Weekly Release #8
3/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Wednesday, March 27 -- vs. Notre Dame (Varsity Tennis Center), 3 p.m.
Wednesday, April 3 -- vs. Michigan State (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 6 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), Noon
Sunday, April 7 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), Noon
Men's Tennis Hosts No. 7-ranked Notre Dame
The University of Michigan men's tennis team (9-5, 1-3 Big Ten) looks to collect its 10th dual match victory of the season Wednesday afternoon (March 27, 3 p.m.), hosting No. 7-ranked Notre Dame at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Fighting Irish enter the match against the Wolverines with a 16-4 overall record on the year and have been ranked in the top 10 nationally all season.
Wolverines vs. Fighting Irish
This will be the 61st meeting between the two schools. The Wolverines' most common non-conference opponent, Notre Dame has won 11 of the last 13 matches played between the two schools, including a 7-0 match by the Irish last season (March 8) in South Bend, Ind.. Michigan holds a 39-21 advantage in the all-time series, including a 23-match winning streak from 1962-63 through 1989-90. The series is 1-1 at the Varsity Tennis Center, with Notre Dame winning 5-2 during the 1997-98 season and Michigan claiming a 5-2 victory during the 1999-2000 season.
U-M Climbs to Season-High 40th in National Rankings
The men's tennis team enters this week ranked a season-high 40th in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis rankings released March 20 by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The ITA began the 2001-02 season with seven weekly polls then switched to the computer point-per-match ranking with the March 20 poll and the remainder of the season. U-M has compiled 10.57 computer points so far this season. The Wolverines have been ranked in the 40's the majority of the year while dipping as low as No. 52 in the March 6 rankings.
Michigan in ITA Rankings
Date Rank Jan. 8 43rd Jan. 30 44th Feb. 13 45th Feb. 20 46th Feb. 27 51st March 6 52nd March 13 46th March 20 40th
Beam Reaches 15 Singles Wins, Approaches 20 Victories
Senior co-captain Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) notched his 15th singles win of the season last week, defeating No. 149-ranked Jason Pressel of Ball State, 6-7(5), 6-3, 6-2. The top singles player is third on the team in overall singles wins this season and is one victory behind freshman Matt Lockin (Lilburn, Ga./N.D. Independent Study) in dual match wins with 10 (10-4 mark at No. 1). With his 15 wins this year, Beam has accumulated a total of 78 singles wins throughout his four-year career. A win on Wednesday would place him in a tie for 12th place on Michigan's all-time wins list. He is currently ranked 54th in the ITA national rankings.
Beam in the Rankings
Date Rank Sept. 13 43rd Dec. 11 60th Feb. 22 57th March 6 NR March 20 54th
Lockin and Beam Continue Domination
Henry Beam and Matt Lockin continue to steamroll through doubles competition at the No. 2 position. The duo has compiled an impressive 13-1 overall record this season, with their only loss coming in a tie-breaker against Wisconsin (March 10). Lockin leads U-M in total doubles wins with 16 (16-4 record) and Beam in second on the list with 13 victories. Last weekend, the two prevented a clean sweep by Indiana State, defeating Henry Choi and Dalibor Mihajlovic by a 9-7 to give the Wolverines their only victory of the match.
Lockin Tallies 20th Win vs. Ball State
Freshman Matt Lockin became the first player to reach 20 singles wins this season, posting a 7-6(4), 6-4 victory against Andrew Seni of Ball State (March 24). Lockin has a 20-9 overall singles record and a team-best 11-3 dual match mark. He is 3-0 playing at the No. 3 slot and has collected the rest of his 11 dual match wins at No. 4. He also has a team-best 14 wins in the region.
Jackson Nears 20 Wins for Second Straight Year
Sophomore Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) needs three victories to reach 20 singles victories in back-to-back seasons. He compiled a 21-12 overall singles record as freshman last season and needs four victories to equal his career-best total. Jackson has a 9-5 dual match mark this year, including a 2-1 record at No. 2 and 7-4 mark at No. 3. He ranks second on the team with 17 singles wins (17-13) and is third in dual match wins with a 9-5 mark. He needs two wins for his 40th career singles victory (38-25).
Jackson and Novak Look for 10th Doubles Victory
Senior Greg Novak (Stoney Creek, Ontario/Cardinal Newman HS) and Anthony Jackson seek their 10th doubles victory this week at No. 3. The two netters have an overall record of 9-6, with a 9-5 dual match mark at No. 3. They are second behind Henry Beam and Matt Lockin in doubles wins for the season.
Novak Approaches 35th Singles Win as a Wolverine
With a singles record of 11-13 this season, senior Greg Novak needs one win for his 35th victory at Michigan. In his two years playing for U-M, Novak has compiled a record of 34-31, including a 23-18 record last season. He played his first two years of collegiate tennis at Central Florida, compiling a 27-22 singles mark.
Michigan State Match Looming
The annual mid-week match between the Wolverines and Spartans will take place next Wednesday evening (April 3, 6 p.m.) at the Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan and Michigan State will battle on the hardcourt for the 101st time, with the Wolverines holding a commanding 83-17 advantage in the all-time series. U-M has won 10 straight matches against the Spartans.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
