Rice University
Michigan
Rice Falls At Michigan 5-2
2/3/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Feb. 3, 2006
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- With three singles matches going to a third set and the doubles point coming down to a tiebreaker, the Rice men lost a tough 5-2 decision at Michigan on Friday evening in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Ben Harknett and Christoph Müller struck first for the 37th-ranked Owls with an 8-5 win against Scott Bruckman and Steve Peretz at number three doubles. After knotting the doubles score with a win at the top spot, the Wolverines secured the first team point as Ryan Heller and Andrew Mazlin edged Rice's Ralph Knupfer and Filip Zivojinovic 9-8 (4).
After Michigan went up 2-0, 36th-ranked Robert Searle got the Owls on the scoreboard, beating 58th-ranked Matko Maravic 6-2, 6-2 at number one singles. The Wolverines took a 3-1 lead as the teams went to third sets in the final three matches, then rallied for wins at the three and five singles positions for the team victory. Rice's Tony Haerle came on strong after being down 5-2 in his third set to defeat Mazlin 6-7, 6-4, 7-6 in the final match of the day.
The loss is the Owls' first of the season as they fall to 3-1 on the year. Rice continues it's road trip on Sunday, taking on 74th-ranked Michigan State at noon in East Lansing, Mich.
Results
No. 52 Michigan 5, No. 37 Rice 2
Doubles
1) Hung/Maravic (UM) def. No. 37 Haerle/Searle (RU), 8-5
2) Heller/Mazlin (UM) def. Knupfer/Zivojinovic (RU), 9-8 (4)
3) Harknett/Müller (RU) def. Scott Bruckman/Peretz (UM), 8-5
Singles
1) No. 36 Robert Searle (RU) def. No. 58 Matko Maravic (UM), 6-2, 6-2
2) Brian Hung (UM) def. Ben Harknett (RU), 6-3, 6-4
3) No. 62 Ryan Heller (UM) def. Ralph Knupfer (RU), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2
4) Tony Haerle (RU) def. Andrew Mazlin (UM), 6-7, 6-4, 7-6
5) Steve Peretz (UM) def. Christoph Müller (RU) 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
6) Peter Aarts (UM) def. Filip Zivojinovic (RU), 6-1, 6-4
Players Mentioned
