Weekly Release #13
4/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Thu-Sun., April 24-27 -- at Big Ten Championship (Champaign, Ill.)
April 24 -- vs. No. 10 seed Indiana, 1 p.m. CDT
April 25 -- vs. No. 2 Northwestern, 1 p.m. CDT
April 26 -- Semifinals, 2 p.m. CDT
April 27 -- Championship Match, Noon CDT
Big Ten Championship Week
The University of Michigan women's tennis team (12-8, 5-5 Big Ten) prepares for the 22nd annual Big Ten Championship hosted by the University of Illinois at the Atkins Tennis Center and Illinois Grove Courts this week in Champaign, Ill. The four-day team tournament begins on Thursday (April 24) and concludes with the championship match Sunday (April 27, noon CDT).
Wolverines Enter Tournament as No. 7 Seed
The women's netters enter the 22nd annual Big Ten Championship as the No. 7 seed after tying for sixth place with Wisconsin and Iowa. Michigan will face No. 10 seed Indiana in the first round on Thursday afternoon (April 24, 1 p.m. CDT). With a victory, the Wolverines would battle No. 2 seed Northwestern on Friday afternoon (April 25, 1 p.m. CDT). The semifinals take place Saturday (April 26, 2 p.m CDT) with the championship match being played Sunday (April 27, noon CDT).
Final Big Ten Conference Regular Season Standings
Big Ten Overall Teams W L Pct. W L Pct. Minnesota 9 1 .900 16 5 .762 Illinois 8 2 .800 15 6 .714 Northwestern 8 2 .800 16 8 .667 Ohio State 6 4 .600 12 10 .545 Purdue 6 4 .600 12 10 .545 MICHIGAN 5 5 .500 12 8 .600 Wisconsin 5 5 .500 10 11 .476 Iowa 5 5 .500 9 13 .409 Penn State 2 8 .200 7 13 .350 Indiana 1 9 .100 9 16 .360 Michigan State 0 10 .000 8 14 .364
U-M vs. Indiana
The Wolverines and Hoosiers will meet for 30th time overall and for the fifth time in Big Ten Championship action Thursday (April 24). Michigan claimed its second all-time victory in Bloomington on April 6, winning a 5-2 match behind victories in five of the six singles contests after dropping the doubles point. Indiana holds a 21-8 advantage in the all-time series, but Michigan has claimed wins in six of the last 10 matches between the two schools. The Wolverines have won two straight matches against the Hoosiers to improve to 7-16 all-time against Indiana under head coach Bitsy Ritt.
Wolverines vs. Northwestern
With a first-round victory against Indiana, Michigan would secure a quarterfinal matchup with No. 2 seed and 23rd-ranked Northwestern (16-8, 8-2 Big Ten). The Wildcats defeated the Wolverines 6-1 at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center in Evanston, Ill., winning all six singles matches after surrendering the doubles point on the final day of the regular season (April 20). This would be the 37th meeting all-time between the Wildcats and Wolverines. In a series that Northwestern leads 29-7, Michigan will be looking to snap a six-match losing streak. The Wolverines are 3-21 against the Wildcats under head coach Bitsy Ritt, with one win coming during the 1993-94 season and the other two coming during the 1997 Big Ten title season (4-3 during regular season and 4-2 in the Big Ten Championship semifinal match).
Michigan at the Big Ten Championship
The Wolverines have claimed one Big Ten Conference title in the 21 years that the championship has been held, winning the 1997 crown by beating Indiana 4-1 in the championship match. U-M has reached the final match on three occasions, losing to Indiana in 1994 and 1998 and defeating the Hoosiers for the 1997 championship. Michigan has compiled a 23-25 record since the 1985-86 season, the year the conference tournament began being played in a team format.
2002 Big Ten Championship Recap
Michigan nearly reached the conference championship match after finishing the regular season with a 5-5 Big Ten mark. The sixth-seeded Wolverines beat No. 11 seed Minnesota in the first round by a 4-1 score and followed with a dominating 4-0 win against No. 3 seed Ohio State. U-M won the doubles point against No. 2 seed Wisconsin in the semifinals but was unable to pull through with the victory, losing a 4-3 match in which the Badgers won three three-set contests.
Michigan in the National Rankings
The women's tennis squad enters the Big Ten Championship listed No. 40 in the most recent Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (April 16). The Wolverines climbed eights spots in the rankings after falling to a season-low No. 48 the previous week (April 9). U-M reached a season-high No. 28 on two occasions (Feb. 12 and March 19) and has hovered in the 30s most of the year.
| Date | Rank |
| Jan. 13 | 37th |
| Jan. 29 | 37th |
| Feb. 5 | 30th |
| Feb. 12 | 28th |
| Feb. 19 | 34th |
| Feb. 26 | 34th |
| March 5 | 33rd |
| March 12 | 33rd |
| March 19 | 28th |
| March 26 | 33rd |
| April 2 | 38th |
| April 9 | 48th |
| April 16 | 40th |
Streifler Seeks 20th Singles Win
Freshman Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) enters her first Big Ten Championship one singles victory shy of 20 this season. Streifler would become the 13th freshman in Michigan history to reach the 20-win plateau during her inaugural campaign, and the first player to achieve the feat since Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) hit the milestone during the 2000-01 season. Streifler is second on the team in overall singles victories (19-6) while leading the squad with a .760 overall winning percentage and tying for top honors with 14 regional wins (14-2). She has compiled a 9-3 dual match mark at the No. 5 and No. 6 slots and boasts an impressive 6-1 record in Big Ten play.
Michigan's Top Freshman Win Totals
| | Name | Record | Season |
| 1. | Danielle Lund | 29-9 | 1996-97 |
| 2. | Erryn Weggenman | 27-13 | 1996-97 |
| 3. | Brooke Hart | 26-12 | 1996-97 |
| 4. | Sora Moon | 25-11 | 1994-95 |
| 5. | Jaimie Fielding | 24-12 | 1991-92 |
| | Stacy Berg | 24-5 | 1987-88 |
| 7. | Kalei Beamon | 23-9 | 1989-90 |
| 8. | Mary MacTaggart | 22-4 | 1980-81 |
| | Marion Kremer | 22-8 | 1980-81 |
| | Wendy Stross | 22-9 | 1987-88 |
| 11. | Chrissie Nolan | 20-11 | 2000-01 |
| | Angie Popek | 20-18 | 1992-93 |
Streifler and Nolan Keeping Rolling Along
In addition to her singles success, Debra Streifler has teamed with Chrissie Nolan to produce a lethal doubles pairing for the Wolverines. The duo started playing together at No. 3 and recently moved to the No. 2 slot in the lineup. Streifler and Nolan have a 12-2 overall record and are 11-2 in dual match competition (3-0 at No. 2 and 8-2 at No. 3). They completed the Big Ten dual match season with an 8-1 conference mark. Streifler has compiled a 16-4 overall doubles record and leads the squad with an .800 winning percentage.
Nolan Nears 25 Doubles Wins
The team's leader in overall doubles victories, junior Chrissie Nolan has matched her career best with 23 overall doubles wins (23-10) during the 2002-03 season. Nolan equaled her victory total from last season (23-7) and boasts an impressive 64-29 doubles record during her career. She has tied or led the team in overall doubles victories all three seasons.
Rutherford Paces Singles Effort
Sophomore Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) continues to pace the Wolverines with career-best numbers in every singles category. She leads the team in overall singles wins (21-9) and dual match wins (15-5) while tying for the lead in dual match winning percentage (.750) and Big Ten dual match victories (7-3). Rutherford lists second in overall winning percentage (.700) and third in regional wins (13-5). She has a 10-3 record in three-set matches this season. Rutherford needs one singles victory for the 40th in her career (39-24) and has compiled a 27-17 dual match mark.
DaCosta Rides Momentum into Big Tens
Sophomore Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) has played the best tennis of any Wolverine heading into the conference tournament. She has claimed victories in five of her last six singles matches and eight of her last nine contests heading into Big Tens. DaCosta has a career-best 17 singles victories (17-14) and has an 11-9 dual match mark at No. 1. She completed the Big Ten regular season tied for the team high with seven conference wins (7-3). DaCosta has a 35-29 singles record in her career.
DaCosta and Rutherford Tops in Doubles
The top doubles pairing of Michelle DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford enters the Big Ten Championship playing solid tennis at the top doubles spot. The duo has claimed victories in seven of their last 10 matches and completed the Big Ten season with a 6-4 mark. DaCosta and Rutherford have a 17-14 overall doubles record and a 10-10 dual match mark at No. 1 this season. They have played together exclusively during their first two years, posting a 36-29 overall mark and 22-22 dual match record at the top spot.
Plaushines Nears 20th Singles Win
Junior Kim Plaushines (Oconomowoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) eyes her 20th singles victory of the season when Michigan begins action at the Big Ten Championship. She is two wins shy of her first career 20-win singles season, having compiled an 18-14 overall singles record, including a 12-6 dual match mark and 5-5 record in Big Ten dual matches. She is tied for the team lead with 14 victories against regional opponents.
Tipirneni Returns to Lineup
Junior Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) returned to the singles lineup during the final weekend of the regular season, playing matches at the No. 4 slot. Tipirneni missed 10 matches (almost two months) due to an elbow injury suffered during practice. She has a 9-14 overall singles record and a 3-7 dual match mark this season. Tipirneni had been the team's No. 2 singles player prior to the injury and played No. 3 doubles with Chrissie Nolan.
Next Week
Following the conclusion of the Big Ten Championship, the women's tennis team will await the selection process for the 2003 NCAA Championship. The 2003 Women's Tennis Selection Show will air Wednesday (April 30, 4:30 p.m. EDT) on ESPNews.
Contact: David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
