Weekly Release #15
5/8/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
at Mobile, Ala. -- Times are Central Daylight Time
Saturday, May 12
Michigan (12-9) vs. Kentucky (14-14), 9 a.m.
#9 South Alabama (25-2) vs. Army (17-6), 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 13
Michigan/Kentucky winner vs. USA/Army winner, 1 p.m.
Michigan Earns NCAA Championship Berth
The University of Michigan men's tennis team was selected to compete in the 64-team field of the 2001 NCAA Championships beginning Saturday, May 12, at regional sites across the country. The Wolverines (12-9, 6-4 Big Ten) will make their fourth straight NCAA tournament berth and seventh appearance in the last eight years.
Michigan will travel to Mobile, Ala., to compete in a four-team regional hosted by South Alabama on Saturday and Sunday, May 12-13. The Wolverines faces Kentucky (14-14) in the first round Saturday, and with a victory would face the winner of No. 9-seeded South Alabama (25-2) and Army (17-6). The remaining 16 squads from the regional competition advance to the team championship finals May 19-22 at the University of Georgia.
Michigan vs. Kentucky
This will be the seventh meeting between two programs. Michigan holds a 4-2 advantage in the all-time series with Kentucky, but the Wildcats won the last two meetings (5-1 and 6-1 during the 1988-89 season). The Wolverines won the first four matches with the Wildcats, including a pair during the 1987-88 season and matches in 1977-78 and 1978-79. This will be the first postseason matchup between the two schools.
Series History: Michigan vs. Kentucky
| Season | W/L | | Result | Site |
| 1977-78 | W | 6-3 | ||
| 1978-79 | W | 9-0 | ||
| 1987-88 | W | 5-1 | 1 | |
| 1987-88 | W | 5-2 | 2 | |
| 1988-89 | L | 1-5 | A# | |
| 1988-89 | L | 1-6 | 3 |
1 -- Canton, Ohio
2 -- Morgantown, W.Va.
3 -- Blue-Gray Classic (Montgomery, Ala.)
# -- National Indoor Championship
Wolverines vs. Regional Foes
Beside Kentucky, the Wolverines could face Army and ninth-seeded South Alabama in second-round regional action. Michigan has never played a tennis match against Army and is 0-3 in three matchups with South Alabama. All three matches with the Jaguars came during the 1990s, including a pair of setbacks during the 1995-96 season (lost 5-2 at the O'Charley's Invitational and 5-1 at Corpus Christi Team Tournament). The first match between South Alabama and Michigan came during the 1991-92 season, a 7-2 loss by the Wolverines in Ann Arbor.
Last Year at the NCAA Championship
Michigan entered the championship ranked No. 22 nationally. The Wolverines headed to Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, where they claimed a 4-1 victory in the first round against Georgia State. U-M suffered a 4-0 loss to 11th-ranked TCU in the second round, ending its hopes of advancing to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Championship in Athens, Ga.
Mees Nears 30th Coaching Win
Michigan head coach Mark Mees leads the Wolverines into postseason tournament action at the NCAA Championship for the second straight year, and is two victories shy of 30 for his career. Mees has compiled a 28-16 career coaching record during his two years as a collegiate coach and is 1-1 in NCAA Championship action. He has compiled a 12-8 record against Big Ten Conference opposition.
U-M Wins Six of Last Eight Matches
The Wolverines enter the NCAA Championship having won six of their last matches on the year. Michigan's only setbacks during the stretch came 5-2 against Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa, and 4-0 against Minnesota at the Big Ten Championship in Madison, Wis.
Michigan Ranked 43rd in the Polls
The men's tennis squad heads into NCAA Championship action listed 43rd in the most recent WingspanBank.com Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The Wolverines have been listed among the top 55 teams the entire season, and peaked at a season-high No. 29 ranking during the first two polls of the year (Dec. 12 and Jan. 31).
Michigan in the ITA Rankings
| Date | Rank |
| Dec. 12 | 29th |
| Jan. 31 | 29th |
| Feb. 7 | 1st |
| Feb. 14 | 30th |
| Feb. 21 | 35th |
| Feb. 28 | 35th |
| March 7 | 33rd |
| March 14 | 34th |
| March 21 | 55th |
| March 28 | 53rd |
| April 4 | 50th |
| April 11 | 42nd |
| April 18 | 49th |
| April 25 | 44th |
| May 2 | 43rd |
Beam Named to All-Big Ten Squad
Junior co-captain Henry Beam (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix HS) heads into the NCAA Championship after being named to the All-Big Ten Conference squad for the first time in his career. Beam heads into the tournament ranked 73rd nationally in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and looks to earn his 20th singles win of the season. He has compiled a 19-14 overall singles record and put himself in position to reach the 20-win plateau for the third consecutive season. Beam completed the Big Ten Conference dual match season with a 4-6 record and heads into the national tournament with an 8-10 mark at the top singles spot. He has compiled a 63-39 career singles record and is 36-24 in dual match competition.
Beam in the ITA Singles Rankings
| Date | Rank |
| Dec. 12 | 39th |
| Feb. 16 | 82nd |
| Feb. 26 | 78th |
| March 9 | 63rd |
| March 23 | 69th |
| April 6 | 82nd |
| April 18 | --- |
| April 25 | 75th |
| May 2 | 73rd |
Novak Leads Team in Wins
Junior co-captain Greg Novak (Stoney Creek, Ontario/Cardinal Newman HS) enters the NCAA Championship leading the Wolverines in singles victories this season. Novak has a 22-18 record this season and is 16-13 against regional opponents. He has a 4-1 record since moving to the No. 5 singles spot after posting a 6-6 mark at No. 4. Novak has an 11-10 dual match record and finished the Big Ten Conference season with a 6-4 mark. In doubles action, he has compiled a 10-13 overall record and is 6-10 in dual match competition (6-7 at No. 2 and 0-3 at No. 3).
Cox Looks to Even Singles Record
Junior Ben Cox (Spring Lake, Mich./Spring Lake HS) heads into the NCAA Championship looking to even his season singles record. Cox has claimed victories in five of his last eight singles matches and has a 15-16 overall singles record this season. He enters the national tournament with a 10-9 dual match record after completing the Big Ten Conference season with a 6-4 mark. Cox has compiled a 61-34 career singles record and is an impressive 44-18 in dual matches (21-9 Big Ten record).
Action Jackson
Freshman Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) enters his first NCAA Championship after playing excellent tennis for the Wolverines during the regular season. Jackson has compiled a 21-12 overall singles record and is 13-9 against regional opponents. He leads the team with a 13-7 dual match mark and completed the conference dual match season with a 6-4 record. Jackson has registered a 13-13 overall doubles record during his freshman campaign, including an 11-12 mark with Ben Cox (7-9 in dual matches at No. 3).
McCain Looks for Postseason Success
Junior Dan McCain (Largo, Fla./Canterbury School) heads into the NCAA Championship looking to continue his postseason success at the national tournament. McCain has compiled a 2-1 singles record in NCAA tournament action, beating Georgia State's Frank Huot (6-4, 6-3) last year and Vanderbilt's Stuart Rhodes (4-6, 6-4, 6-2) during the 1999 championship, while losing 6-2, 6-4 against TCU's Antonio Gordon during the second round last year. McCain has claimed victories in six of his last eight matches this season and enters the NCAA's with a 15-18 overall singles record. He compiled the Big Ten Conference dual match season with a 6-4 record and was 11-13 against regional foes. McCain has a 51-47 career singles record and is 36-28 in dual matches.
Shaya Producing at No. 6
Sophomore Chris Shaya (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Saddlebrook Academy, Fla.) heads into the NCAA Championship as a major contributor in both singles and doubles for the Wolverines. Shaya has teamed with classmate Chris Rolf (Midland, Mich./Midland HS) at the top doubles spot, where they've produced a 4-5 overall record and 3-5 dual match mark. Shaya is tied for the team lead in doubles victories with 13 (13-15 record) and has spent nearly the entire dual match season at the No. 1 spot. In singles action, Shaya has a 10-15 overall singles mark and is 5-10 in dual match action at No. 6. He ended a career-long 10-match losing streak at the end of the regular season, beating Indiana's Ari Widlansky in three sets (6-2, 2-6, 6-4), and disposed of Purdue's Laith Al-Agba in impressive fashion (6-2, 6-2).
Michigan Sets Home Record
With an 11-2 dual match record at the Varsity Tennis Center this year, the men's tennis squad set a new facility record for home victories in a season. The Wolverines closed the 2000-01 dual season with six consecutive home victories after opening the year with five straight wins at the Varsity Tennis Center. The only two setbacks of the season came during the same week as the Wolverines suffered a 5-2 loss to No. 29 Indiana State and a 4-3 defeat against No. 32 Minnesota. The previous school record of nine Varsity Tennis Center victories during a season was set during the 1998-99 season (9-2 mark).
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
