April 23, 2011

Complete Results

Site: Evanston, Ill. (Combe Tennis Center)
Score: No. 27 Michigan 5, No. 75 Northwestern 2
Records: NU (11-13, 2-8 Big Ten), Michigan (13-9. 6-4 Big Ten)
Next NU Event: Thursday, April 28- Sunday, May 1 • Big Ten Championships • Madison, Wisc.

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Wildcats senior Andrew McCarthy made the most of Senior Day on Saturday, winning both of his matches, but in the end, 27th-ranked Michigan was too much for No. 75 Northwestern to handle. The Wolverines outlasted the 'Cats, 5-2, in the regular-season finale at the Combe Tennis Center.

NU's No. 1 duo of Joshua Graves and Spencer Wolf had a rocky start, falling behind quickly to Jason Jung and Shaun Bernstein, 6-0. Never able to regain ground, Graves and Wolf fell, 8-1, to Michigan's pair. But the Wildcats Chris Jackman and Raleigh Smith evened things out, earning their 13th win at doubles this season after fending off Chris Cha and Justin Rossi of Michigan, 8-5, on the No. 2 line.

With the first team point yet to be settled, Northwestern's Tobias Reitz and Andrew McCarthy and Michigan's Evan King and Alex Buzzi played to a tiebreaker set after an 8-8 tie. Reitz and McCarthy were too much for the Wolverine twosome to overcome, winning the tiebreaker set, 7-2. With the 9-8 (7-2) win, Northwestern advanced to singles with a 1-0 lead.

Michigan evened things up at one apiece after junior Eric Spector, making only his fifth appearance this year, dropped in two sets to Chris Madden, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 6 singles. The Wolverines took the lead when 50th-ranked Jason Jung overpowered NU's Spencer Wolf, 6-2, 6-1, handing the junior his fifth conference loss.

In his ninth appearance this season, sophomore Sidarth Balaji dropped in straight sets to Michigan's Shaun Bernstein, 7-5, 6-4, extending the Wolverines' lead to 3-1. The loss marked Balaji's first of the season at No. 3 singles. Northwestern's No. 4, Raleigh Smith, fell next giving Michigan the winning fourth team-point. Smith failed to win the first set after losing the tiebreaker in a 7-1 route. After a hard-fought second set, Michigan's Barrett Franks put the freshman away for good, 7-6 (7-1), 6-4.

Senior Andrew McCartney, who was honored by teammates and head coach Arvid Swan after the doubles round, helped Northwestern to avoid the singles sweep with his 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Chris Cha of Michigan at the No. 5 spot. McCarthy earned his 11th win on the season, and second straight in the Big Ten on Senior Day.

For the second consecutive night, Joshua Graves was a part of the final match of the dual. Graves dropped the first set to 21st-ranked Evan King, 6-3, but jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set. But King powered his way back, eventually forcing a tiebreaker set. King was ultimately too much for Graves, downing the NU junior, 6-3, 7-6 (8-6) to give the Wolverines their fifth and final point.

Up next, Northwestern heads to Madison, Wisc., for the Big Ten Championships, scheduled from April 28-May 1. Keep up with all of the latest Men's Tennis news and scores during the week at NUsports.com.

No. 27 Michigan 5, No. 75 Northwestern 2
Singles:
1: #21 Evan King (MICH) def. Joshua Graves (NU), 6-3, 7-6 (8-6)
2: #50 Jason Jung (MICH) def. Spencer Wolf (NU) 6-2, 6-3
3: Shaun Bernstein (MICH) def. Sidarth Balaji (NU), 7-5, 6-4
4: Barrett Franks (MICH) def. Raleigh Smith (NU), 7-6 (7-1), 6-4
5: Andrew McCarthy (NU) def. Chris Cha (MICH), 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
6: Justin Rossi (MICH) def. Eric Spector (NU), 6-0, 6-0

Doubles:
1: Jung/Bernstein (MICH) def. Graves/Wolf (NU 8-1
2: McCarthy/Reitz (NU) def. King/Buzzi (MICH), 8-4
3: Jackman/Smith (NU) def. Cha/Rossi (MICH) 8-5

Order of Finish:
Singles (6, 2, 3, 4*, 5, 1)
Doubles (1, 3, 2*)

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook! and subscribe to the NU Sports Express e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and video and to interact with NU. For more information on following specific Northwestern teams online, visit our Social Media page!