Weekly Release #14
4/27/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sun., April 29-May 2 -- at Big Ten Championship (Evanston, Ill.)
April 29 -- First Round, 10 a.m./2 p.m. CDT
April 30 -- Quarterfinal vs. #5 seed Wisconsin, 10 a.m. CDT
May 1 -- Semifinals, 10 a.m./2 p.m. CDT
May 2 -- Championship Match, Noon CDT
U-M Prepares for the Big Ten Championship
The No. 27 University of Michigan women's tennis team (15-5, 6-4 Big Ten) heads to the 23rd annual Big Ten Conference Championship hosted by Northwestern University on Thursday through Sunday (April 29-May 2) at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center in Evanston, Ill.
Wolverines Enter Tournament as No. 4 Seed
Michigan enters the Big Ten Championship as the No. 4 seed after defeating Wisconsin in the season finale to finish in a tie for fourth place in the final conference standings. Michigan, which has a first-round bye, will face the No. 5-seeded Badgers in the quarterfinals on Friday morning (April 29, 10 a.m. CDT). With a victory, the Wolverines would advance to the semifinal round on Saturday morning (April 30, 10 a.m. CDT), playing the winner the quarterfinal match between No. 1 Northwestern and the Michigan State/Purdue first-round winner.
Final Big Ten Conference Regular Season Standings
Big Ten Overall Place, Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct. 1. Northwestern 9-1 .900 20-4 .833 Indiana 9-1 .900 17-6 .739 3. Illinois 8-2 .800 17-4 .810 4. MICHIGAN 6-4 .600 15-5 .750 Wisconsin 6-4 .600 13-10 .565 6. Iowa 5-5 .500 12-8 .600 Ohio State 5-5 .500 10-12 .455 8. Purdue 3-7 .300 9-13 .409 Michigan State 3-7 .300 8-13 .381 10. Minnesota 1-9 .100 3-18 .143 11. Penn State 0-10 .000 6-16 .273
U-M vs. Wisconsin
The Wolverines and Badgers will meet for 36th time overall and for the seventh time in Big Ten Championship action, including six out of the last eight seasons. Michigan dominated the last meeting between the two schools, shutting out the Badgers 7-0 just last Sunday (April 25) in the regular-season finale. Michigan holds a 22-13 advantage in the all-time series, including a five-match winning streak. Michigan has an 9-21 record against the Badgers under head coach Bitsy Ritt, who is a 1983 graduate of Wisconsin.
Michigan at the Big Ten Championship
The Wolverines have claimed one Big Ten Conference title in the 22 years that the championship has been held, winning the 1997 crown by beating Indiana 4-1 in the championship match. U-M has reached the final match on three occasions, losing to Indiana in 1994 and 1998 and defeating the Hoosiers for the 1997 championship. Michigan has compiled a 24-26 record since the 1985-86 season, the year the conference tournament began being played in a team format.
2003 Big Ten Championship Recap
Michigan posted a 1-1 record at the 2003 Big Ten Championship held April 24-27 at the University of Illinois' Atkins Tennis Center. The seventh-seeded Wolverines defeated Indiana by a 4-2 score in the first round, winning four singles matches after losing the doubles point to the Hoosiers. U-M lost 4-0 in the quarterfinals to No. 2 seed and No. 19-ranked Northwestern, the eventual Big Ten champion for the fifth straight year.
Wolverines Ranked No. 27 in Team Rankings
The Wolverines climbed two positions back into the No. 27 position in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings, released April 27. 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 |
| March 23 | 19th |
| March 30 | 20th |
| April 6 | 25th |
| April 13 | 27th |
| April 20 | 29th |
| April 27 | 27th |
Exon, DaCosta Listed Among Nation's Best
Junior Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) and freshman Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) are both listed among the top singles players in the nation, with DaCosta receiving the No. 49 ranking and Exon listed at No. 83. On the doubles side, DaCosta and freshman Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary) are listed as the No. 38 pairing in the nation. The next ITA national individual rankings are scheduled for release on May 3.
U-M Closes Regular Season with Split at Home
The Wolverines fell just short of pulling off the upset against No. 10 Northwestern last Saturday (April 24), losing to the Wildcats 4-3. U-M claimed the early doubles point but could only win a pair of singles matches as freshmen Elizabeth Exon and Kara Delicata earned straight-set victories at the No. 2 and No. 6 positions, respectively. Michigan routed Wisconsin the next day (Sunday, April 25), wrapping up the dual-meet season with a 7-0 decision over the Badgers. Seniors Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Kettle Moraine HS) and Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) collected wins in their last dual meet at the Varisty Tennis Center, rallying to win in the third set at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles spots, respectively.
Freshman Phenom
Freshman Elizabeth Exon enters her first Big Ten Championship with a 26-12 season singles record. Exon is just the 14th freshman in Michigan history to reach the 20-win plateau during her inaugural campaign, joining current teammates sophomore Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) and senior Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS). With her team-leading 26-12 record this season, Exon ranks third on Michigan's all-time freshman wins list, tied with Brooke Hart (26-12, 1996-97). The Wolverine rookie needs just one more tally to reach the second position and three wins to reach the top spot, currently held by Danielle Lund (29-9, 1996-97).
Michigan's Top Freshman Win Totals
| | Name | Record | Season |
| 1. | Danielle Lund | 29-9 | 1996-97 |
| 2. | Erryn Weggenman | 27-13 | 1996-97 |
| 3. | Brooke Hart | 26-12 | 1996-97 |
| Elizabeth Exon | 26-12 | 2003-04 | |
| 4. | Sora Moon | 25-11 | 1994-95 |
| 5. | Jaimie Fielding | 24-12 | 1991-92 |
| | Stacy Berg | 24-5 | 1987-88 |
| 7. | Kalei Beamon | 23-9 | 1989-90 |
| 8. | Mary MacTaggart | 22-4 | 1980-81 |
| | Marion Kremer | 22-8 | 1980-81 |
| | Wendy Stross | 22-9 | 1987-88 |
Climbing the Charts
Senior Chrissie Nolan collected her 75th career victory with a 5-7, 6-0, 6-3 decision against Ohio State's Jackie Leskovar on March 28. With her 19-11 record this season, Nolan has brought her career singles mark to 77-47 during her four seasons at Michigan, placing her sixth on Michigan's all-time wins list. Nolan needs just three more wins to reach the fifth spot, currently held by Danielle Lund (80-55, 1997-2000).
Career Year
Senior Kavitha Tipirneni has already recorded career highs in every singles categories this season. She has notched 24 overall wins, surpassing her previous best -- a season mark of 16-15 as a freshman in 2000-01 -- by eight wins. The Wolverine senior has posted a team-leading 17-3 dual-meet record, notching nine more wins than her previous season high (8-12, 2001-02). With an 20-11 doubles record this season, Tipirneni needs just one more win to match her career high in doubles (21, 2001-02).
Net Points ...
Junior Michelle DaCosta has earned a career-high 20 singles wins this season, notching two more decisions than her previous season-best mark of 18, which she accomplished during both her freshman and sophomore campaigns.
Senior Kim Plaushines and sophomore Debra Streifler have both notched career highs in doubles wins this season. Plaushines has accumulated 26 victories already this season, seven more than her previous best (19, 2001-02); Streifler has also bettered her previous mark (17, 2002-03) by seven wins with 24 under her belt this season.
Senior Kavitha Tipirneni and juniors Michelle DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford have each recorded both their 50th career singles win and their 50th career doubles win this season. Tipirneni has since brought her career marks to 58-59 in singles and 66-41 in doubles. Rutherford owns a career singles record of 56-32 and a career doubles record of 52-39, while DaCosta holds nearly identical career marks in singles (55-40) and doubles (54-40).
On the Horizon
Following the conclusion of the Big Ten Championship, Michigan will await the selection process for the 2004 NCAA Championship. The 2004 Women's Tennis Selection Show will air Wednesday (May 6, 4:00 p.m. EDT) on ESPNews.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
