Weekly Release #7
2/27/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Friday, March 2 -- at Miami (Coral Gables, Fla.), 6 p.m.
Saturday, March 3 -- vs. Clemson (Coral Gables, Fla.), Noon
Thursday, March 8 -- at Notre Dame (South Bend, Ind.), 3:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 22 -- Bowling Green (Varsity Tennis Center), 3 p.m.
Wolverines Head to Miami Invitational
The Michigan men's tennis team heads south to compete in the Miami Invitational during the school's spring break. The Wolverines will play host Miami Friday afternoon (March 2, 6 p.m.) and Clemson Saturday afternoon (March 3, noon). These matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Complex in Coral Gables, Fla., will be the first outdoor contests of the season for the Wolverines.
Michigan vs. Miami (Fla.)
This will be the 18th meeting between the Wolverines and Hurricanes. Michigan has a 1-16 all-time record against Miami, with the only victory coming during the 1968-69 season. The 6-3 win during the 1968-69 season was the only home match during the series, with the two schools meeting in Miami twice every year during the 1960s except the 1968-69 season. The last time these two schools met on the hardcourt was 1992-93, a 5-1 victory by the Hurricanes in Coral Gables.
Michigan vs. Clemson
This will be the third meeting between the two programs, with each school winning one of the previous two matches. Michigan won the inaugural meeting 5-4 in Louisville during the 1998-89 season, with Clemson returning the favor a year later at the National Indoor Invitational (5-2 loss during 1989-90).
Michigan Looks to End Three-Match Skid
The Wolverines look to end a three-match losing streak when they face Miami Friday evening. Michigan dropped a pair of 4-3 matches to Big Ten Conference foes Northwestern and Minnesota, and lost a 5-2 match against Indiana State. The losing streak is tied for the longest in the two-year coaching career of Mark Mees (lost three straight road matches at Tulane, Minnesota and Illinois last year).
Beam Nears 20 Singles Wins
Junior co-captain Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) heads into the weekend action looking to move closer to his third straight 20-win singles season. Beam has compiled a team-best 16-7 overall singles record and this past weekend picked up the 60th singles win of his career (60-32 mark). He tallied a pair of victories against nationally ranked foes last week, beating 81st-ranked Jonas Piibor of Indiana State (7-6, 3-6, 6-3) and 34th-ranked Harsh Mankad of Minnesota (7-6, 6-4). Ranked 82nd nationally in singles by the ITA, Beam has won four straight dual matches at the top spot, and has a 5-3 overall dual match record at No. 1. In doubles action, Beam and sophomore Chris Shaya (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Saddlebrook Academy, Fla.) have compiled a 5-3 doubles record at the top spot. Beam has an 8-8 overall doubles record.
Jackson Second on Team in Victories
Despite suffering his first dual match loss last week against Indiana State's Henry Choi, freshman Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) has surged to a team-best 7-1 dual match record. Jackson is second on the team in overall wins (15) and regional victories (nine), while topping the squad in dual match wins (seven) and overall doubles victories (10). He has a 15-6 overall singles record and is 2-0 in Big Ten Conference dual matches. Jackson has won 10 of his last 12 singles matches, including a 7-6, 6-4 win against Minnesota's Eric Robertson last weekend.
Cox Eyes 10th Wins
Junior Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) enters the Miami Invitational looking to reach double-digits in both singles and doubles wins this season. Cox has tallied a 9-9 singles record and is 9-6 in doubles action. He is 4-2 in dual matches at the No. 2 spot, including a 6-2, 6-4 win against Minnesota's Jorge Duenas last weekend. Cox has a 55-27 career singles record and is an impressive 38-11 in dual match competition (16-6 in Big Ten duals). He has a career-high nine doubles victories this season, including a 4-2 record with Anthony Jackson at the No. 3 spot.
Wolverines Ranked 30th
Michigan moved from 31st to 30th in the Feb. 14 WingspanBank.com Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The Wolverines opened the dual match season listed No. 29, but fell to No. 31 during the third week of the computer rankings.
Next Week vs. Irish
The Wolverines head to South Bend, Ind., for a Thursday afternoon (March 8, 3:30 p.m.) match against No. 26-ranked Notre Dame. Michigan defeated the Fighting Irish by a 5-2 score last season at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
