Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Earns Home Shutout Victory Over Wisconsin
3/25/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 27 University of Michigan women's tennis team improved to 2-0 in the Big Ten Conference with a 7-0 rout of Wisconsin Saturday (March 25) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines (8-4, 2-0 Big Ten) did not give up a single set in the nine matches contested, as U-M defeated the Badgers (3-11, 0-2 Big Ten) for the sixth time in the last eight meetings and gave head coach Bitsy Ritt the win in her final regular season matchup against her alma mater.
Michigan used late surges to claim 8-3 victories at Nos. 1 and 3 doubles and clinch the first team point. Senior Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) and junior Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) held a slim 4-3 lead over Kaylan Caiati and Morgan Tuttle before taking the next four games to wrap up their second straight win at the top spot. Senior Nina Yaftali (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) and freshman Lindsey Howard (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) also won the final four games in their triumph over Elizabeth Carpenter and Erin Jobe at No. 3. Yaftali and Howard, who have won six straight matches, hold a team-best 8-3 dual match record.
Michigan wrapped up the doubles sweep thanks to sophomore Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and freshman Chisako Sugiyama's (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) 8-5 victory over Nicole Beck and Chelsea Nusslock at No. 2. Shafner and Sugiyama also stepped up their play late in the match, breaking open a 5-5 tie by winning three straight games to secure their fourth win in six dual matches this season.
Sugiyama turned in a near perfect performance at No. 5 singles, dismantling Jobe by a 6-0, 6-1 margin to put Michigan ahead 2-0. It was Sugiyama's fourth straight victory, and she improves to 7-4 in dual match play and 17-9 overall.
Streifler also extended her winning streak with a dominating 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Carpenter at No. 4, which gave the Wolverines a 3-0 advantage. Streifler has won nine straight matches dating back to Feb. 5, and holds a team-best 10-2 dual match mark in 2006. She is now tied with former teammate Chrissie Nolan (2001-04) for sixth place on U-M's all-time singles wins list (78).
Delicata provided the clincher for Michigan with a solid win at No. 1, as she handed Caiati a 6-2, 6-3 loss to put the Wolverines ahead 4-0. Minutes later, Yaftali dispatched Beck by a 6-0, 6-2 score at No. 3 for U-M's fifth point. It was the first victory in three matches for both Delicata and Yaftali.
Junior Elizabeth Exon's (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) season debut at No. 2 resulted in a commanding 6-3, 6-0 win over Nusslock. Exon improves to 7-4 in dual match play and stands even at 11-11 overall in 2005-06. She has been victorious in five of her last six outings.
Shafner completed the overall sweep with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Tuttle at No. 6. Shafner continues to shine against opponents in the Midwest, as she won 11 of 15 regional matches in 2005-06.
The Wolverines return to the Varsity Tennis Center tomorrow (Sunday, March 26) to host No. 4 Northwestern at 11 a.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #97 Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Kaylan Caiati, 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 -- Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Chelsea Nusslock, 6-3, 6-0
No. 3 -- Nina Yaftali (U- M) d. Nicole Beck, 6-0, 6-2
No. 4 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Elizabeth Carpenter, 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 -- Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Erin Jobe, 6-0, 6-1
No. 6 -- Allie Shafner (U-M) d. Morgan Tuttle, 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- Delicata/Streifler (U-M) d. Caiati/Tuttle, 8-3
No. 2 -- Shafner/Sugiyama (U-M) d. Beck/Nusslock, 8-5
No. 3 -- Howard/Yaftali (U-M) d. Carpenter/Jobe, 8-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3-2, Singles 5-4-1-3-2-6
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
