Michigan
Auburn
Wolverines Blank Auburn to Advance to ITA Kick-Off Final
1/29/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 29, 2011
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| ITA Kick-Off Weekend
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Event: ITA Kick-Off (Day 1 of 2)
Result: #8 Michigan 7, Auburn 0
Records: U-M (2-0), Auburn (0-1)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Jan. 30 -- vs. Southern California - ITA Kick-Off (Varsity Tennis Center), 2 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After winning a tightly contested doubles point, the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team swept all six singles matches for a 7-0 win over Auburn in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 29) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
U-M scored the match's first point by virtue of doubles wins at No. 3 and No. 2. The No. 3 tandem of freshman Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan) and senior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and did not look back for an 8-3 victory as the first Michigan team off court.
Needing just one more win for the doubles point, the No. 2 pairing of freshman Sam Critser (Moutainview, Calif./Mountainview) and sophomore Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) raced out to an early 4-1 lead, only to see Auburn win seven of the next 10 games for an 8-7 lead. The Michigan pair earned a break to force a tiebreaker at 8-8, eventually winning the breaker 7-3 to give the Wolverines the early 1-0 team lead.
Michigan carried the doubles momentum over to singles, where Nguyen (6-3, 6-0) and Bolender (6-1, 6-0) easily won matches at Nos. 4 and 3 to put the home team on top, 3-0. Muresan then clinched the match a few minutes later with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 1 for the match's fourth point.
With the team outcome decided, the Wolverines continued to roll as senior Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) followed with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 6 and senior Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) pulled out a 7-6 (4), 6-2 triumph at No. 5. Critser was the lone Wolverine to go to three sets, winning a 10-point tiebreaker (10-6) for a 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 win at No. 2 to keep the Tigers off the board.
Michigan advances to face No. 18 Southern California tomorrow (Sunday, Jan. 30) with a berth to the ITA National Team Indoor Championships on the line. The teams will square off at 2 p.m. from the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 11 Denise Muresan (U-M) d. Paulina Schippers (Auburn), 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 105 Sam Critser (U-M) d. Olivia Bennett (Auburn), 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10-6)
No. 3 -- Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. Jacqueline Kasler (Auburn), 6-1, 6-0
No. 4 -- Mimi Nguyen (U-M) d. Maria Arechavaleta (Auburn), 6-3, 6-0
No. 5 -- No. 61 Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Plamena Kurteva (Auburn), 7-6 (4), 6-2
No. 6 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Taylor Schriemann (Auburn), 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) vs. No. 21 Schippers/Kasler (Auburn), 7-7 abandoned
No. 2 -- Nguyen/Critser (U-M) d. Thornton/Bennett (Auburn), 9-8 (3)
No. 3 -- Muresan/Bolender (U-M) d. Kurteva/Schreimann (Auburn), 8-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2; Singles 4-3-1-6-5-2
• Doubles matches in progress when the doubles point is clinched are abandoned during the ITA Kick-Off.
• Sam Critser won her ninth consecutive singles match, with Denise Muresan winning her fifth straight.
• U-M has not surrendered a point this season, blanking both Western Michigan (Jan. 23) and Auburn today.
• Michigan evened its all-time record against Auburn to 1-1.
• The Wolverines have won four consecutive matches in the ITA Kick-Off. U-M knocked off Texas in the second match of the 2009 season and defeated both Arkansas and South Carolina last year. The Wolverines are 4-1 all-time in the event.
• Michigan advances to the ITA Kick-Off final for the second consecutive season.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On winning the doubles point ... "We let them back in the doubles after we were up pretty big. We just stepped back when we should have kept pressing to end those matches. We talked about that afterwards, just needing to step up and finish matches. We recognize that is something we need to work on and should get better at that as we move forward. It was definitely a big help to get that point, especially after being up on both courts (No. 1 and 2). We got a little tight, but it definitely set the tone for the rest of the match."
On the singles play ... "I have great confidence in our singles lineup. We are pretty deep across the board, and I think that we can hang with anyone and get four points when we need it. I thought that everyone came out focused in singles and played really well. Brooke (Bolender) played really well at No. 3, probably the best she has played this year."
On tomorrow's match against No. 18 Southern California ... "Playing Southern California is a great opportunity for us to play a great program early in the season. We have to take care of our side of the court, take advantage of the opportunities that we have. It is going to be a great college tennis match, and we hope to have a great crowd here to support us. It will be a tough test for us and having our fans here will definitely be a huge help to us."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
