Weekly Release #13
5/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Sat-Sun., May 11-12 -- at NCAA Regional (South Bend, Ind.)
May 11 -- Purdue vs. Ball State, 10 a.m. EST/CDT
May 11 -- Michigan vs. Notre Dame, 2 p.m. EST/CDT
May 12 -- U-M/UND winner vs. PU/BSU winner, 1 p.m. EST/CDT
Thu-Sun., May 16-19 -- at NCAA Championship (College Station, Texas)
Wolverines Earn NCAA Championship Bid
The University of Michigan men's tennis team (15-8, 5-5 Big Ten) will be making its fifth consecutive NCAA Championship appearance and 14th appearance since 1977 with the at-large selection to the 64-team field. The Wolverines will remain in the Midwest by traveling to South Bend, Ind., for a four-team regional slated for Saturday and Sunday (May 11-12) at the University of Notre Dame's Courtney Tennis Center and Eck Tennis Pavilion. Michigan will face the No. 14-ranked Irish on Saturday (May 11, 2 p.m. EST/CDT). With a victory against Notre Dame, the Wolverines would face the winner of Purdue and Ball State on Sunday (May 12, 1 p.m. EST/CDT) for a trip to the 16-team NCAA Championship field at Texas A&M University.
Familiar Regional Foes
All three NCAA Championship teams in South Bend are quite familiar opponents, with the Wolverines facing each during the 2002 dual match season. U-M compiled a 2-1 record against the three teams, beating Ball State (5-2 in Muncie, Ind.) and then No. 4-ranked Notre Dame (4-3 in Ann Arbor), and losing 5-2 at Purdue to close the regular season. Following is a recap of the three matches:
Michigan 5, Ball State 2 (March 24) -- The Wolverines defeated Ball State by 5-2 score in their first-ever trip to Muncie, Ind. U-M swept all three doubles matches and gained four singles victories in the match. Matt Lockin and Greg Novak won straight-set matches at No. 3 and No. 4, while Henry Beam and David Anving collected three-set wins at the No. 1 and No. 5 slots.
Michigan 4, #4 Notre Dame 3 (March 27) -- The Wolverines upended then fourth-ranked Notre Dame by a 4-3 score at the Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan won a closely contested doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3 and split the six singles matches. Freshman Matt Lockin clinched the victory with a 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Casey Smith at No. 2 singles. Henry Beam won a 6-2, 6-2 match against 11th-ranked Javier Taborga at No. 1 and Ben Cox claimed a 6-2, 7-5 victory over Aaron Talarico at No. 3.
Purdue 5, Michigan 2 (April 21) -- The Boilermakers closed the regular season with a 5-2 victory against the Wolverines by sweeping all three doubles matches and four of the six singles matches. Michigan received its two points as Henry Beam defeated Scott Mayer (7-6, 6-2) at No. 1 and Greg Novak beat Laith Al-Agba at No. 5 (6-4, 6-3).
Wolverines vs. Fighting Irish
This will be the 62nd meeting between the two schools but just the first clash in NCAA Championship competition (since 1977). The Wolverines' most common non-conference opponent, Notre Dame has won 11 of the last 14 matches played between the two schools, but Michigan won a close 4-3 match earlier this season. Michigan holds a 40-21 advantage in the all-time series, including a 23-match winning streak from 1962-63 through 1989-90.
Michigan vs. Purdue
With a first-round victory against the Irish, the Wolverines could face Big Ten Conference foe Purdue in the second round Sunday (May 12, 1 p.m. EST/CDT). This would be the 67th meeting between Michigan and Purdue, with the Wolverines holding a commanding 57-9 all-time series advantage. Purdue has had the better of the series lately, though, claiming victories in seven of the last nine matchups (won five straight during the mid-to-late 1990s), including a 4-2 victory in the 1998 NCAA Regional. Prior to the five-match losing streak, Purdue had not beaten Michigan in 53 matches (since the 1938-39 season).
U-M vs. Ball State
With victories by both schools in the first round, Michigan and Ball State could square off for a trip to Texas A&M University and the 16-team field of the NCAA Championship. Michigan would meet the Cardinals for the seventh time, looking to stay unbeaten in the all-time series. The Maize and Blue posted a 5-2 win March 24 in Muncie, Ind., to remain perfect (6-0) against Ball State. This could be the first time that the Wolverines face the Cardinals in the NCAA Tournament.
U-M Stellar at Home
The men's netters completed the 2002 dual match season with yet another impressive performance at the six-year-old Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan completed the season with a 9-2 home record, capped by a 5-2 victory against Iowa (April 14) in the only home outdoor match of the season. The Wolverines won their first five home matches of the season and finished with victories in their final four contests at the VTC. The only home losses for U-M came on back-to-back days, losing 6-1 to No. 2 Illinois (Feb. 23) and 4-3 to Northwestern (Feb. 24). Michigan has compiled a 44-12 all-time record at the Varsity Tennis Center and has collected victories in 27 of head coach Mark Mees' 33 career home matches.
U-M at the 2001 NCAA Championship
Michigan entered the 2001 NCAA Championship ranked No. 43 in the nation. The Wolverines traveled to the University of South Alabama campus to face No. 25-ranked Kentucky in first-round competition. The Wildcats ended U-M's season with a 4-1 win by taking the doubles point and three singles matches to secure advancement in the tournament. Greg Novak (Stoney Creek, Ontario/Cardinal Newman HS) gained the Wolverines' only point in the match, posting a 6-2, 7-6(3) triumph over Gustav Pousette. Michigan finished the season with a 12-10 record.
Mees Guides Wolverines Into NCAA Championship Action
University of Michigan head coach Mark Mees guides the Wolverines into the NCAA Championship for the third consecutive time and looks to improve upon his 1-2 tournament record. The Wolverines lost in first-round NCAA action last season, dropping a 4-1 match to No. 25-ranked Kentucky in Mobile, Ala. Michigan reached the second round during Mees' first season, defeating Georgia State (4-1) before losing 4-0 against No. 11-ranked Texas Christian. Mees has compiled an impressive 43-25 career record at Michigan, including a 17-13 mark in conference play and a 27-6 home record.
Big Ten Championship Recap
The Wolverines posted a 1-1 record at the 2002 Big Ten Championship held April 25-28 at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The men's netters, seeded No. 6 in the tournament, won a 4-2 first-round match against No. 11 seed Indiana. Michigan was unable to overcome No. 4 seed Minnesota, losing a 4-0 match in the quarterfinals to the eventual tournament runner-up.
U-M Reaches 15th Victory
With its victory over Indiana at the Big Ten Championship, Michigan has reached 15 wins on the season for the third time in the last four seasons. The Wolverines have reached the 15-win plateau 19 times since 1969 and set the school record with 28 victories (28-3) during the 1987 dual match season that saw current assistant coach Dan Goldberg finish as the NCAA Singles runner-up. The Wolverines have won nine of their last 13 matches this season heading into the NCAA's.
Wolverines Ranked 47th
Michigan is currently ranked No. 47 nationally in the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on May 1. The Wolverines have been ranked in the mid-40s of the national polls for a majority of the season and reached a season-high No. 30 ranking after upsetting fourth-ranked Notre Dame by a 4-3 score on March 27.
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 March 27 46th April 3 30th April 10 37th April 17 37th April 24 44th May 1 47th
Beam Earns All-Big Ten Honor
A two-year starter at No. 1 singles and a repeat selection for the All-Big Ten team in 2002, senior Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) enters the NCAA Tournament after posting his 80th career singles victory. Beam defeated Michigan State's Chris Mitchell in straight sets (6-1, 6-1) on April 3 to reach the milestone victory, and he has compiled an 81-52 career singles mark. He ranks 12th on Michigan's career singles wins list and has a 48-33 record in dual matches during his career. He has tallied an 18-13 overall singles record this season and needs two victories in the postseason to reach the 20-win plateau for the third time in his career. Beam is 13-9 at the top spot in the lineup this year and 21-19 during his career.
Beam in the Rankings
Date Rank Sept. 13 43rd Dec. 11 60th Feb. 22 57th March 6 NR March 20 54th April 3 39th April 17 61st April 24 66th May 1 72nd
Cox Looking to Finish Career on High Note
Senior Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) looks to complete his collegiate career on a high note at the NCAA Championship. Cox enters the NCAA's with a 15-16 overall record this season and an 8-12 dual match mark. He split two matches at the Big Ten Championship, beating Indiana's Jakub Praibis (6-4, 6-4) and losing to 98th-ranked Thomas Haug of Minnesota (6-2, 6-1). Cox has registered a 76-51 career singles record at Michigan and a 52-31 mark in dual match competition.
Lockin Second in Freshman Victories
Freshman Matt Lockin (Lilburn, Ga./S.D. Independent Study) enters his first national tournament playing excellent tennis for the Wolverines. He leads the Wolverines in every major statistical category this season, including overall singles wins (27-11), overall winning percentage (.711), dual match victories (18-5), dual match winning percentage (.783), conference wins (7-3) and regional victories (20-7). Lockin won a season-best seven consecutive matches on two different occasions this year and unfortunately had most recent streak snapped against Purdue's Carl McCafferty in the regular-season finale. Lockin is in second place on Michigan's freshman victories list and trails only MaliVai Washington, who compiled 37 wins as a freshman during the 1987-88 season (37-11 mark).
Jackson Looks to Tie Career High in Singles Sophomore Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) heads into the NCAA Championship looking to equal and surpass his career high in singles victories set last season (21-12). Jackson joined Matt Lockin in the 20-win club the last weekend of the regular season, defeating Indiana's Tom Bagnato at No. 4 singles (6-3, 6-1) on April 20. Jackson has compiled a 20-20 overall record this season and is 12-10 in dual match competition. He completed the regular season with a 6-4 mark in conference matches and is 12-15 against regional opponents. For his career, Jackson has compiled a 41-32 career singles record and a 25-17 dual match mark.
Novak Showing Leadership Down the Stretch
Senior Greg Novak has his game working at the right time, having won four straight matches and six of his last seven heading into the NCAA Championship. Novak has registered a 17-15 overall singles record and a 12-10 dual match mark. After opening the conference slate 0-3, Novak responded with victories in seven of the last nine matches to finish the regular season. Novak tallied his 40th singles win as a Wolverine (40-33) by defeating Indiana's Tom Bagnato at the Big Ten Championship, and he has a 27-22 doubles record in his two years at U-M.
Doubles Point Key for Wolverines
The winner of the doubles point has proved to have the overall advantage this season. In its eight losses this year, Michigan has surrendered the doubles point in seven of the matches. The only exception was when U-M won doubles matches at No. 2 and No. 3 during its first loss of the dual match season, a 4-3 match at Alabama (Feb. 17). The Wolverines hold a record of 37-24 (.607) in 61 doubles matches this season. Leading the way for Michigan is the team of senior Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) and freshman Matt Lockin (Lilburn, Ga./N.D. Independent Study), who hold a spectacular record of 19-4 at the No. 2 position.
Beam and Lockin Near 20 Wins
The Wolverines' dominant doubles pairing of Henry Beam and Matt Lockin looks to become the first doubles tandem in six years to reach 20 wins together. Geoff Prentice and Arvid Swan were the last pairing to reach the 20-win plateau, compiling a 24-9 record during the 1995-96 season. Beam and Lockin have paced Michigan with a 19-4 overall and dual match record and a 7-3 mark against conference opponents. The duo started the season by winning their first 10 dual matches together and had another string of six consecutive victories before suffering a loss. Beam has a 19-4 overall doubles record while Lockin leads the team with a 22-7 overall mark.
Jackson and Novak Solid at No. 3
The doubles tandem of Anthony Jackson and Greg Novak has been extremely successful for the Wolverines this season, racking up a 15-8 overall record and 15-7 mark at the No. 3 slot. Jackson and Novak have won four of their last five matches heading into the NCAA Championship, including a 9-8(6) match against Indiana's Jakub Praibis and Reid Strand at the Big Ten Championship. Both players have compiled a career-best 17 overall doubles wins this season, with Jackson tallying a 17-13 mark and Novak registering a 17-9 record.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
