Michigan Inks Four Standout Recruits for 2007-08
12/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's tennis program announced Monday (Dec. 4) the signing of Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS), Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS), Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina HS) and Kari Wig (Cochrane, Alberta/Cochrane HS) to National Letters of Intent to attend U-M and play for the Wolverines in the 2007-08 season. The four signings make up Amanda Augustus' first recruiting class as head coach at Michigan.
"I'm very pleased with my first recruiting class," said Augustus. "I was able to get the top four recruits that I wanted. It was a competitive recruiting year. I feel that each one of these young women understands what Michigan is all about and will take advantage of everything we have on campus. I'm excited for this group because they want to take their tennis to the next level, and at the same time get a great education."
A three-time All-American, Muresan captured the Illinois state singles championship as a junior in 2005. She also reached the state finals as a sophomore while attending Maine West High School. Muresan has been ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Section for USTA Girls' 12's, 14's, and 16's, and as high as No. 17 nationally. She was a singles quarterfinalist at the Girls' 16's Copper Bowl in 2006, and earned a pair of 12th-place finishes at the Girls' 16's Easter Bowl (2006) and USTA National Winter Championships (2005). Muresan was the Midwest Closed champion for Girls' 16's in February of 2003.
"Denise has an outstanding junior background," commented Augustus. "She's been the best player in the Midwest in multiple divisions. She has already had some experience playing in some professional satellite qualifying events. Denise is a hard worker and she'll have a very positive influence on this program. She'll definitely bring some spunk to the team. I think she's really going to surprise a lot of people."
Tatsuno, who was a teammate of current U-M freshman Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) at Palos Verdes Peninsula High School, is a two time Bay League singles champion (2005-06). She has also been named a team captain and MVP throughout her prep career, and guided Peninsula to the California Interscholastic Federation Division I championship in 2003. Tatsuno has been ranked as high as No. 48 nationally (No. 58 currently) and No. 20 in the Southern California Section for USTA Girls' 18's. A five-star recruit according to TennisRecruiting.net, Tatsuno reached the singles round of 16 at the USTA National Winter Championships and the doubles quarterfinals at the USTA Super National Clay Court Championships. Her doubles accomplishments include a championship at the SCTA Grand Prix Masters, as well as titles at the Southern California Sectional and the ITF Spring Junior Tournament.
"Rika has improved so much in the last two years," said Augustus. "She's grown a few inches and she hits the ball a ton. She really has aspirations to play professionally after she graduates from college. I'm really excited to work with Rika. She's got a big serve and big ground strokes. I think she'll really play well on the indoor courts. She's just a very hard worker."
Taney is arguably the most decorated recruit in the country, entering her collegiate career with an unblemished prep record in both singles and doubles. A member of the varsity team at Edina High School since seventh grade, Taney finished her six-year career with a perfect 166-0 record. She captured state singles championships during her sophomore, junior and senior seasons, as well as doubles titles as an eighth-grader and freshman. Taney, who played at No. 4 in seventh grade and then moved up to No. 1 as a sophomore, was a member of six Class AA state championship teams. She dropped two sets during her entire high school career. Taney was named a National High School All-American in 2006, and she was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" on Jan. 24, 2005.
Taney's USTA career is just as impressive, as she won 174 straight matches in the Northern Section dating back to 2002. She has been ranked as high as No. 16 nationally in Girls 18's singles (No. 26 currently) and earned final national rankings of No. 9 in singles and No. 5 in doubles for Girls 16's in 2005. Taney has been ranked as high as No. 1 in both singles and doubles for the Northern Section Girls 14's and 16's. She has captured one National Open singles title and four National Open doubles crowns since 2004.
"Whitney is an unbelievable competitor," commented Augustus. "She knows how to win, which is something that is very hard to teach. She's ranked very high nationally and she's got a really solid all-around game. In the last year, she is playing much more aggressive, which only adds to her repertoire. Whitney is a great team player; she was a team captain in high school. I think she'll thrive in the college tennis environment."
Wig has been the top-ranked player in Alberta for Girls' 16's and 18's, and finished 2005 as the No. 7-ranked player in Canada for Girls' 18's (No. 4 for Girl's 16's). She has won 53 career tournaments on the International Tennis Federation Circuit (ITF) and has achieved a career-high ITF ranking of No. 382. Wig claimed the doubles crown and reached the singles final at the 2005 Stanley Park Open. She is a two-time bronze medalist at the Canada Summer Games, as well as a two-time sportsmanship award honoree at the Canadian Nationals.
"Kari is a top Canadian player," said Augustus. "She has a lot of international playing experience. She's got a great serve; she's an all-courter and possibly will become a serve-and-volleyer. Kari moves well on the court for being a tall player. She loves to play tournaments and she loves to compete. She's also really motivated to play professionally after graduation. Kari is a very nice girl who gets along with everyone. She'll be a great asset to the team."
Michigan will lose three letterwinners from its 2006-07 roster, as graduate/senior Jenny Kuehn (Leipzig, Germany/Sportgymnasium Leipzig) and seniors Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) and Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) will exhaust their eligibility at the conclusion of the spring season.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
