Michigan
Alabama
Michigan's Comeback Bid Falls Short Against Alabama
3/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The No. 22 University of Michigan women's tennis team closed out its non-conference schedule with a heartbreaking 4-3 loss to No. 35 Alabama Sunday afternoon (March 19) at the UA Tennis Complex. The Wolverines (7-3) erased a 3-0 deficit with three straight singles victories, only to see the Crimson Tide (7-5) claim a three-set win in the deciding match at No. 6 singles.
Sophomore Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) held a 6-1, 6-5 lead over Natalie McElveen in the final match remaining on the courts, but McElveen held serve and eventually won the second set in a tiebreaker, 7-6(3), to send the match into a third set. McElveen broke Shafner's serve to go up 4-3 in the final set, then held serve twice the rest of the way to secure the upset win for Alabama.
The Tide won a tight doubles point and posted straight-set victories at Nos. 2 and 1 singles, respectively, to take the commanding 3-0 lead on the scoreboard. Senior Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) kept Michigan alive with a huge win at No. 4, as she defeated Shelley Godwin by a 6-1, 6-4 margin for the Wolverines' first team point. It was Streifler's 76th career victory, which ties her with Stacy Berg (1988-91) for seventh place on U-M's all-time singles wins list. Streifler has won seven straight matches and holds a team-best 8-2 mark in dual match play this season.
Junior Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) rebounded from a tough three-set loss on Thursday (March 16) to defeat Mari Muller at No. 3, 6-3, 6-1, to keep Michigan in contention. Freshman Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) evened the match at 3-3 after battling her way to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Andrea Brenes at No. 5. It was Sugiyama's second straight triumph and her team-leading 15th singles win of 2005-06.
Senior Nina Yaftali (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) and freshman Lindsey Howard (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) continued their impressive play at No. 3 doubles, defeating Brenes and McElveen by a score of 8-3 to give the Wolverines the early momentum. Yaftali and Howard have won four straight matches together and hold a team-best 6-3 dual match record this season.
The Crimson Tide answered with back-to-back wins at Nos. 1 and 2 to steal the doubles point.
The Wolverines stay on the road to face intrastate rival Michigan State on Wednesday (March 22). The match is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing, Mich.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #11 Robin Stephenson (Alabama) d. Kara Delicata, 6-0, 6-3
No. 2 -- Ashley Bentley (Alabama) d. Nina Yaftali, 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 -- Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Mari Muller, 6-3, 6-1
No. 4 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Shelley Godwin, 6-1, 6-4
No. 5 -- Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Andrea Brenes, 6-4, 6-4
No. 6 -- Natalie McElveen (Alabama) d. Allie Shafner, 1-6, 7-6(3), 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- #16 Bentley/Stephenson (Alabama) d. Delicata/Streifler, 8-4
No. 2 -- Melissa Day/Muller (Alabama) d. Shafner/Sugiyama, 9-7
No. 3 -- Howard/Yaftali (U-M) d. Brenes/McElveen, 8-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles 2-1-4-3-5-6
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
