Weekly Release #14
4/24/2001 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Thu-Sun., April 26-29 -- at Big Ten Championship (Columbus, Ohio)
Thursday, April 26 -- vs. Wisconsin, 10 a.m.
Friday, April 27 -- Quarterfinals vs. Illinois, 10 a.m.
Saturday, April 28 -- Semifinals, Noon
Sunday, April 29 -- Championship Match, Noon
Sat-Sun., May 12-13 -- at NCAA Regional (Site TBA)
Wolverines Head to Big Ten Championship
The University of Michigan women's tennis team heads to Columbus, Ohio, for the 20th annual Big Ten Conference Championship this week at the Stickney Tennis Center. The single-elimination team tournament that crowns the conference champion begins Thursday, April 26, and runs through Sunday, April 29.
Wolverines Enter as No. 10 Seed
For the third straight season, Michigan will play in the first-round matches to reach the quarterfinals. The 10th-seeded Wolverines face No. 7 seed Wisconsin on Thursday (April 26) with the hopes of advancing to Friday's quarterfinals of the 2001 Big Ten Women's Tennis Championship. With a victory, Michigan would face No. 2 seed Illinois on Friday (April 27, 10 a.m.). The winner would advance to Saturday's semifinal (April 28, noon), with the championship match slated for Sunday (April 29, noon). The tournament champion receives an automatic berth into the NCAA Championship field.
Michigan vs. Wisconsin
The Wolverines and Badgers will face each other for the 31st time this Thursday (April 26) in the first round of the Big Ten Championship. This is the second straight year the two programs have met in the Big Ten's, with Michigan winning a 4-3 match last year when the competition was held at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines won the regular-season matchup between the two schools, beating the Badgers 6-1 at the Nielsen Tennis Center (March 23). The Badgers hold a 17-13 all-time advantage but the series is even (5-5) in the last 10 matches played. Michigan has an 8-15 record against the Badgers under head coach Bitsy Ritt, who is a 1983 graduate of Wisconsin.
Last Year at the Big Ten Championship
The Wolverines compiled a 1-1 record as host of the 2000 Big Ten Championship at the Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan defeated Wisconsin in the 8-9 seed matchup Thursday (April 27) as then freshman Jen Duprez (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach HS) clinched the 4-3 victory. In the quarterfinals, U-M was unable to utilize the home court advantage and dropped a 4-1 match to eventual runner-up Ohio State.
Nolan Eyes 20th Singles Win
Freshman Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) heads into her first Big Ten Championship looking to reach the 20-win plateau. Nolan has compiled an impressive 19-11 overall singles record as a freshman, and is one victory shy of a tie for 11th place on U-M's top freshman wins list. Nolan has registered nearly all of her wins in the regional, boasting an impressive 18-7 regional mark. She has tallied a 9-10 dual match record between the No. 1 and No. 2 spots in the lineup, and finished the Big Ten Conference dual match season with a 5-5 mark.
Michigan's Top Freshman Win Totals
| | Name | Record | Season |
| 1. | Danielle Lund | 29-9 | 1996-97 |
| 2. | Erryn Weggenman | 27-13 | 1996-97 |
| 3. | Brooke Hart | 26-12 | 1996-97 |
| 4. | Sora Moon | 25-11 | 1994-95 |
| 5. | Jaimie Fielding | 24-12 | 1991-92 |
| | Stacy Berg | 24-5 | 1987-88 |
| 7. | Kalei Beamon | 23-9 | 1989-90 |
| 8. | Mary MacTaggart | 22-4 | 1980-81 |
| | Marion Kremer | 22-8 | 1980-81 |
| | Wendy Stross | 22-9 | 1987-88 |
| 11. | Angie Popek | 20-18 | 1992-93 |
Tipirneni Surging
Freshman Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) enter her initial conference tournament playing solid tennis at this point of the year. Tipirneni has a 16-14 overall singles record and is 15-10 against regional foes. She posted a pair of singles victories last weekend, beating Indiana's Kelly Blanch (6-2, 7-5) and Purdue's Erika Quebe (5-7, 6-1, 6-3) at the top spot. Tipirneni has an 8-11 dual match record and completed the Big Ten season with a 5-5 dual match record.
Musgrove Eyes 35th Career Singles Victory
Sophomore Joanne Musgrove (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich HS) heads into the Big Ten Championship looking to pick up her 35th career singles victory. Musgrove has a 34-19 career singles record and is 24-15 in dual matches. She has tallied an impressive 15-6 overall singles record this season and leads the squad in dual match victories (12-6). Musgrove is 13-4 against regional opponents and finished the Big Ten dual match season with a team-best 6-4 conference mark.
Fuzesi Looks to Add W's to Career-High Win Total
Senior Szandra Fuzesi (Budapest, Hungary/Balassi Balint Gimnazium) heads into her final conference tournament looking to help the Wolverines advance. Fuzesi has compiled a career-best 17 wins (17-11) this season and is 14-8 against regional opponents. She was second on the team with 11 dual match victories (11-8) and compiled a 5-5 mark in Big Ten matches during the year. Fuzesi enters the Big Ten Championship with a 41-46 career singles record and 28-32 mark in dual matches.
Vaughn Eyes 30th Singles Win
Junior Jen Vaughn (Jefferson City, Mo./Lawrence HS) enters the Big Ten Championship looking to capture her 30th career singles victory. Vaughn has a career-best 16 wins this season (16-12) and needs one victory to collect her 30th career win (29-34 record). She has a 15-9 record against regional opponents this year and is 7-10 in dual matches (2-7 in Big Ten matches).
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
