Michigan
Alabama
Michigan Notches Resounding Win Over Alabama
3/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Michigan got off to a fast start with a pair of 8-3 doubles victories at Nos. 3 and 1, respectively. Senior Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) and junior Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) snapped a two-match losing skid with a win over Paulina Bigos and Nicole Briceno to get things started, and graduate senior Jenny Kuehn (Leipzig, Germany/Sportgymnasium Leipzig) and sophomore Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) clinched the first team point with their victory over Andrea Brenes and Mari Muller. Kuehn and Sugiyama remain undefeated at the top spot at 4-0 and hold a team-best overall record of 9-2 in 2006-07.
Senior Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) and freshman Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) wrapped up the Maize and Blue's second doubles sweep of the season, defeating Shelley Godwin and Bianca Svensson by a score of 8-6 at No. 2. Delicata and Mahtani trailed 6-3 before storming back to win five straight games and secure the comeback victory.
The 76th-ranked Sugiyama needed just 40 minutes on the singles court to provide the Wolverines with a 2-0 lead. She won the first 14 points and 15 of the last 17 en route to a 6-0, 6-0 blanking of Godwin at No. 2. Sugiyama won every point in six of the 12 games contested, and she now stands at a team-best 21-6 overall and 9-3 in dual match play.
After earning a 6-4 win over Briceno in the first set of the No. 3 singles match, Delicata turned it up a notch and cruised to a 6-0 triumph in the second set to give Michigan a commanding 3-0 lead. Minutes later, Mahtani closed out Alice Tunaru by a 6-2, 6-1 margin at No. 4 for her second match-clinching win in as many days. Mahtani's team-best five-match winning streak moves her dual match record to 9-3.
Exon continued her stellar play at the No. 5 position, earning a dominating 6-0, 6-2 decision over Brenes for U-M's fifth team point. Exon has won four straight matches dating back to March 10. The 81st-ranked Kuehn rounded out the scoring, handing Muller a 6-4, 6-0 defeat at No. 1 to even her overall record to 11-11.
Svensson spoiled the overall sweep for the Maize and Blue, using a late charge to defeat freshman Tanvi Dudhela (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) at No. 6. Dudhela was serving for the match at 5-4 and had match point at 40-30, but Svesson battled back to steal a 3-6, 7-5, 1-0(2) win.
The Wolverines will travel to State College, Pa., to face Penn State Friday (March 23) at the Sarni Tennis Center. The match is scheduled for a 5 p.m. start.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #81 Jenny Kuehn (U-M) d. Mari Muller, 6-4, 6-0
No. 2 -- #76 Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Shelley Godwin, 6-0, 6-0
No. 3 -- Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Nicole Briceno, 6-4, 6-0
No. 4 -- Tania Mahtani (U-M) d. Alice Tunaru, 6-2, 6-1
No. 5 -- Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Andrea Brenes, 6-0, 6-2
No. 6 -- Bianca Svensson (ALA) d. Tanvi Dudhela, 3-6, 7-5, 1-0(2)
Doubles
No. 1 -- Kuehn/Sugiyama (U-M) d. Brenes/Muller, 8-3
No. 2 -- Delicata/Mahtani (U-M) d. Godwin/Svensson, 8-6
No. 3 -- Exon/Allie Shafner (U-M) d. Paulina Bigos/Briceno, 8-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles 2-3-4-5-1-6
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
