Led by Massive 12 Participant of the Yr Eliot Spizzirri and fifth-year coach Bruce Berque, Texas males’s tennis made its third Remaining 4 look in 4 years. Texas has been a constant powerhouse throughout Berque’s tenure, advancing to the Candy 16 yearly since he took over halfway via the 2019 season, culminating in a nationwide championship.
The Texas Tennis Middle was a fortress this yr, with the Longhorns going an ideal 15–0 in Austin with packed, burnt orange crowds making a raucous environment after each level.
Even on a brisk Sunday afternoon in late January, lots of cheered on Texas because it took down then-No.12 Georgia in a decent match that featured three gamers within the prime 10 of the singles rankings. With the Longhorns main 3-1, all eyes turned to courtroom one as then-No. 1 Ethan Quinn was battling then-No. 3 Spizzirri with the match about to go to a 3rd set.
Whereas the junior from Greenwich, Connecticut dropped the primary set in a tiebreaker, he got here again robust with dominant 6-1 wins within the second and third units, clinching the match for Texas and securing him the brand new No. 1 nationwide rating he would retain all through the season.
The Longhorns have been on fireplace from Feb. 26 to April 22, going 12–0 total, with all 12 wins coming in opposition to ranked opponents. This run included three prime 10 wins, with two coming in opposition to in-state rival TCU, the second of which clinched the Massive 12 common season title on the Texas Tennis Middle.
Regardless of a loss to the then-No. 3 Horned Frogs within the closing of the Massive 12 event, No. 1 total seed Texas continued its late-season momentum into the NCAA event, sweeping Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Pepperdine, No. 16 North Carolina and No. 9 South Carolina to advance to the Remaining 4.
No. 5 Virginia, the defending nationwide champions and three-time defending ACC champions, confronted Texas and lived as much as their championship pedigree with a 4-1 win. The Cavaliers dominated doubles on the 2 and three strains, profitable two tight singles matches after dropping the primary set to Texas’ redshirt junior Cleeve Harper and junior Siem Woldeab. Virginia accomplished its title protection the following day by sweeping No. 3 Ohio State.
Whereas the Longhorns fell in need of their crew objective, there have been many notable particular person efforts. Sarasota, Florida native Micah Braswell was named to the 2023 NCAA Championship All-Event Staff after going 5-0 in singles, not dropping a set in any matches and solely as soon as permitting an opponent to win 4 video games in a set. Braswell stood out within the loss in opposition to Virginia with a commanding 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 49 ranked Jeffery van der Schulenburg.
No. 16 James Trotter and Andrew Lutschaunig of Ohio State outlasted Harper and Spizzirri within the closing of the NCAA Doubles Championship, 6-4, 6-4. Key breakpoint wins on the finish of every set for the Buckeyes’ pairing of redshirt seniors assured that reigning doubles champion Harper wouldn’t defend the title he gained with Richard Ciamarra, who graduated in 2022.
Harper and Spizzirri achieved the runner-up title within the NCAA Doubles Championship, including to the crew’s total success this season. Spizzirri, Harper and Braswell all took residence All-American honors, accumulating 17 whole All-People throughout Berque’s profession.
The Longhorns ended their season ranked No. 3 and are keen to start getting ready for the 2023-24 season, with Spizzirri having one other yr of eligibility below his belt.
