Weekly Release #9

Upcoming Schedule
Tuesday, March 23 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 27 -- vs. Penn State (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
Sunday, March 28 -- vs. Ohio State (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
Saturday, April 3 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 10 a.m. CST
Sunday, April 4 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 11 a.m. CDT

U-M Opens Big Ten Dual Season
The No. 19 University of Michigan women's tennis team (9-1, 0-0 Big Ten) kicks off the Big Ten Conference portion of its schedule on Tuesday (March 23) against intrastate rival Michigan State in a match slated for a 6 p.m. start at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing, Mich.. The Wolverines will return home to host a pair of dual meets over the weekend against Penn State (Saturday, March 27) and Ohio State (Sunday, March 28) at the Varsity Tennis Center. Both matches are scheduled for 11 a.m.

Michigan vs. Michigan State
This weekend's match against Michigan State will mark the 48th meeting between the two rival programs, with U-M owning the 31-16 edge in the all-time series. Last season, the Wolverines won five out of six singles matches en route to a 5-2 victory. MSU enters the dual with a 5-7 season record, including a 7-0 victory over Florida A&M in its most recent match. Michigan State on the Internet: www.msuspartans.com.

Michigan vs. Ohio State
This will be the 38th meeting between the Wolverines and Buckeyes. Michigan has an impressive 25-12 edge in the all-time series against Ohio State. The Wolverines snapped a four-match OSU winning streak with a 4-3 win in the last meeting between the two schools. The Wolverines have a 2-2 record against the Buckeyes at the Varsity Tennis Center (includes a 4-1 loss in the 2000 Big Ten Championship held in Ann Arbor). Ohio State on the Internet: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.

Michigan vs. Penn State
This will be the 17th matchup between Michigan and Penn State, with the Wolverines holding a 13-3 edge all-time. Michigan claimed the doubles point and notched four singles victories to post a 5-2 victory in the last meeting between the two programs. The Wolverines are 11-1 against the Nittany Lions under the direction of head coach Bitsy Ritt, with all 12 matches being contested since Penn State joined the Big Ten Conference. Michigan has a 6-1 record in matches played in Ann Arbor, including a 2-0 mark at the Varsity Tennis Center. Penn State on the Internet: www.gopsu.com.

Wolverines Ranked No. 19 in Team Rankings
After suffering its first loss of the season against Alabama, the Wolverines dropped two positions to No. 19 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings, released March 16. The Wolverines' No. 17 rankings in the March 9 poll was their highest since 1996-97, when U-M closed out the season ranked 16th.

Date	Rank
Jan. 13	34th
Jan. 27	34th
Feb. 10	25th
Feb. 24	19th
March 2	18th
March 9	17th
March 16	19th

Exon, DaCosta Listed Among Nation's Best
Freshman Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) and junior Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) are both listed among the top singles players in the nation, with Exon receiving the No. 67 ranking and DaCosta listed at No. 99. On the doubles side, senior Kim Plaushines (Oconowomoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) and sophomore Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) are listed as the No. 36-ranked pairing in the nation, and DaCosta and freshman Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary) are ranked 43rd. The next ITA national rankings are scheduled for release on March 24.

U-M Earns Dominant Victories over Western Michigan, Marquette
The Wolverines' cruised past regional opponents Western Michigan and Marquette last week to improve their season record to 9-1. On Wednesday (March 17), U-M swept the doubles competition and notched five singles victories to roll to a 6-1 win at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines performed similarly against Marquette on Saturday (March 20), winning all three doubles matches and all five singles matches that were contested (Marquette forfeited at No. 6).

Dominating the Doubles
In the Wolverines' 10 dual meets this season, they have won the doubles point in evey match to hold the early advantage. Michigan has won 83.3 percent (25/30) of their doubles matches this season, and in their last five duals, the Wolverines have won all but one of their 15 doubles competitions.

Half-Century Milestone
Junior Leanne Rutherford collected her 50th career singles victory with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Tennessee's Vicky Jones at the No. 5 position on Feb. 21. Rutherford owns a 12-2 record this season, bringing her career mark to 52-27. Senior Kavitha Tipirneni also notched her 50th career win this season with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Western Michigan's Carrie Jeanmaire and added another win against Marquette to improve her career mark to 51-56. Two more Wolverines have their 50th career singles win within sight this season. Junior Michelle DaCosta is just one win shy with a career mark of 48-38, and senior Kim Plaushines (48-34) needs two more wins to reach the prestigious 50-win milestone.

Half-Century Milestone (Part II)
Seniors Kim Plaushines and Kavitha Tipirneni both notched their 50th career doubles win this season. Plaushines, while paired with Debra Streifler, reached the mark with a 9-8(4) win over Boston College's Morgan Landes and Lindsey Nash at the USTA National Tennis Center Invitational (Oct. 11-13), and Tipirneni teamed with Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary) to post an 8-6 decision over Michigan State's Caroline Lay and Sarah Andrews at the Wolverine Invitational (Oct. 3-5). Juniors Michelle DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford both nabbed the milestone last weekend with doubles wins against Marquette. DaCosta paired with Delicata to defeat WMU's Veronica Garcia Briseno and Callan Smith 8-4 to bring her career doubles mark to 50-36 and Rutherford teamed with Tipirneni to improve her record to 50-36 in her career.

Climbing the Charts
With a record of 15-7 this season, senior Chrissie Nolan has brought her career singles mark to 73-43 during her four seasons at Michigan, placing her in a tie for seventh on U-M's career singles wins list with Sora Moon (73-63, 1995-98) and Brooke Hart (73-58, 1997-2000). Nolan needs three more wins to reach the sixth spot, currently held by Stacy Berg (76-46, 1988-91).

Plaushines-Streifler Doubles Roll in the New Year
Adding wins against Western Michigan and Marquette last week, the doubles tandem of senior Kim Plaushines and sophomore Debra Streifler has tallied a perfect record since returning the to the hardcourt in January. After playing the No. 3 position for the first seven dual meets, the pair moved up to No. 2 in the last three duals with similar success. Plaushines and Streifler currently own a 12-match winning streak and are a perfect 10-0 in dual meets.

Home Sweet Home
The Wolverines boast a perfect 6-0 record at the Varsity Tennis Center this season. U-M has a 46-26 all-time record in its home facility, not including a 1-1 mark when hosting the 2000 Big Ten Championship. During the 2001-02 season, Michigan posted a school-record nine wins (9-4) at the Varsity Tennis Center.

On the Horizon
The Wolverines kick off the Big Ten Conference dual meet season next Tuesday (March 23) against intrastate foe Michigan State in East Lansing, Mich. The match is slated for a 6 p.m. start at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.

Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423