Weekly Release #1
1/18/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sunday, Jan. 23 -- vs. Western Michigan (Varsity Tennis Center), 1 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 29 -- vs. DePaul (Varsity Tennis Center), 1 p.m.
Feb. 3-6 -- at Rolex National Indoor Championship (Dallas, Texas), All Day
Michigan Opens Dual Season
The University of Michigan men's tennis team will open its 2000 dual meet season on Sunday, Jan. 23, vs. Western Michigan at the Varsity Tennis Center. The match against the Broncos will begin at 1 p.m. and will be the first dual match in the coaching career of new Wolverine mentor Mark Mees.
Michigan vs. Western Michigan
This will be the 49th time that the two in-state school have met on the hardcourt, with the Wolverines holding a 41-7 advantage all-time. Michigan beat Western Michigan 6-1 last year at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines have won 22 consecutive matches against the Broncos and 33 of the last 34 contests (only loss during stretch came 6-3 during 1954-55 season).
Wright Eyes 40th Dual Victory
Senior Matt Wright (Wichita, Kan./Wichita Collegiate HS) begins the dual season looking to win his 40th career match in dual competition (39-25 career record). Wright has a team-leading 12 wins this year (12-4) and has compiled an 8-2 record against regional competition. He is currently ranked No. 35 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national singles rankings and last week finished as the Big Ten Conference Singles Championship runner-up (5-1 record with loss coming to No. 1 seed and No. 24 nationally Tyler Cleveland of Iowa). Wright has compiled a 76-44 career singles record.
Long Eyes 70th Singles Win
Senior co-captain John Long (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) heads into the Western Michigan match needing one victory for the 70th singles wins of his career. Long has a 69-31 career record and has compiled a 10-5 record this year. His 10 wins this year rank second only to Matt Wright's team-leading 12 victories. Long is 6-3 against regional competition this year.
Beam Begins 2000 Strong
Sophomore netter Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) enters the 2000 dual match season after becoming a quarterfinalist at the Big Ten Conference Singles Championship. Beam posted a 3-1 tournament mark and enters the dual match season with an 8-5 overall record. He has won seven of his last 10 matches and is 6-3 against regional competitors. Beam has a 28-20 career singles record.
Cox Eyes 20th Dual Victory
Sophomore Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) enters the Western Michigan match looking to capture his 20th career dual match win (19-2 record last year). Cox has compiled a 5-5 singles record this year and has a 31-11 career singles record.
McCain Matching Opposition
Sophomore Danny McCain (Largo, Fla./Canterbury School) heads into the dual match season with a 5-4 record this year, including an impressive 2-1 at the Big Ten Conference Singles Championship. McCain has compiled a 3-2 record against regional opponents this year. He brings a 22-20 career singles match into this weekend's match against Western Michigan.
Michigan Nears 900 Wins
The Wolverines enter the dual match season needing three victories to collect the 900th win in the 103-year history of University of Michigan men's tennis. The program has compiled an 897-351-14 record in 102 seasons and claimed a Big Ten Conference-record 36 team crowns (next closest current school is Illinois with 10 titles).
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423)
