Weekly Release #13
4/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 24 -- at Northwestern (Evanston, Ill.), Noon CDT
Sunday, April 25 -- at Wisconsin (Madison, Wis.), Noon CDT
Thu-Sun., April 29-May 2 -- at Big Ten Championship (East Lansing, Mich.)
This Week
The No. 54 University of Michigan men's tennis team (11-8, 2-6 Big Ten) closes out the regular season on the road this weekend, as the Wolverines face Northwestern on Saturday (April 24) and Wisconsin on Sunday (April 25). U-M will take on the Wildcats at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center in Evanston, Ill., before meeting with the Badgers at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis. Both matches are scheduled to begin at noon CDT.
Scouting The Opponents
Northwestern -- The No. 42-ranked Wildcats (14-6, 5-3 Big Ten) look for their second straight win after defeating Penn State 6-1 last Sunday (April 18) in State College, Pa. Northwestern is paced by junior Tommy Hanus, who plays at No. 1 singles and holds a 15-14 overall record in 2003-04. Head coach Paul Torricelli is in his 21st season at NU and is assisted by Michigan alumnus Arvid Swan, who was a four-year letterwinner for the Wolverines from 1995-98. The Wildcats return five letterwinners from last year's squad, which finished with a 10-12 overall record and a No. 58 final ITA ranking. Michigan last faced Northwestern on April 19 of last year at the Varsity Tennis Center, where they edged out the Wildcats 4-3 to improve their all-time series advantage to 58-25-1. Northwestern on the Internet: www.nusports.com.
Wisconsin -- The Badgers (7-12, 2-6 Big Ten), who will host Michigan State prior to their match with the Wolverines, look to break a three-match losing streak this weekend. Senior Alexander Kasarov holds team-best records in dual match singles (9-10 at No. 1) and doubles (14-5 at No. 1 and No. 2). Kasarov also teams with David Hippee for a No. 43 ranking in doubles. Head coach Pat Klingelhoets is in his 22nd year at the school and has compiled a career record of 282-270. The Badgers return four letterwinners from last season's team, which finished 6-17 overall and 2-8 in the conference. Michigan faced Wisconsin twice last season, with the Wolverines winning the regular-season finale 6-1 before the Badgers avenged the loss with a 4-3 victory in the first round of the Big Ten Championship. U-M holds a 65-8-1 lead in the all-time series. Wisconsin on the Internet: www.uwbadgers.com.
Last Time Out
Michigan concluded its home schedule with a pair of 5-2 losses to natonally ranked conference opponents at the Varsity Tennis Center last weekend. The Wolverines looked to get back on a winning track Saturday (April 17) against No. 68 Purdue, but the Boilermakers won the doubles point and four of six in singles to steal the match. On Sunday (April 18), Michigan looked to stun top-ranked Illinois, but the Fighting Illini also won the doubles point and four singles matches to remain undefeated on the season and extend their NCAA-record winning streak to 55 matches.
He Bangs! He Bangs!
Freshman Brian Hung (Hong Kong, China/Sagemont Virtual School) was the only Wolverine to earn multiple victories last weekend, earning wins at No. 2 against Purdue and Illinois. On Saturday (April 18), Hung posted a 6-2, 2-6, 6-1 victory over Troy Havens to give the Wolverines their first point of the afternoon. Hung followed that performance with a spectacular showing against No. 30 Phil Stolt of Illinois, winning in a super tiebreaker 3-6, 6-3, 1-0(7) for his first career victory over a nationally ranked opponent. The win gave him a tie for the team lead in dual match singles wins (13) and was also his 20th victory of the 2003-04 season. Hung is the second Wolverine to reach 20 wins this season, as Michael Rubin has posted a 21-12 record. In his first season, Hung has collected an impressive singles record of 20-9 (.690), including a 13-5 dual match record at No. 2 and No. 3.
Swedish Sensation
Junior David Anving (Tvaaker, Sweden/Varbergs Gymnasieskola) showed little sign of intimidation against the defending national champion Illini and their No. 4 player, Michael Calkins. Anving made quick work of the No. 104-ranked Calkins, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 victory to give Michigan its first point. Anving's victory was his first ever against a nationally ranked opponent and was also his 40th career singles win at U-M. In three seasons, Anving has compiled an overall singles record of 40-29, including a 36-20 dual match mark. This season, Anving holds an overall singles record of 14-9 and is tied with Brian Hung for the team high in dual match wins (13).
Net Points ...
With his win at No. 6 against Purdue (April 17), junior Josef Fischer (Nuernberg, Germany/Bradenton Academy) reached his 25th career singles victory at U-M. In three seasons, Fischer has collected a 25-21 overall singles mark, including a 17-14 record in dual match action.
With a team-best 17-10 doubles record in 2003-04, junior Vinny Gossain (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) is now two wins short of 30 for his career as a Wolverine. Gossain holds an overall record of 28-32 and a dual match mark of 19-22.
With an impressive 17-5 (.773) singles record in 2003-04, sophomore Carey Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS) has nearly tripled his win total from last season (6-3). Rubin is two wins short of 25 for his singles career, as he has posted a record of 23-8 in just two years at Michigan.
Junior Michael Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS) who holds an 8-7 record at No. 1 this season, is one singles win shy of 25 for his dual match career. In three seasons, Rubin has compiled a 24-16 record against dual match competition.
U-M has won the doubles point against 11 of its 19 opponents this season.
With losses to No. 68 Purdue and No. 1 Illinois last weekend (April 17-18), the Wolverines fall to 3-8 against nationally ranked opponents this season.
Rubin Ranked 64th Nationally in Singles
Michael Rubin is listed No. 64 in the most recent ITA national singles rankings (April 20). The co-captain has collected an overall record of 21-12 in 2003-04, including an 8-7 dual match record at No. 1.
Michigan No. 54 in National Rankings
The Wolverines dropped one spot to No. 54 in the most recent ITA national team rankings, released Tuesday (April 20). This season, Michigan has been ranked as high as No. 42 and has dropped as low as No. 57. Four Big Ten teams are ranked ahead of U-M, with defending national champion Illinois holding down the No. 1 spot, while Ohio State (No. 20), Minnesota (No. 35) and Northwestern (No. 42) round out the conference representation in the poll.
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 63-47, including a 22-26 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 await seeding for the upcoming 2004 Big Ten Championship hosted by Michigan State University. The team tournament will be played April 29-May 2 at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts in East Lansing, Mich.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
