Weekly Release #13
4/23/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Thu-Sun., April 25-28 -- at Big Ten Championship (Bloomington, Ind.)
April 25 -- First Round vs. #11 seed Minnesota, 12:30 p.m. EST/CDT
April 26 -- Quarterfinals vs. #3 seed Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. EST/CDT
April 27 --- Semifinals, noon EST/CDT
April 28 -- Championship Match, noon EST/CDT
Fri-Sun., May 10-12 -- at NCAA Regional (Site TBA)
Big Ten Championship Week
The University of Michigan women's tennis team (12-9, 5-5 Big Ten) prepares for the 21st annual Big Ten Championship hosted by Indiana University at the IU Tennis Courts this week in Bloomington. The four-day team tournament begins on Thursday (April 25) and concludes with the championship match Sunday (April 28).
Wolverines Enter Tournament as No. 6 Seed
The women's netters enter the 21st annual Big Ten Championship as the No. 6 seed. Michigan will face No. 11 seed Minnesota in the first round on Thursday afternoon (April 25, 12:30 p.m. EST/CDT). With a victory, the Wolverines would battle No. 3 seed Ohio State on Friday afternoon (April 26, 2:30 p.m. EST/CDT). The semifinals take place Saturday (April 27, 10:30 or noon EST/CDT) with the championship match being played Sunday (April 28, noon EST/CDT).
U-M vs. Minnesota
Michigan and Minnesota will meet for the 26th time Thursday (April 25, 12:30 p.m. EST/CDT) in the No. 6 vs. No. 11 match at the Big Ten Championship. The two teams played earlier this season at the Varsity Tennis Center, with the Wolverines winning by a 6-1 score. The Golden Gophers hold a slight 14-11 advantage in the all-time series but the Wolverines dominated the series in the 1990s with an impressive 8-3 mark against the Golden Gophers. The Wolverines are 9-12 all-time against Minnesota under head coach Bitsy Ritt, including a 3-2 mark in conference tournament action.
Wolverines and Buckeyes
This would be the 38th meeting between the Wolverines and Buckeyes. Michigan has an impressive 25-12 edge in the all-time series against Ohio State, and claimed a thrilling 4-3 victory earlier this season at the Varsity Tennis Center against the then No. 36-ranked Buckeyes. This has been a series of streaks between the two schools, with the Buckeyes winning four straight matches prior to the Wolverines victory earlier this month (April 6) and Michigan winning the previous 11 matches starting during the 1988-99 season. The Wolverines have a 2-3 record against the Buckeyes at the Big Ten Championship.
Michigan at the Big Ten Championship
The Wolverines have claimed one Big Ten Conference title in the 20 years that the championship has been held, winning the 1997 crown by beating Indiana 4-1 in the championship match. U-M has reached the final match on three occasions, losing to Indiana in 1994 and 1998 and defeating the Hoosiers for the 1997 championship. Michigan has compiled a 21-24 record since the 1985-86 season, the year the conference tournament began being played in a team format.
Ritt Seeks 225th Victory
University of Michigan head coach Bitsy Ritt will guide the women's tennis team into the Big Ten Championship for the 18th time on Thursday (April 25) against No. 11 seed Minnesota. The Wolverines will look to provide Ritt with her 225th career coaching victory. Ritt has compiled a 224-201 overall record and a 107-111 Big Ten mark during her 18 years with the Wolverine program.
Finishing Strong at Home
The women's tennis team completed the 2002 dual match season with a school-record nine victories at the Varsity Tennis Center after collecting a pair of 4-3 victories against Purdue and Indiana last weekend. U-M compiled an impressive 9-4 home record this season with three of the four setbacks coming against top-20 ranked teams and the other setback coming against No. 32-ranked Wisconsin. The previous record was six victories in a season set during the 1997 Big Ten title season (6-0 mark). U-M completed the season by winning six straight home matches and will enter 2003 two victories shy of the record streak of eight wins to open the facility (6-0 in 1996-97 and 2-0 to start the 1997-98 season). The Wolverines have a 32-24 record in the six-year-old facility, not including a 1-1 mark when hosting the 2000 Big Ten Championship.
Tipirneni Leading at Top of Pack
Sophomore Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) leads the Wolverines at the top of the singles lineup, playing the challenging No. 1 spot. Tipirneni, an All-Big Ten Conference selection as a freshman, has compiled nine victories (9-19) and seven dual match wins (7-14). She heads into the Big Ten Championship playing her best tennis of the season, having won three of her last four matches. Tipirneni has compiled a 25-34 career singles record and is 15-26 in dual matches.
DaCosta a Special Freshman
Freshman Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) enters her first Big Ten tournament playing the highest spot in the singles lineup of any first-year player in the conference. DaCosta has registered a 15-14 overall singles record and has a 11-10 mark in dual match competition (8-6 at No. 2). She has collected victories in four of her last six matches and finished the conference season with a 5-5 record.
Nolan Nears Second Straight 20-Win Season
Sophomore Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) heads into the conference tournament needing three singles victories to reach the 20-win plateau for the second straight season. Nolan has a team-leading 17 singles victories (17-10) this season, including an 11-8 dual match mark and a 12-6 record against regional opposition. She won four of her final five Big Ten matches to finish the regular season with a 5-5 mark, including wins over Purdue's Melissa Woods (6-4, 7-5) and Indiana's Linda Tran (2-6, 6-2, 7-6[9]) last weekend. Nolan has gained victories in five of her last seven matches and eight of her last 11 heading into the conference championship. She has compiled a 37-21 career singles record and is 21-18 in dual matches.
Rutherford and Duprez Tied for Second in Singles Wins
Freshman Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) and junior Jen Duprez (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach HS) enter the postseason tied for second on the team with 16 singles victories this season. Rutherford has compiled a 16-14 overall record during her initial campaign, while Duprez checks in with a career-best 16-10 singles mark.
Rutherford has played primarily at No. 4 singles for the Wolverines, tallying a 7-11 record, and she has a 10-11 overall dual match mark. She completed her first conference slate with a 3-7 record but was 10-10 against regional opponents.
Duprez is tied for the team lead in dual match victories this season, gaining a career-high 11 in 18 matches (11-7 record). She compiled a 9-7 mark at No. 5 and went 2-0 at No. 4, and enters the Big Ten's having won seven of her last 10 matches. Duprez has a 41-32 career singles record and is 25-20 in dual match competition.
Dominant Doubles
Michigan heads into the Big Ten Championship on the heels of some strong doubles play this season. The Wolverines have the doubles point in 15 of 21 matches this season. U-M has lost the team point just six times this season, with four of those coming in conference play. Michigan has swept all three matches on six occasions this year and has compiled a 54-35 doubles record (.607 winning percentage).
Freshmen Form Formidable Tandem
The Wolverines freshman duo of Michelle DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford has been impressive this season, pacing the squad with a team-high 17 doubles victories. DaCosta and Rutherford have registered a 17-14 overall record together and are 10-11 at the top spot in the lineup. Playing exclusively together, the tandem finished the conference season with a 5-5 record and 14-7 mark against regional opposition.
Nolan and Tipirneni Continue Strong Play
The sensational sophomore doubles tandem of Chrissie Nolan and Kavitha Tipirneni rolls into the Big Ten Championship with wins in nine of the last 11 matches. The duo completed the regular season with a team-best 8-2 conference record and a 14-4 record at the No. 3 doubles slot. Nolan and Tipirneni have compiled a 15-5 overall record this season and are 25-8 over the last two seasons together. They lead the team in dual match wins (14), dual match winning percentage (.778) and conference victories (eight). Nolan has tallied a team-best 19 overall doubles wins (19-7) and Tipirneni is tied for third with 17 victories (17-9).
Duprez and Plaushines Near 15th Win Together
Jen Duprez and Kim Plaushines formed an impressive doubles tandem at No. 2 doubles this season for the Wolverines, compiling a 13-7 overall record and a 10-5 dual match mark. The duo won a team season-best seven consecutive matches during the dual match season and has claimed victories in nine of their last 11 matches. Duprez and Plaushines enter the conference tournament after winning a pair of matches last weekend, beating Purdue's Lynsey Fick and Melissa Woods (8-6) and Indiana's Inga Radel and Dominika Walterova (8-5). Duprez has tallied a career-best 15 wins (15-11) in doubles action this year while Plaushines is second on the team with a career-high 18 overall victories (18-10).
Next Up for the Wolverines
Following the conclusion of the 2002 Big Ten Championship, the women's tennis team will await the selection process for the NCAA Championship field. The Wolverines look to gain selection for the first time since the 1997-98 season, when they lost 5-2 in the first round to Wisconsin. The 2002 Division I Women's Tennis Championships Selection Show can bee seen live on the Internet next Thursday, May 2, at 7 p.m. EDT at: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.aspid=3967.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
