Michigan
Maryland
Wolverines Cruise to Neutral-Site Victory Over Maryland
2/5/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
COLUMBIA, S.C. -- The No. 21 University of Michigan women's tennis team evened its dual match record to 3-3 with a dominating 6-1 victory over No. 60 Maryland in a neutral-site match at the USC Field House. The Wolverines claimed the doubles point before posting wins in five of six singles matches, including comeback victories at the Nos. 1, 2 and 5 positions.
Michigan's 15th-ranked doubles tandem of senior Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) and sophomore Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary) got the Wolverines off on the right foot, defeating Ramona But and Marianne Baker 8-4 at the top doubles slot. Jennifer Dent and Tamar Huppes prevented Michigan from earning the first team point, as they outlasted junior Nina Yaftali (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) and sophomore Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodridge HS) 9-7 at No. 2.
In the decisive doubles match at No. 3, senior Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) and freshman Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) overtook Veronika Subertova and Brooke Rogers by an 8-5 score to put the Wolverines ahead 1-0 in the match. The U-M pair holds a perfect 3-0 record in dual match play this season.
Delicata gave Michigan a 2-0 advantage with a 6-4, 6-3 decision over Dent at No. 3 singles, while Rutherford brought the Wolverines within one match of the team victory with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-1 win over Subertova at No. 4.
Exon clinched the overall win for U-M, as she battled back to defeat Baker 4-6, 6-0, 6-4 at No. 2 for her first dual match victory of 2005. DaCosta made it four in a row with another comeback win (1-6, 6-4, 7-5) over But at No. 1. Yaftali followed suit, rebounding from a 6-4 loss in the first set to win the next two frames 6-0, 10-6 and provide the Wolverines with their sixth and final point of the afternoon.
The Wolverines will next be in action on Sunday, Feb. 13, when they travel to Knoxville, Tenn., to take on Tennessee. The match is scheduled for a noon start at the Goodfriend Indoor Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #44 Michelle DaCosta (U-M) d. Ramona But, 1-6, 6-4, 7-5
No. 2 -- #95 Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Marianne Baker, 4-6, 6-0, 6-4
No. 3 -- Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Jennifer Dent, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 -- Leanne Rutherford (U-M) d. Veronika Subertova, 6-3, 1-6, 6-1
No. 5 -- Nina Yaftali (U-M) d. Neda Mihneva, 4-6, 6-0, 1-0(6)
No. 6 -- Tamar Huppes (UMD) d. Allie Shafner, 6-4, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- #15 DaCosta/Delicata (U-M) d. But/Baker, 8-4
No. 2 -- Dent/Huppes (UMD) d. Exon/Yaftali, 9-7
No. 3 -- Rutherford/Shafner (U-M) d. Subertova/Brooke Rogers, 8-5
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3, Singles 3-4-2-1-5-6
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
