The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/130469
BIG TEN/NCAA Championships: men's tennis Tech is a good team, we just didn't compete to the level we needed to," said head coach Bruce Berque, who has guided Michigan to the NCAA Champion‑ ships in eight of his nine seasons. "We earned the doubles point and we were playing well and then we lost momentum in a match we were winning, and we just didn't respond to the adversity like we needed to." "Every match was a dogfight and they just seemed to want it more then we did," King added. "Sometimes the other team is going to step up, and when they do, you have to match it, and we just didn't." Though Berque was frustrated with the Wolverines' end result, feeling U-M could have advanced at least to the Sweet 16 this season, he was proud of the way the Maize and Blue persevered after injuries and a losing streak that reached five straight in February threatened to derail the campaign. Michigan responded by winning 10 of its final 12 regular-season contests and earned a pair of Big Ten Tournament wins to play for the conference crown. "We made it to the finals for the first time in program history, and we found a way to win a lot of the close matches that earlier in the year we were losing," Berque said. "We weren't happy with the way our season ended because we had bigger goals than that and we were playing well, but I'm proud of the way the guys stuck together and turned a shaky start into a strong finish." Berque will join King in Illinois, and some of his teammates will come along to cheer on the Chicago native. Whether he wins it all or loses before reaching the pinnacle, King will be a difficult player to replace for the Maize and Blue in 2014. However, both he and his coach see a returning roster capable of achiev‑ ing at a high level next year. "I am the only guy graduating so there will be lots of competition next season for spots and that always helps," King said. "I think the guys will be motivated with the way our season ended, and I fully expect that will have a great year. I'll be keeping track of them." "We lose one of the best players that has ever played at Michigan, and he's a huge loss because we won't have that dominant No. 1 singles player anymore, but we will have a lot of depth," Berque said. "We'll bring in some new players, and what we need from our veterans, guys like Shaun Bernstein, Barrett Franks and Alex Petrone, is to work hard in the offseason to step up their games be‑ cause we need someone to play No. 1 and No. 2 positions and give us a chance. "Next year, we won't be a team with a star but we'll have an opportunity to have an identity as a strong team, and we're going to need an entire lineup that fights like crazy every match to win. These guys have been through the challenges, and they now understand what it takes to win and be successful, and you expect that translates into a more consistent season and a better fin‑ ish next year." — Michael Spath