Weekly Release #12
4/9/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Saturday, April 12 -- at Purdue (West Lafayette, Ind.), Noon EST/CDT
Sunday, April 13 -- at Illinois (Champaign, Ill.), Noon CDT
Saturday, April 19 -- vs. Northwestern (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
Sunday, April 20 -- vs. Wisconsin (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
Wolverines Complete Road Schedule This Weekend
The University of Michigan men's tennis team (7-10, 1-5 Big Ten) will hit the road for two Big Ten Conference matches before closing out the regular season at the Varsity Tennis Center next weekend. U-M will face Purdue this Saturday (April 12, noon EST/CDT) at the Lafayette Sports Center in Lafayette, Ind., and conclude the weekend against top-ranked Illinois on Sunday (April 13, noon CDT) at the Atkins Tennis Center in Champaign, Ill.
Scouting The Opponents
Purdue -- The No. 50-ranked Boilermakers enter the match with Michigan with a 10-6 record in dual match play and a 4-2 mark in the conference. Purdue returns seven letterwinners from last year's team, which finished the 2002 season 13-12 overall and 6-4 in the Big Ten. This year's squad is led by seniors Scott Mayer, Carl McCafferty and Andrew Wakefield, who combined for 175 singles in their first three seasons. Tim Madden is in his ninth season as head coach of the Boilermakers and has posted a career record of 122-89 at Purdue. The Wolverines fell to Purdue 5-2 in the two schools' only meeting last season. Michigan leads the all-time series 58-9.
Purdue on the Internet: www.purduesports.com
Illinois -- The No. 1-ranked Fighting Illini have posted a perfect 18-0 record in dual match play, including a 6-0 mark in the Big Ten. Illinois has six letterwinners returning from last year's squad, which finished with a 26-5 overall record and a conference championship after going unbeaten in the Big Ten. This year's roster features five players ranked in the top 75 of the ITA rankings, highlighted by the sophomore class of Amer Delic, Phil Stolt and Brian Wilson, who are ranked No. 4, No. 6 and No. 7, respectively. Head coach Craig Tiley led his team to a No. 3 final ranking last season after reaching the Elite Eight at the NCAA Championship. Tiley is in his 10th season at the helm of the Illinois men's team and has posted a career record of 203-71 at the school. Last season, the Fighting Illini swept the doubles matches and took five of six in singles en route to a 6-1 victory at the Varsity Tennis Center. U-M has dropped six straight matches to Illinois but still leads the all-time series 60-21. The Fighting Illini will welcome Michigan State to the Atkins center on Saturday (April 19) before the meeting with Michigan.
Illinois on the Internet: www.fightingillini.com
Men's Netters Sweep Indiana Schools
Michigan defeated Indiana State on Tuesday (April 8) at the Varsity Tennis Center for its second consecutive victory. ISU took all three doubles matches and led 3-1 midway through singles play, but U-M won the three remaining matches to edge the Sycamores by one point.
Michigan broke a six-match losing streak and picked up its first Big Ten victory with a 4-3 upset over No. 28-ranked Indiana last Saturday (April 5). The Wolverines lost the double point but rebounded to win the No. 2 through No. 5 singles matches to steal the win. The win marked U-M first against a top-30 ranked opponent since defeating then No. 4-ranked Notre Dame last season.
Michigan Falls to Spartans in East Lansing
Michigan State handed U-M its sixth straight loss last Wednesday (April 2), winning a 5-2 decision at the Indoor Tennis Facility in East Lansing, Mich. The Wolverines managed only two victories in singles action after surrendering the doubles point to the Spartans to begin the match. It was Michigan's first loss to MSU since the 1991-92 season, when MSU defeated the Wolverines 5-0 in the Big Ten Conference Championship. U-M now holds an all-time series advantage of 84-18 over Michigan State.
Wolverines Drop to 68th in National Rankings
The Wolverines enter the week ranked No. 68 in the most recent ITA National Rankings released on Wednesday, April 2. Michigan dropped seven spots from the previous week after dropping matches to Minnesota and Iowa on the road. It marks U-M's lowest ranking of the season.
Mees Earns 50th Career Win at Michigan
With the 4-3 triumph over Indiana State on Tuesday (April 8), head coach Mark Mees reached his 50th career victory at U-M. Through four seasons, Mees has compiled a 50-36 overall record, including an 18-18 record in the Big Ten.
Jackson and Gossain Aim for 10th Doubles Win of 2002-03
Junior Anthony Jackson (Glendale, Wis./Nicolet HS) and sophomore Vinny Gossain (Okemos, Mich./Okemos HS) need one doubles victory each to reach the 10-win plateau for the season. Jackson has an overall season mark of 9-15, including a 7-10 dual match record, while Gossain holds a season record of 9-16 with a 6-11 mark in dual match play.
Shaya Seeks 30th Career Doubles Win
Senior Chris Shaya (Bloomfield Hills, Mich./Saddlebrook Academy, Fla.) needs two more doubles victories to reach 30 for his career at Michigan. Shaya has compiled a 4-16 mark in the 2002-03 season and is now 28-56 overall is his doubles career.
Shaya Nears 25th Career Singles Win
With an 8-16 overall singles record in 2002-03, Chris Shaya is one singles win shy of 25 for his career at U-M. Through four seasons, Shaya has compiled a 24-40 career singles mark.
Rolf Aims for 20th Career Doubles Victory
Senior Chris Rolf (Midland, Mich./Midland HS) is two doubles wins shy of 20 for his career as a Wolverine. Rolf has posted an 8-13 doubles mark in the 2002-03 season and has a career record of 18-33.
Pair of Sophomores Leading in Dual Match Singles
Sophomores David Anving (Tvaaker, Sweden/Varbergs Gymnasieskola) and Michael Rubin (Canton, Ohio/Canton Central Catholic HS) are tied for the lead in dual match singles victories this season. Rubin has a 12-5 record (11-5 at No. 1, 0-1 at No. 2) and a 3-3 Big Ten mark, while Anving has identical marks of 12-5 overall (4-3 at No. 3, 8-2 at No. 4) and 3-3 in the conference. Anving's most recent win came against Indiana State (April 8), when he overtook David O'Connell 6-4, 7-5 at No. 4 to cap U-M's 4-3 comeback win against the Sycamores.
Rubin Nears 25th Singles Win of Season
After a 6-3, 6-3 win over Indiana State's Vedran Vidovic on Tuesday (April 8), Michael Rubin is two singles wins away from reaching 25 wins for the season. Rubin holds a team-best 23-9 (.719) overall singles record this season, including a 12-5 dual match record and an 18-6 mark against regional opponents.
Next Week
The Wolverines will close out the regular season next weekend at the Varsity Tennis Center, facing Northwestern on Saturday (April 19, noon) and Wisconsin on Sunday (April 20, noon). Michigan will honor its two seniors, Chris Rolf and Chris Shaya, prior to the match with the Badgers.
Contact: Marc Ressler, David Ablauf (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
