ita National player of the year
This season, Spizzirri repeated as Big 12 Player of the Year, along with once again finishing ranked No. 1 in singles by the ITA. He became the fourth player nationally to twice finish as the top-ranked singles player since the ITA rankings began in 1981.
He concluded the season with a 29-6 overall record, including 21-4 in dual matches, playing on the top line in all of those. Fourteen of his 29 wins came against top-50 opponents with 12 of those against the top-25. In the fall, Spizzirri won the singles title at the ITA All-American Championships.
Spizzirri also finished in the top-15 of the ITA doubles rankings with two different partners in Harper at No. 13 and senior Siem Woldeab at No. 15, making him just the sixth player since 1981 to accomplish that feat. He and Harper then attained All-America status by reaching the semifinals of the NCAA Doubles Championship. Overall, Spizzirri posted a 24-13 doubles record this year, while Harper was 30-11. In the NCAA doubles tournament, they won three straight matches over the No. 17, No. 2, and No. 11 ranked pairs to reach the semifinals. Earlier in the fall, they also reached the final of the ITA All-American Championships.
Spizzirri finished his Texas careers as one of the winningest players in combined singles and doubles victories in program history. Spizzirri closed with 218, including 113 in singles and 105 in doubles. Spizzirri's 113 singles wins rank fifth at UT, and his .785 winning percentage is fourth.
A Quote from the Head Coach
Eliot, It has been an amazing ride, and it was a thrill for me as a coach to have been part of your college journey. In finishing as the ITA Player of the Year for the second year in a row, you have carved out a spot for yourself in college tennis history.
Thank you for giving your heart and soul to our program, and for being such an outstanding leader and example. Your pursuit of excellence at the highest level of college tennis, and as a student in the McCombs School of Business was inspiring. As you begin the next chapter of your tennis career, I have every reason to believe that the character and skillset that has led to your success at Texas will allow you to realize your dreams at the professional level. We’ll be watching and rooting you on every step of the way! Hook ‘em! - Head Coach Bruce Berque