Weekly Release #13
5/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
at Fort Worth, Texas -- Times are Central Daylight Time
Saturday, May 13
No. 9 seed Texas Christian vs. Hofstra, 10 a.m.
Michigan vs. Georgia State, 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 14
Michigan/GSU winner vs. TCU/Hofstra winner, noon
Michigan Gains NCAA Bid
The University of Michigan men's tennis team was selected to compete in the 64-team field of the 2000 NCAA Championships beginning Saturday, May 13, at regional sites across the country. The Wolverines will be making their third straight NCAA Regional Championship appearance and sixth in the last seven years. This will be the first appearance in NCAA competition for first-year head coach Mark Mees.
Wolverines Heads South to Texas
The Wolverines travel to Fort Worth, Texas, to compete in a four-team, single-elimination regional that includes host and No. 9-seeded Texas Christian, Hofstra and first-round opponent Georgia State this weekend (May 13-14). Michigan (15-6) faces Georgia State (14-4) in the first round Saturday and with an opening-round victory would secure a second-round match with the winner of No. 9-seeded Texas Christian (19-4) and Hofstra (14-1). The 16 regional winners advance to the final segment of the team championship May 20-23 at the University of Georgia.
Michigan vs. Regional Foes
Michigan faces Georgia State for the first time in school history on Saturday (May 13, 2 p.m. CDT) at TCU's Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. With a victory, the Wolverines take on the TCU-Hofstra winner on Sunday (May 14, noon CDT). Michigan has never faced Hofstra on the hardcourt, while the Maize and Blue is 0-2 all-time against Texas Christian. The Wolverines lost 6-3 during the 1977-78 season and fell 7-2 in 1983-84 (both matches being played in Fort Worth, Texas).
Michigan Ranked No. 23
The men's netters head into the NCAA Regional Championship listed No. 23 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national rankings released Wednesday, May 3. Michigan is 23rd for the second consecutive week and has been listed in the top 25 the last three polls (seven of the last eight overall polls). The Wolverines listed a season-best No. 18 on March 22, after not being listed among the top 25 in over three years. The only Big Ten Conference teams ranked ahead of Michigan are No. 5 Illinois and No. 18 Minnesota.
Michigan Week-by-Week in Rankings
| Date | Rank |
| March 15 | No. 21 |
| March 22 | No. 18 |
| March 29 | No. 20 |
| April 5 | No. 20 |
| April 12 | No. 26 |
| April 19 | No. 22 |
| April 26 | No. 23 |
| May 3 | No. 23 |
Michigan Reaches Big Ten Semifinals
The fifth-seeded Wolverines reached the Big Ten Conference Championship semifinals before losing a tight 4-3 match against then No. 7-ranked and top-seeded Illinois. Michigan defeated Purdue 4-1 in Friday's quarterfinals to advance to the semifinal matchup with Illinois. The closely contested semifinal match saw five of the six singles matches go to three sets, including three matches that came down to tie-breakers (Illinois won two of those).
Wright Selected to NCAA Singles Tournament
After listing in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association national singles rankings all season long, senior No. 1 singles player Matt Wright (Wichita, Kan./Wichita Collegiate HS) was named to the 64-player NCAA Singles Tournament to be played May 24-28 at the University of Georgia. Wright is ranked No. 45 in the ITA's singles rankings released Wednesday, May 3. He becomes the first Wolverine to qualify for the NCAA singles field since Peter Pusztai in 1996.
Wright Playing Best Tennis
Matt Wright heads into the Georgia State match playing the best tennis of his Michigan career. He posted a pair of victories against nationally ranked opponents at the Big Ten Championship, beating No. 35 Jason Marshall of Purdue (6-1, 6-3) and No. 10 Cary Franklin of Illinois (6-1, 6-1). Wright has won five straight matches heading into NCAA regional action and needs one victory for his 25th overall in singles competition (24-11) this year. Wright is 12-7 in dual match competition at the No. 1 singles spot and has compiled an impressive 16-7 record against regional opponents. He was named to the All-Big Ten Conference team for the third time in his career last week, joining a list of 11 former Wolverines with at least three all-conference selections.
With an 88-51 career record, Wright ranks tied for seventh in career singles victories at Michigan. He is tied with former teammate David Paradzik (1995-98) and needs 10 victories to equal William Farah (1996-99) in sixth place. The school record is 118 wins held by current assistant coach Dan Goldberg (1985-89). Wright has tallied an impressive 28-18 career record in dual match action at the No. 1 singles spot.
U-M Top All-Time Career Singles Win Leaders
| | Name | Wins | Years |
| 1. | Dan Goldberg | 118-34 | 1985-89 |
| 2. | Peter Pusztai | 115-56 | 1992-96 |
| 3. | Dan Brackus | 101-46 | 1990-94 |
| 4. | Michael Leach | 99-18 | 1978-82 |
| | David Kass | 99-35 | 1988-92 |
| 6. | William Farah | 98-53 | 1996-99 |
| 7. | Matt Wright | 88-51 | 1997- |
| | David Paradzik | 88-66 | 1995-98 |
| 9. | Jon Morris | 87-35 | 1984-88 |
| 10. | Arvid Swan | 86-59 | 1995-98 |
| 11. | Ed Nagel | 81-23 | 1985-88 |
| 12. | John Long | 78-40 | 1997- |
Long-ing for 80th Singles Win
Senior co-captain John Long (Ann Arbor, Mich./Huron HS) heads into NCAA Regional Championship competition needing two victories to claim his 80th career singles win. Wright boasts an impressive 78-41 career singles record and also needs just one win to claim his third consecutive 20-win season. Long has compiled a 19-15 overall singles record this season and has a 9-10 dual match record (0-1 at No. 1 and 9-9 at No. 2). He tallied a 10-12 record against regional opponents this season.
Long leads the squad in doubles play with a 15-13 overall record. He has teamed with freshman Zach Held (Indianapolis, Ind./North Central HS) most recently at No. 2, compiling a 7-8 overall record and 6-6 mark at the second spot (6-7 overall with an 0-1 record at No. 1). Long and Held finished the Big Ten Conference season with a 5-4 record and have tallied a 6-5 mark against regional opposition.
Beam Tied for Team Lead in Wins
Sophomore Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) enters the NCAA Regional Championship tied for the team lead in singles victories with 24 this season (24-10). Beam leads the squad in overall winning percentage (.706), dual match wins (16-5) and regional wins (17-7) and lists tied for second with a 6-4 Big Ten Conference dual match mark. He has won 15 of his last 20 matches, including winning streaks of eight and six matches during that string. Beam needs one singles victory to collect his 25th win this year and 45th career victory (44-25 record).
McCain Nears First 20-Win Season
Sophomore Danny McCain (Largo, Fla./Canterbury School) looks to capture his first 20-win singles season when the Wolverines take the court in NCAA regional action. McCain has an 18-12 overall singles record and needs two victories to reach the 20-win plateau. His 18 victories surpassed his freshman year win total of 17 (17-11). He enters action with a 35-23 career singles record, and collected his 35th win against Illinois' Jamal Parker at the Big Ten Championship (5-7, 6-3, 7-6). McCain finished the regular season with a team-best 7-3 record in Big Ten Conference dual matches and is 13-8 overall in dual match competition (1-0 at No. 1, 4-4 at No. 3 and 8-4 at No. 4). He has tallied wins in seven of his last eight matches and nine of his last 12 contests, including a season- and career-long six-match winning streak during the stretch.
Cox Eyes 20th Win
Sophomore Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) enters the 2000 NCAA Championship needing one victory to eclipse the 20-win plateau for the second straight season. Cox has compiled a 19-12 overall singles record thus far and is an impressive 14-7 in dual match competition. He is in the midst of a season-best seven-match winning streak, including wins over Purdue's Scott Mayer (6-3, 7-5) and Illinois' Mike Kosta (6-3, 2-6, 7-5) at the Big Ten Championship. Cox finished the regular season with a 6-4 Big Ten Conference dual match record and posted a 13-7 mark against regional foes. His victory against Kosta was the 45th of his career (45-18 record). Cox has compiled an impressive 33-9 dual match record and a 15-5 Big Ten Conference dual match mark.
Held Contributes in Singles and Doubles
Michigan's only freshman to crack the dual match lineup, Zach Held has contributed at No. 6 singles and teamed with John Long at No. 2 doubles. Held has compiled an 11-9 overall singles record this season and is an impressive 6-1 in dual match competition. He suffered his only dual match setback against Illinois' Matt Snyder in three sets at the Big Ten Championship, losing 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 in the semifinal match. Held has tallied wins in eight of his last 10 singles matches heading into the NCAA Regional Championship. In doubles, Held has compiled a 10-9 overall record and a 7-8 mark with John Long. He has also teamed with classmates Chris Shaya (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Saddlebrook Academy-Fla.) and Chris Rolf (Midland, Mich./Midland HS), tallying a 2-1 mark with Shaya and a 1-0 record with Rolf.
McFarlane Steps Back into Doubles Lineup
Senior co-captain Brad McFarlane (Kingston, Ontario/Bayridge Secondary HS) has returned to the doubles lineup after missing a stretch during the second half of season due to an injury. McFarlane and Danny McCain have compiled a 2-1 record at No. 3 doubles since joining forces during the last week of the regular season. McFarlane has an 11-6 overall doubles record this season and is tops on the team in doubles winning percentage (.647). Prior to his injury, McFarlane and John Long had an 8-4 overall doubles record and a 5-2 mark at the No. 2 spot. McFarlane tallied a 5-4 singles record during the tournament season and is 35-31 in singles competition during his career.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
