Wolverines Win Eighth Straight in Decisive Decision at Nebraska
3/21/2021 1:53:00 PM
// Kristy McNeil
Site: Lincoln, Nebraska (Dillon Tennis Center)
Result: #8 Michigan 4, Nebraska 0
Records: U-M (8-1, 8-0 B1G), Nebraska (0-9, 0-9 BIG)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 26 — at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.) 6 p.m. CDT
LINCOLN, Neb. — The No. 8-ranked Michigan men’s team won its eighth straight match on Sunday (March 21) with a 4-0 victory at Nebraska.
The Wolverines took the early lead on the doubles point with No. 2 ranked junior Andrew Fenty and senior Mattias Siimar picking up a 6-2 win over William Gleason and Victor Moreno Lozano. Down 1-0, the Maize and Blue rattled off six straight points. It’s the fourth consecutive win for the pair as they improve to 10-1 on the season.
On court 2, fifth-year Connor Johnston and senior Harrison Brown teamed up for the first time and had success at No. 2 doubles with a 6-4 win over Patrick Cacciatore and Albert Sprlak-Puk, 6-4. They were knotted at 1-1 before Johnston/Brown won three straight to take a 4-1 lead. The Huskers wouldn’t go quietly winning three of the next four to make it a one-point set, 5-4, before Johnston and Brown closed with the win.
Freshman Nino Ehrenschneider and junior Patrick Maloney had a 4-3 lead at No. 3, before the match was abandoned.
Freshman Jacob Bickersteth stayed unbeaten at No. 5 singles, winning his third match at the position. Tied 4-4 in the first set Bickersteth won the final two games, 6-4, and after being knotted at 1-1 in the second set went on a tear to win the next five games for the 6-1 sets.
Siimar earned his first win at No. 2 singles in his first appearance at the spot this season. He jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first set before splitting two games for the 6-3 final. In the second set, he was up 3-0 before dropping two straight. He recovered to take the next three points in the 6-2 win.
Fenty grabbed his sixth win of the season at No. 1 with matching 6-3 wins over Moreno Lozano. The No. 14-ranked Wolverine is now 7-1 in the Big Ten and 10-6 overall. He fell behind in the first set 2-1 before winning the next three for the 4-2 advantage. Moreno Lozano would only take one point in the next three games. Tied 3-3 in the second set, Fenty put Moreno Lozano away with three straight victories.
Michigan now 8-1 overall and 8-0 in the Big Ten, the lone unbeaten team in conference action, is on the road again next weekend with its first stop at Illinois on Friday (March 26) at 6 p.m. CDT.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 — No. 14 Andrew Fenty (U-M) d. Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 — Mattias Siimar (U-M) d. Shunya Maruyama (NEB) 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 — Patrick Maloney (U-M) vs. Albert Sprlak-Puk (NEB) 6-3, 4-5 abandoned
No. 4 — Nick Beaty (U-M) vs. William Gleason (NEB) 3-6, 5-3 abandoned
No. 5 — Jacob Bickersteth (U-M) d. Nic Wiedenhorn (NEB) 6-4, 6-1
No. 6 — Nino Ehrenschneider (U-M) vs Patrick Cacciatore (NEB) 6-1, 5-4 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 — No. 2 Andrew Fenty/Mattias Siimar (U-M) d. William Gleason/Victor Moreno Lozano (NEB) 6-2
No. 2 — Connor Johnston/Harrison Brown (U-M) d. Patrick Cacciatore/Albert Sprlak-Puk (NEB) 6-4
No. 3 — Nino Ehrenschneider/Patrick Maloney (U-M) vs. Shunya Maruyama/Nic Wiedenhorrn (NEB) 4-3 abandoned
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2 Singles 5-2-3