Weekly Release #10
3/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Friday, March 28 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 6:30 p.m. CST
Sunday, March 30 -- at Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa), 11 a.m. CST
Wednesday, April 2 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 6 p.m.
Saturday, April 5 -- vs. Indiana (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
U-M Hits the Road This Weekend
The University of Michigan men's tennis team (5-7, 0-2 Big Ten) looks to get back on a winning track when it hits the road this weekend for a pair of Big Ten Conference matches. The Wolverines face No. 12 Minnesota on Friday (March 28, 6:30 p.m. CST) at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Minn., and conclude the weekend trip against Iowa on Sunday (March 30, 11 a.m. CST) at the UI's Recreation Building in Iowa City, Iowa.
Scouting the Opponents
Minnesota -- The No. 12-ranked Golden Gophers enter the match with an 11-3 record in dual match play, including a 2-1 mark in the conference. Minnesota returns six letterwinners from last year's squad, a team that finished with a 17-8 record and reached the second round of the NCAA Championship. This year's team is led by senior Thomas Haug and junior Aleksey Zharinov. Haug, an All-Big Ten performer last season, is currently ranked No. 63 in singles and has an overall record of 16-11 in 2002-03. Zharinov, ranked No. 56, holds a singles record of 23-8 this season. Head coach David Geatz is in his 15th season at the helm of Minnesota's program and entered the season with a record of 259-123 at the school. He has coached the Gophers to nine straight NCAA Championship appearances and has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times. Michigan last met Minnesota in the second round of the 2002 Big Ten Championship, when the Golden Gophers scored a 4-0 win in Columbus, Ohio. The Wolverines lead the all-time series 47-23.
Minnesota of the Internet: www.gophersports.com
Iowa -- The Hawkeyes begin the week with a 4-6 record in dual match action and a 0-3 mark in the Big Ten. Iowa returns eight players from a 2001-02 team that finished with a 12-10 record. This year's squad is led by senior Stuart Waters, who earned All-Big Ten honors in 2002 and has a 7-2 dual match record at No. 1 this season. Steve Houghton is in his 22nd year as the head coach of the Iowa men's team and entered the season with a career record of 251-232. The Wolverines defeated Iowa 5-2 last season at the Varsity Tennis Center and improved their all-time series advantage over the Hawkeyes to 39-5.
Iowa on the Internet: www.hawkeyesports.com
Wolverines Fall to Penn State at Home
The Wolverines are still looking to pick up their first conference win of the season after dropping a 5-2 decision to Penn State last Sunday (March 23) at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Nittany Lions earned a tough doubles point before posting wins in four of six matches in singles to send U-M to its third straight defeat. The loss drops Michigan's all-time series advantage to 14-2.
Men's Netters Drop Six Spots in National Rankings
The Wolverines enter the week ranked No. 64 in the most recent ITA national rankings released on Wednesday, March 19, after losing 7-0 to Ohio State (March 15). It marks Michigan's lowest ranking of the season.
| Date | Rank |
| Jan. 13 | 48 |
| Jan. 28 | 53 |
| Feb. 5 | 50 |
| Feb. 12 | 57 |
| Feb. 19 | 57 |
| Feb. 26 | 57 |
| March 5 | 57 |
| March 12 | 58 |
| March 19 | 64 |
Rubin Breaks Into Top 100 in Singles
Sophomore Michael Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS) is listed No. 94 in singles in the most recent ITA national rankings (March 12). Rubin, Michigan's No. 1 singles player, holds a team-best 20-7 overall singles mark, including a 9-3 record in the dual match season. Rubin earned his 20th career victory at Michigan against Penn State (March 23), outlasting Nate Emge 5-7, 6-3, 1-0(5).
Anving Earns 20th Career Singles Victory
With his 6-2, 1-6, 6-1 win over Penn State's Roddy Cantey last weekend (March 23), sophomore David Anving (Tvaaker, Sweden/Varbergs Gymnasieskola) reached the 20-win plateau for his career at Michigan. Anving, who has collected a team-best 9-3 dual match record this season, now has a career singles record of 20-16 in his two years at U-M.
Next Week
The Wolverines return to action next Wednesday (April 2), facing rival Michigan State at 6 p.m. in East Lansing, Mich. U-M closes the week at the Varsity Tennis Center on Saturday (April 5), hosting Indiana at noon.
Contact: Marc Ressler, Dave Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
