Michigan
Ohio State
DaCosta Propels Michigan to Victory Over Ohio State
4/6/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- For the second straight day a freshman came through in the clutch for the University of Michigan women's tennis team. This time it was Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS), who claimed the Wolverines' 4-3 victory against No. 36-ranked Ohio State Saturday (April 6) with a third-set victory at No. 2 singles. DaCosta pulled through with a 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4 win over Erica Fisk after losing a tough second-set tiebreaker that would have ended the match.
For the second straight match winning the double point was critical to the Wolverines' success as they split the six singles matches with the Buckeyes. The Wolverines opened the match by securing the doubles point as sophomores Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) and Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) won 8-6 over Michelle Matko and Lindsay Williams at No. 3 after both teams tallied victories at the two other spots. Ohio State gained an 8-4 win from Monica Rincon and Meaghan Colville at No. 1 and Michigan registered its 8-4 victory as junior Jen Duprez (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach HS) and sophomore Kim Plaushines (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) won at No. 2.
Ohio State gained the first victory in singles as Matko posted a 6-2, 6-2 win against Friday's U-M heroine, freshman Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School), at No. 4. Michigan struck back as Nolan won 6-3, 6-2 over Sadhaf Pervez at No. 3. The seesaw battle continued as Williams won the first three-set match of the day for the Buckeyes, tallying a 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(1) victory over Duprez at No. 5. The Wolverines grabbed the lead 3-2 as Plaushines rallied from a set down to dominate the third set against Colville, winning a 4-6, 6-4, 6-1 match at No. 6. Moments later, Ohio State brought the score to three apiece as Rincon posted a 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 win against Tipirneni at the top spot. All of the back-and-forth scoring set up the second straight dramatic conclusion for the Wolverines as DaCosta registered the clinching victory.
Michigan (9-8, 2-4 Big Ten) will look to complete the three-match weekend without a blemish when it hosts Penn State tomorrow (Sunday, April 7, 11 a.m.) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Monica Rincon (OSU) d. Kavitha Tipirneni, 6-4, 4-6, 6-4
No. 2 -- Michelle DaCosta (U-M) d. Erica Fisk, 7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4
No. 3 -- Chrissie Nolan (U-M) d. Sadhaf Pervez, 6-3, 6-2
No. 4 -- Michelle Matko (OSU) d. Leanne Rutherford, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 -- Lindsay Williams (OSU) d. Jen Duprez, 2-6, 6-3, 7-6(1)
No. 6 -- Kim Plaushines (U-M) d. Meaghan Colville, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- Rincon/Colville (OSU) d. DaCosta/Rutherford, 8-4
No. 2 -- Duprez/Plaushines (U-M) d. Fisk/Pervez, 8-4
No. 3 -- Nolan/Tipirneni (U-M) d. Matko/Williams, 8-6
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
