Weekly Release #6
2/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, Feb. 27 -- at Florida State (Tallahassee, Fla.), 5 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 29 -- vs. Furman (Tallahassee, Fla.), 11 a.m.
Saturday, March 13 -- at Ball State (Muncie, Ind.), Noon
This Week
The University of Michigan men's tennis team (6-0) will spend its spring break in Tallahassee, Fla., facing Florida State on Friday (Feb. 27) at 5 p.m. before a neutral-site meeting with Furman on Sunday (Feb. 29) at 11 a.m. Both matches will be played at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center.
Scouting The Opponents
Florida State -- The No. 36-ranked Seminoles (4-4) hope to rebound after losses to 23rd-ranked Rice (4-2) and 13th-ranked Texas Christian (4-3) last weekend. FSU is led by reigning Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year Mat Cloer. The junior is ranked 29th in the nation in singles and has collected an overall record of 12-6 this season, including a 6-2 dual match mark at No. 1. Michigan holds a 4-1 advantage in the all-time series with Florida State. U-M's only loss to the Seminoles came last season, when FSU came out on top 6-1 in Ann Arbor. Florida State on the Internet: www.seminoles.com.
Furman -- Furman on the Internet: www.furmanpaladins.com.
Last Week
Michigan concluded its season-opening homestand with a perfect 6-0 record by defeating No. 51-ranked Brown 4-3 Sunday (Feb. 22) at the Varsity Tennis Center. After giving up the doubles point for the first time this season, the Wolverines fought back to win four of six in singles to take the match from the Bears. Three U-M victories at the No. 4-6 positions set the stage for junior Michael Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS), who came back to defeat No. 42-ranked Jamie Cerretani 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1 to provide the Wolverines with their second straight win over a nationally ranked opponent this season.
Pair of Freshmen Remain Undefeated
Two of Michigan's freshmen have yet to lose a dual match, as Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) and Steve Peretz (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Dwight School) hold perfect 6-0 records. Heller has dominated each of his opponents at No. 3 and No. 4, surrendering just two sets in six matches this season. In Peretz's six wins at No. 4 and No. 5, he has also given up just two frames. The two newcomers also have impressive doubles records, Heller teaming with Michael Rubin for a 5-1 record at No. 2, and Peretz pairing with Vinny Gossain for a 3-1 mark at No. 3.
Anving Reaches 30 Career Singles Wins
Sophomore David Anving (Tvaaker, Sweden/Varbergs Gymnasieskola) earned his 30th career singles victory at Michigan with a 6-4, 6-3 win over Brown's Eric Thomas at No. 6. Anving has posted a career singles record of 30-26, including a dual match mark of 26-17.
AJ Approaches Benchmarks in Singles and Doubles
With his 6-0, 6-3 defeat of Wake Forest's No. 77-ranked Andrew Hamar at No. 2 (Jan. 31), Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) moved within one singles win of 40 for his dual match career. In four seasons, Jackson has compiled a dual singles mark of 39-31 and an overall record of 66-54. Jackson is also one doubles win shy of 50 for his career. The co-captain has compiled a career doubles mark of 49-51, including a 36-33 record in dual match competition.
Net Points ...
Ryan Heller looks for his 15th career singles victory this weekend. Heller has posted an impressive 14-6 (.700) singles record in his debut season, including a perfect 6-0 mark in dual match play.
Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) is one doubles victory shy of 10 for his career. Hung has compiled an overall doubles mark of 9-7 in his first season, including a 5-1 dual match record at No. 1 with Anthony Jackson.
Steve Peretz is two singles wins shy of 15 for his career. In his first season wearing the Maize and Blue, Peretz has collected a remarkable 13-3 (.813) singles mark, including an unblemished record in dual match action (6-0).
Michael Rubin needs two singles victories to reach the 20-win mark for the season. Rubin has an 18-6 (.750) overall record in 2003-04, including a 5-1 mark in dual match play at No. 1. With a perfect doubles weekend, Rubin could also achieve his 30th career doubles win (28-32).
Home Sweet Home
With the win over Brown, U-M has won 10 consecutive dual matches at the Varsity Tennis Center dating back to last season. The Wolverines have won 34 of their last 42 matches at home dating back to the 2000-01 and have compiled an overall record of 58-16 at the facility.
Michigan Moves Up to No. 46 in National Poll
After two straight weeks at No. 57, the Wolverines moved up to No. 46 in the most recent ITA national rankings, released Tuesday, Feb. 10. Michigan took the 11-spot jump in the polls thanks to dominating wins in its first four dual matches. Defending national champion Illinois still holds down the top spot, while Ohio State rounds out the Big Ten representation in the Top 25 with a No. 16 ranking. U-M's upcoming opponent, Florida State, is ranked 10 spots ahead of the Wolverines at No. 36.
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 58-39, 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 Michigan with a 4-3 victory over Indiana State in Ann Arbor.
On the Horizon
The Wolverines have two weeks off before traveling to Muncie, Ind., on March 13 for a meeting with Ball State. The match is slated for a noon start at the Muncie YMCA.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
