EAST LANSING — It took Michigan’s men’s tennis junior George Navas three hard-fought sets to defeat Michigan State's Ronnie Hulewicz yesterday.

But Hulewicz's actions after losing at No. 5 singles told the real story of the day.

Following the loss, the Spartan freshman walked to the backdrop behind his court and grabbed his towel. After shaking hands with Navas and the umpire, Hulewicz plopped down on a nearby bench and buried his head in the towel for a couple minutes.

Hulewicz’s display epitomized the match as the Wolverines dismantled the Spartans, 7-0, at the Michigan State Indoor Tennis Facility.

“We don’t want to take anyone lightly, but (Michigan) coach (Bruce Berque) really wanted us to be competitive in today’s match,” junior Mike Sroczynski said. “Getting another win on the road definitely helps the team’s confidence.”

After the teams split the first two doubles matches, the doubles point rested on the shoulders of Sroczynski and senior co-captain Peter Aarts.

Because the Spartans (0-7 Big Ten, 12-10 overall) defeated Michigan in doubles the previous two seasons, Berque said he urged Michigan to play with “energy” and “hunger” because he knew its in-state rival would come out strong.

Sroczynski and Aarts stayed composed and poised, battling for each point to escape with an 8-6 victory and the doubles point for the Wolverines (3-4, 9-13). Sroczynski was easily the biggest and strongest player on the court for both teams, using his serve to overpower the Spartans.

“We definitely want the guys to use their serves as weapons," Berque said. "But we also want to manage them and make a lot of high-percentage first serves in singles and doubles. When we do that, we have a good chance of winning.”

After grabbing the doubles point for the Wolverines, Sroczynski's serve and return game were too strong for the Spartans at the No. 3 singles position. He defeated his opponent in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4.

“On days like this, when I can serve well, there’s really nothing (my opponent) can do,” Sroczynski said. “I was hitting my spots really well.”

Berque said Sroczynski hadn't been playing his best tennis earlier in the season but he has improved considerably in the past few weeks.

Navas and senior Andrew Mazlin used multiple aces in their three-set singles victories to help the team beat the Spartans for the fifth straight time.

Michigan will hope to use its service game next Sunday at Purdue to force the Boilermakers to bury their faces into a few more white towels.

“It’s easier when you have that 'W' behind you in the locker room," sophomore Chris Madden said. "You can celebrate a little bit and believe in yourself again.”