Weekly Release #9
3/24/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, March 27 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), Noon
Sunday, March 28 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), Noon
Wednesday, March 31 -- vs. Michigan State (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 3 -- vs. Minnesota (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
Sunday, April 4 -- vs. Iowa (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
This Weekend
The No. 42 University of Michigan men's tennis team (8-2) opens the Big Ten Conference season with two road matches. Michigan will face Penn State on Saturday (March 27) at the Sarni Tennis Center in State College, Pa., before closing out the weekend against Ohio State on Sunday (March 28) at the Jesse Owens West Recreation Center in Columbus, Ohio. Both matches are scheduled to start at noon.
Scouting The Opponents
Penn State -- The No. 74-ranked Nittany Lions (9-4, 0-1 Big Ten) look to rebound after losses to Ohio State (1-6) and Virginia Tech (2-5) earlier this month. Leading the way for Penn State is sophomore Malcolm Scatliffe, who was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week (March 23) after upsetting the Hokies' No. 39 Andreas Laulund 6-3, 6-4 at No. 1. Scatliffe holds an impressive record of 14-5 in 2003-04, including an 11-1 dual match mark at No. 1 and No. 2. Head coach Jan Bortner is in his 14th season with PSU and has compiled a career record of 178-146. The Nittany Lions finished last year with a 14-11 overall record (2-8 Big Ten) and a No. 65 ITA ranking. The Wolverines dropped a 5-2 match to Penn State and the Varsity Tennis Center last season but still lead the all-time series 12-2. Penn State on the Internet: www.gopsusports.com.
Ohio State -- The No. 18-ranked Buckeyes (11-2, 1-0 Big Ten) will host Michigan State (March 27) prior to the match with the Wolverines. OSU is led by senior Jeremy Wurtzman, who is the No.1-ranked singles player in the nation with a 25-2 record in 2003-04. Wurtzman also teams with freshman Joey Atas for a No. 43 national ranking in doubles. Head coach Ty Tucker is in his fifth season at the helm of the Ohio State tennis program and has posted a career record of 93-29. OSU returns six letterwinners from last year's squad, which finished with a 22-7 overall record (10-2 Big Ten) and a No. 17 ITA ranking. Michigan, which was swept 7-0 by the Buckeyes in Ann Arbor last season, holds a 72-15-2 advantage in the all-time series. Ohio State on the Internet: www.ohiostatebuckeyes.com.
Last Time Out
Michigan suffered a 5-2 loss to No. 37 Notre Dame on Tuesday (March 23) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines came away with the doubles point to start the match but gave up five of six in singles to the Fighting Irish. Junior David Anving (Tvaaker, Sweden/Varbergs Gymnasieskola) was the lone Michigan victor in singles, defeating Barry King 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 at No. 5 for his seventh straight win. U-M's loss broke a 10-match winning streak at the VTC dating back to last season.
Net Points ...
With his seventh consecutive victory, David Anving reached his 30th career dual match singles win at Michigan. In three seasons, Anving has compiled a dual match singles record of 30-17 and an overall mark of 34-26.
Junior Vinny Gossain (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) is one doubles win shy of 25 for his career. In three seasons, Gossain has collected an overall doubles record of 24-27, including a 15-17 dual match mark.
Freshman Ryan Heller (Northbrook, Ill./Glenbrook North HS) is three wins shy of 20 for his singles career. In his first season, Heller has compiled an overall singles record of 17-7, including an impressive 9-1 mark in dual match action. Heller is also two wins short of 10 for his doubles career (8-10).
Senior Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) is one singles win shy of 40 for his dual match career. In four seasons, Jackson has compiled a dual singles mark of 39-35 and an overall record of 66-58. Jackson is also two wins short of 40 for his dual match doubles career (38-35).
Freshman Steve Peretz (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Dwight School) reached his 10th career doubles victory at Michigan after an 8-3 win with Vinny Gossain against Notre Dame (March 23). In his first season, Peretz has posted an overall doubles record of 10-5 and a dual match mark of 7-1.
With one more doubles win, junior Michael Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS) will have 30 for his career. In three seasons, Rubin has compiled an overall record of 29-34, including a 15-22 mark in dual match action.
Rubin Ranked 49th Nationally in Singles
Michael Rubin is listed No. 49 in the most recent ITA national singles rankings (March 23). The co-captain has collected an overall record of 19-7 in 2003-04, including a 6-2 dual match record at No. 1. Rubin looks to improve his ranking this weekend, as he faces top-ranked Jeremy Wurtzman of Ohio State on Sunday (March 28).
Michigan Moves Up to No. 42 in National Rankings
The Wolverines moved up six spots to No. 42 in the first computer national team rankings released by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Tuesday, March 23. Michigan is one of six Big Ten teams featured in the Top 50, along with defending national champion Illinois (No. 1), Ohio State (No. 18), Northwestern (No. 33), Michigan State (No. 44) and Minnesota (No. 47).
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 60-41, 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.
Next Week
The Wolverines return to the Varsity Tennis Center next Wednesday (March 31) for a mid-week meeting with Michigan State at 6 p.m. Michigan will then host Minnesota on Saturday (April 3) before closing out the weekend against Iowa on Sunday (April 4). Both matches are slated for a noon start at the VTC.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
