Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Cruises Past Wisconsin, Remains Undefeated in Big Ten
3/28/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site:Ann Arbor, Mich.(Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #16 Michigan 6,Wisconsin 1
Records: U-M (9-4,4-0Big Ten),Wisconsin(5-11, 0-4Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, March29 --vs.#1 Northwestern(Varsity Tennis Center), 2 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich.-- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team earned a convincing 6-1 victory over Wisconsin on Saturday (March 28) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines (9-4, 4-0 Big Ten)posted their second straight doubles sweep and followed with wins in five of the six singles matches to remain undefeated in Big Ten Conference play and extend their home winning streak to 24 matches.
Senior Lindsey Howard(Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) and sophomore Denise Muresan(Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) needed just 35 minutes to complete their third straight victory as the pair cruised to an 8-0 shutout win over Katya Mirnova and Jessica Seyferth at No. 3. U-M's No. 31-ranked tandem of senior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) and junior Tania Mahtani(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) earned three straight breaks to run away with an 8-2 triumph over Wisconsin's No. 35-ranked duo of Elizabeth Carpenter and Angela Chupa at No. 1, which clinched the first team point for the Maize and Blue. Sophomores Whitney Taney(Edina, Minn./Edina HS) and Rika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) won five of the final six games in an 8-4 victory over Emese Kardhordo and Aleksandra Markovic at No. 2 that wrapped up the doubles sweep.
Freshman Michelle Sulahian(Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall School) pushed her winning streak to six matches with a commanding 6-3, 6-3 win over Chupa at No. 5 singles, which put Michigan in front 2-0 on the team scoreboard. Sugiyama, ranked 59th nationally, closed out Markovic by a score of 6-3, 6-1 at No. 2 for her 98th career singles victory as a Wolverine. She needs just three more wins to become the program's all-time leader.
Muresan provided the clincher in her season debut at the No. 4 position, earning a dominating 6-2, 6-4 decision over Seyferth for her fourth straight victory. Seyferth held a 3-1 lead in the second set before Muresan stormed back to take five of the next six games and seal the team's fifth straight win over the Badgers.
Tatsuno, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, gave Michigan a 5-0 advantage with a 7-5, 6-3 triumph over Carpenter at No. 1. Tatsuno erased a 5-3 deficit in the first set by claiming four straight games. She has been victorious in 14 of her last 18 outings, including four straight.
Sophomore Kari Wig(Cochrane, Alberta/Cochrane HS)was a winner in her dual-match season debut. She overpowered Kardhordo in the super-tiebreak set to finish off a 3-6, 6-4, 1-0(2) comeback victory at No. 6 for U-M's sixth and final team point. Mahtani nearly pulled off her comeback attempt in the super-tiebreak at No. 3, winning six straight points to close an 8-1 gap to 8-7, but Mirnova won two of the next three points to complete a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(8) win.
The Wolverines welcomeNo. 1-ranked Northwesternto the Varsity Tennis Center on Sunday (March 29) for a 2 p.m. match.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 --#111Rika Tatsuno(U-M) d. Elizabeth Carpenter, 7-5, 6-3
No. 2 --#59 Chisako Sugiyama(U-M) d. Aleksandra Markovic, 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 --Katya Mirnova (Wisconsin) d. Tania Mahtani, 4-6, 6-3, 1-0(8)
No. 4 --Denise Muresan(U-M) d. Jessica Seyferth, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 --Michelle Sulahian(U-M) d. Angela Chupa, 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 --Kari Wig(U-M) d. Emese Kardhordo, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0(2)
Doubles
No. 1 -- #31 Mahtani/Sugiyama (U-M) d. #35 Carpenter/Chupa, 8-2
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M)d. Kardhordo/Markovic, 8-4
No. 3 --Lindsey Howard/Muresan(U-M) d. Mirnova/Seyferth, 8-0
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles5-2-4-1-6-3
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 645-0045
Players Mentioned
