Weekly Release #11
4/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sunday, April 14 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 11 a.m. CDT
Saturday, April 20 -- vs. Purdue (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
Sunday, April 21 -- Indiana (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
Thu-Sat., April 25-28 -- at Big Ten Championship (Bloomington, Ind.)
Michigan Travels to Iowa
On the heels of three straight conference wins, the University of Michigan women's tennis team (10-8, 3-4 Big Ten) travels to Iowa City, Iowa, to face Iowa in its only match of the week. The Wolverines will hit the Klotz Tennis Center courts against the Hawkeyes Sunday (April 14, 11 a.m. CDT) before closing the regular season with two home matches at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Michigan vs. Iowa
The Wolverines and Hawkeyes will hit the hardcourt for the 27th time on Sunday (April 14), with the Wolverines holding a 19-7 advantage in the all-time series. Michigan has won six of the last nine matches between the two schools but has suffered 5-2 losses the past two seasons. The Wolverines have a 14-8 record against Iowa under the direction of head coach Bitsy Ritt and are 3-2 in matches contested at the Big Ten Championships.
Undefeated Week Moves Netters to 10-Win Season
Michigan had its most successful week of the season last week (April 5-7) at home, knocking off No. 26 Miami (Fla.) and No. 36 Ohio State by 4-3 scores and completing the run with a 5-2 victory against Penn State. Michigan won the doubles point and split the singles matches in both 4-3 victories. Freshmen Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) and Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) clinched the victories against the Hurricanes and Buckeyes, respectively, each tallying a three-set singles victory as the final match on the court.
DaCosta Dominating Opposition
Michelle DaCosta has settled into the No. 2 slot in the singles lineup and begun producing key victories during the Wolverines' recent stretch of wins. DaCosta enters the Iowa match needing one victory for 15 this season. She has a 14-12 overall singles mark, including a 10-8 dual match record and 4-3 mark against Big Ten opposition. DaCosta had a stellar showing last week, defeating 109th-ranked Marcy Hora of Miami (6-4, 6-1), No. 53-ranked Erica Fisk of Ohio State [7-5, 6-7(6), 6-4] and Penn State's Megan Marton (6-4, 6-4). The win against Fisk clinched the team's 4-3 upset of the Buckeyes and marked the highest-ranked opponent that DaCosta has beaten in her short career.
Rutherford Comes Through in the Clutch
Leanne Rutherford heads into the Iowa match tied for the team lead in singles victories, tallying 15 during her first season (15-12 record). Rutherford has been a solid contributor in dual match competition with a 9-9 mark. She clinched the Wolverines' biggest upset of the year with a come-from-behind 3-6, 7-5, 7-6(7) victory against Miami's Sihem Bennacer at the No. 4 slot. In doubles action, Rutherford and Michelle DaCosta have teamed at the top spot for the Wolverines and compiled a 16-12 overall record. They have registered a 9-9 dual match mark at No. 1 and are 4-3 in conference action.
Tipirneni and Nolan Rolling in Doubles
Sophomores Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) and Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) have teamed together in doubles for the second straight season and become a force for the Wolverines. Tipirneni and Nolan have a 13-4 overall record this season, including a team-best 12-3 mark at the No. 3 doubles slot. They boast a 6-1 conference record and are 8-2 against regional opposition. Tipirneni and Nolan won all three matches last week and have collected victories in seven of their last eight matches and 10 of their last 12 contests. The duo has compiled a 23-7 overall record and is 22-6 in dual matches.
Nolan Snares 35th Victory
With her come-from-behind 2-6, 6-0, 6-1 win Sunday (April 7) against Penn State's Maaria Husain at No. 3 singles, Chrissie Nolan reached two milestones. She collected her 35th career singles victory (35-20 career record) and grabbed a share of the team lead with her 15th win of the season (15-9 record). Nolan has wins in six of her last eight matches this season, improving her dual match record to 9-7 overall. In addition to her victory against Husain, Nolan picked up a big 6-3, 6-2 win against 117th-ranked Sadhaf Pervez in U-M's upset of Ohio State Saturday (April 6). Nolan needs five singles victories to reach the 20-win plateau for the second straight season and to equal her career high from last season (20-11 record in 2000-01).
Duprez Tied for Lead in Wins; Collects 40th Victory
Junior Jen Duprez (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach HS) is in the midst of a career-best season for the Wolverines, tying for the team lead in singles victories with Chrissie Nolan and Leanne Rutherford. Duprez has equaled her career high with 15 singles wins (15-8) this season and is tied for the team lead with 10 dual match wins (10-5). Duprez was forced to three sets in every match last week, gaining victories against Miami's Ewelina Skaza (5-7, 6-2, 6-2) and Penn State's Judy Wang [3-6, 6-1, 7-6(3)] and losing in a tiebreaker to Ohio State's Lindsay Williams [2-6, 6-3, 7-6(1)]. Duprez has registered victories in five of her last six matches.
Duprez and Plaushines Exceling at No. 2 Doubles
In addition to her singles success, Jen Duprez has teamed with sophomore Kim Plaushines (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) to play top-notch doubles at the No. 2 spot in the lineup. The tandem has an 8-4 dual match record and is 4-2 in Big Ten action this season. Duprez and Plaushines had their team season-best seven-match winning streak snapped by Judy Wang and Megan Marton on Sunday (April 7), losing a close 8-6 match to the Penn State pair. Duprez and Plaushines have compiled an 11-6 overall record. Duprez has a career-best 13-10 overall doubles mark while Plaushines is second on the team with a career-high 16 overall doubles wins (16-9 record).
Next Week
The Wolverines return to Ann Arbor for home matches to finish the regular season. U-M hosts Purdue Saturday (April 20, 11 a.m.) and Indiana Sunday (April 21, 11 a.m.) at the Varsity Tennis Center before traveling to Bloomington, Ind., for 2002 Big Ten Championship held April 25-28.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
