Weekly Release #2
1/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Sunday, Jan. 25 -- vs. Butler (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
Saturday, Jan. 31 -- vs. Wake Forest (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
This Week
The University of Michigan men's tennis team (2-0) continues its six-match homestand at the Varsity Tennis Center this weekend, hosting Butler on Sunday (Jan 25) at noon.
The Opponent
Butler -- The Bulldogs open up their dual match season this weekend with three road matches. Butler will visit Western Michigan and Michigan State Friday and Saturday (Jan. 23-24) before its trip to Ann Arbor. BU is led by senior Kevin Gill, who is ranked 19th in the Midwest Region after collecting a 12-2 singles mark during the fall. Gill was named the Horizon League Player of the Year last season after posting a 24-7 singles record. Butler, which has earned trips to the NCAA Tournament the past two seasons, has never defeated Michigan in three all-time meetings. Last season, U-M blanked the Bulldogs 7-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center. Butler on the Internet: www.butlersports.com.
Last Week
The Wolverines opened the 2004 dual match season in winning form, taking two wins away from the Varsity Tennis Center last weekend. U-M avenged last season's home-opening loss to Western Michigan by winning five of six in singles for a 6-1 victory on Saturday (Jan. 17). U-M gave up just two sets in a commanding 7-0 sweep of DePaul on Sunday (Jan. 18).
Double Your Pleasure
U-M earned the doubles point in both of its matches last weekend, posting wins in five of the six matches contested. The No. 1 tandem of senior Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) and freshman Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) won by scores of 8-4 and 8-3, while junior Michael Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS) and freshman Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) picked up 8-4 and 8-5 victories at No. 2. Juniors Vinny Gossain (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) and Josef Fischer (Nuernberg, Germany/Bradenton Academy) fell 8-4 in their No. 3 match against WMU but rebounded for an 8-4 win against DePaul.
Michigan's three freshmen collected perfect singles records last weekend. Ryan Heller dominated both his matches at No. 4, cruising to a 6-3, 6-2 win over Western Michigan's Erik Lindroos before an easy 6-1, 6-2 victory over DePaul's Radek Guzik. Brian Hung opened his dual match career with a 2-6, 7-6(3), 1-0(12) marathon win over WMU's Jose Orozco at No. 3, and followed with a 6-4, 6-4 defeat of DePaul's George Wang. Rounding out the trio is Steve Peretz (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Dwight School), who earned his first two career dual match victories over Western Michigan's Justin Kates (6-4, 6-2) and DePaul's Sam Davidson (6-2, 6-7(5), 6-3) at No. 5.
Rubin Reaches Benchmark in Singles and Doubles
Michael Rubin's 6-2, 6-3 win over Western Michigan's Ravi Pathanjali at No. 1 was his 50th career collegiate singles victory. Rubin recorded 11 wins in one year at the University of Washington (2000-01) has compiled a career singles mark of 50-22, including a remarkable 33-13 record in tournament play. Rubin's victory with Ryan Heller at No. 2 doubles against DePaul gave him his 25th career doubles win (25-31).
Home Cookin'
Michigan's victory over Western Michigan last Saturday (Jan. 17) was the Wolverines' seventh home-opening win at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines are in their eighth season of competition at the VTC and have compiled an overall record of 54-16 at the facility. Michigan has won 30 of its last 38 dual matches at home dating back to the 2000-01 season, when it finished with an impressive 11-2 mark, its best season ever at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Wolverines Ranked 57th in Nation
The men's tennis team opened the dual match season ranked No. 57 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association preseason national team rankings, released Tuesday (Jan. 13). Michigan began last season ranked 48th in the ITA poll.
National Accolades
Michael Rubin is listed No. 34 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association singles rankings released on Jan. 13. Rubin, who was listed No. 78 in the fall singles rankings, posted a team-best 25-12 singles record last season, including a 13-8 dual match mark at No. 1. Rubin was ranked as high as No. 94 in the nation last year for the Wolverines.
Regional Recognition
Three members of the men's tennis team are listed in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's preseason regional rankings. Two Wolverines were recognized among the top 30 singles players in the Midwest Region, while one U-M doubles pairing appeared in the top 15.
Michael Rubin leads the way with a No. 6 ranking in singles. Rubin is coming off a successful fall campaign in which he compiled a 13-5 overall record and a 7-2 regional mark. Rubin's fall season was highlighted by trips to the round of 16 at the Icy Hot/ITA All-American Championships (Oct. 3-12) and the final of the Big Ten Singles Championships (Nov. 15-17).
Brian Hung follows Rubin with a No. 21 listing in singles. Hung, who had a 7-4 record in the fall, ended 2003 on a strong note with three straight wins at the Big Ten Singles Championships (Nov. 15-17).
Rubin and Anthony Jackson were the lone U-M representatives in doubles with a No. 15 ranking. The pair teamed together for a 3-1 record during the fall season, picking up one victory at the Michigan Invitational (Oct. 10-12) before two wins at the ITA Midwest Regional Championships (Oct. 23-28).
Welcome to Ann Arbor
The men's tennis program welcomes three new players to this season's roster. Freshmen Ryan Heller, Brian Hung and Steve Peretz all come to U-M after spectacular prep careers. Heller, a four-year letterwinner at Glenbrook North High School, compiled a career record of 119-17 at No. 1 and was named team MVP all four years. Hung was ranked as high as No. 123 in the ITF Junior singles rankings and was a quarterfinalist at the 2003 Junior Australian Open. Peretz comes to Michigan after playing No. 1 singles at The Dwight School and earning a No. 21 national ranking in boys' 18 and under.
Co-Captains Named for 2003-04 Team
Head coach Mark Mees has announced the selection of two captains for the 2003-04 men's tennis team. Anthony Jackson and Michael Rubin were chosen by their teammates to lead Michigan into 2004. Both Jackson and Rubin are carrying the honor for the first time in their careers.
Meet the Head Coach
Mark Mees is in his fifth season with the Wolverine men's tennis program and has compiled an overall record of 54-39, including a 20-20 mark in the Big Ten. Mees has led Michigan to three NCAA Championship appearances in his four years as head coach, including a trip to the second round in his first season (1999-2000). Last season Mees reached his second major coaching milestone, earning his 50th career win at Micihgan with a 4-3 victory over Indiana State in Ann Arbor.
Next Week
The Wolverines return to the Varsity Tennis Center next Saturday (Jan. 31) to take on Wake Forest at noon.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
