Michigan Tops Texas in NCAA Super Regional, Moves on to Elite Eight

Michigan Tops Texas in NCAA Super Regional, Moves on to Elite Eight

Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)

Event: NCAA Tournament (Super Regional)

Result: #5 Michigan 4, #12 Texas 2

Records: U-M (25-3), Texas (18-11)

Next U-M Event: Thursday, May 19 — vs. Ohio State – NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals (Champaign, Ill.), 7 p.m. CDT

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ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The No. 5 seed University of Michigan men’s tennis team defeated No. 12 Texas 4-2 in an NCAA Tournament Super Regional match on Saturday (May 14) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The contest saw a wild finish that started outdoors, was paused for a lightning delay and then moved indoors. This is the first time Michigan advances to the Elite Eight since 1988.

The Wolverines held a 3-2 advantage with No. 1 and No. 3 singles still at play before the match was paused due to lightning in the area. Ondrej Styler was up 4-3 in the third set against Eliot Spizzirri, while Andrew Fenty trailed 4-1 on his third set with Pierre-Yves Bailly.

Play resumed an hour later indoors. Fenty came back refreshed and clutch, not giving up a single point and winning five straight games for a 6-4 third-set victory.

Styler and Spizzirri were knotted 3-3 in the third-set tiebreaker when the match was left unfinished.

Michigan took the doubles point for the 24th time this season with Styler and Jacob Bickersteth coming up big at No. 3, taking the win in a 7-6 (5) tiebreaker. The duo looked like it would run away with it after going up 4-1. Chih Chu Huang and Eshan Talluri won four of the next five games to even things at 5-5. Styler/Bickersteth went up 6-5 before the Longhorns forced the tiebreak, which went much the same as the match with Michigan taking an early 4-1 lead. Texas won the next two games to make it 4-3, but Styler/Bickersteth responded with back-to-back wins to take the 6-3 edge. The Longhorns then made it 6-5 before Michigan closed with the final two games.

Patrick Maloney and Nick Beaty made quick work of the No. 4 ranked duo of Cleeve Harper and Richard Ciamarra, winning 6-1. It is the highest-ranked pair that Maloney/Beaty have defeated this season as they are clean against ranked foes at 3-0.

No. 8 Siem Woldeab and Spizzirri took No. 1 doubles from…