.
Michigan (19-6) discovered on Tuesday (May 1) that it earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship for the second straight season. The 21st-ranked Wolverines will head to Champaign, Ill., to face Drake in first-round action on Friday, May 11 (Noon CDT) at the Atkins Tennis Center. With a victory against the Bulldogs, the Wolverines would face the winner of No. 10-ranked Illinois and Western Michigan on Saturday, May 12 (1 p.m. CDT).
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
