Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Wins Two Singles Matches, Falls at Wisconsin
4/19/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
MADISON, Wis. -- The University of Michigan women's tennis team suffered its second straight conference loss and fourth straight setback to the University of Wisconsin, falling 5-2 to the Badgers Saturday (April 19) at the Nielsen Tennis Center. The Wolverines (12-7, 5-4) managed only a pair of singles victories against the alma mater of U-M head coach Bitsy Ritt, a 1983 UW graduate, after losing the doubles point to the Badgers (9-11, 4-5 Big Ten).
Wisconsin earned a closely contested doubles point with victories at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. Linde Mues and Linsday Martin clinched the doubles point with an 8-6 win against sophomores Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) and Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) at No. 1. Junior Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) and freshman Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) kept the Badgers from a doubles sweep with their fifth straight victory, defeating Shana McElroy and Lara Vojnov at No. 2.
Michigan won the bookend singles matches at the top spot and No. 6 but Wisconsin claimed the other four slots to earn the 5-2 victory. Martin put the Badgers up 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 4 over junior Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS), who made her return to the lineup for the first time since suffering an elbow injury in early March. The Wolverines trimmed the score to 2-1 as Streifler won a tight 7-5, 7-6(8) match against Teresa Gonzaga at No. 6. Wisconsin won the next three matches at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 5. DaCosta gained U-M's final point of the match and claimed her fifth consecutive conference victory with a come-from-behind 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 win over Mues at No. 1.
The Wolverines close out the regular season against Northwestern tomorrow (Sunday, April 20, 11 a.m. CDT) at the Combe Tennis Center. The Big Ten Championship begins next week, Thursday through Sunday (April 24-27), at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Ill.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Michelle DaCosta (U-M) d. Linde Mues, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 -- Shana McElroy (UW) d. Chrissie Nolan, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- Katie McGaffigan (UW) d. Leanne Rutherford, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
No. 4 -- Lindsay Martin (UW) d. Kavitha Tipirneni, 6-0, 6-0
No. 5 -- Lara Vojnov (UW) d. Kim Plaushines, 7-6, 7-6(6)
No. 6 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Teresa Gonzaga, 7-5, 7-6(8)
Doubles
No. 1 -- Mues/Martin (UW) d. DaCosta/Rutherford, 8-6
No. 2 -- Nolan/Streifler (U-M) d. McElroy/Vojnov, 8-6
No. 3 -- McGaffigan/Gonzaga (UW) d. Plaushines/Joanne Musgrove, 8-4
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
