Michigan
Long Beach State
U-M Rolls in Paradise, Topples Long Beach and Hawaii
2/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site: Honolulu, Hawaii (Central Oahu Tennis Complex)
Scores: #19 Michigan 6, Long Beach State 1; #19 Michigan 7, Hawaii 0
Records: U-M (7-0), Hawaii (5-4)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Mar. 14 -- at Alabama (Tuscaloosa, Ala.), noon
HONOLULU, Hawaii -- After two days of weather delays, the University of Michigan women's tennis team finally took to the court Saturday (Feb. 28) and earned a pair of convincing victories at the Central Oahu Tennis Complex. The 19th-ranked Wolverines rolled to a 6-1 win over Long Beach State in their morning match and followed with a 7-0 shutout of Hawaii in the afternoon. It was Michigan's first meeting ever against each school.
Michigan improved its season record 7-0, its best start to a season since winning its first eight matches in 1989-90. The Wolverines won 11 of the 12 singles matches in straight sets and swept the six doubles contests.
Playing in the No. 4 singles position, senior Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) picked up her 70th career singles victory in the Long Beach State match, downing Sandra Rocha 6-2, 6-4 to move into a tie for 10th place with Amy Malik (1989-92) on Michigan's career victories list. Nolan then climbed into a tie for ninth with Tina Basle (1985-88) with a 6-4, 6-0 triumph over Hawaii's Kimberly Curtis.
Junior Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS), freshman Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS), senior Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) and junior Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) also won two singles matches each, with Rutherford improving her 2004 dual match mark to 7-0.
The Wolverines will have a two-week break in competition before traveling to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to face the Alabama Crimson Tide on Sunday, March 14, at noon.
Following are match-by-match results:
#19 Michigan 6, Long Beach State 1
Singles
No. 1 -- #68 Michelle DaCosta (U-M) def. Nicole Bouffler, 6-1, 6-1
No. 2 -- #60 Elizabeth Exon (U-M) def. Lindsey Marvel, 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 -- Kavitha Tipirneni (U-M) def. Kelly Chan, 6-4, 6-1
No. 4 -- Chrissie Nolan (U-M) def. Sandra Rocha, 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 -- Leanne Rutherford (U-M) def. Alanah Carroll, 6-4, 7-5
No. 6 -- Emmanuelle Tabatruong (LBSU) def. Kara Delicata, 6-1, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- DaCosta/Delicata (U-M) def. Bouffler/Rocha, 8-6
No. 2 -- Rutherford/Tipirneni (U-M) def. Carroll/Marvel, 8-5
No. 3 -- #36 Streifler/Kim Plaushines (U-M) def. Chan/Tabatruong, 8-4
#19 Michigan 7, Hawaii 0
Singles
No. 1 -- #68 Michelle DaCosta (U-M) def. Lauren Fitzgerald, 6-4, 6-3
No. 2 -- #60 Elizabeth Exon (U-M) def. Justine Boutet, 6-1, 6-0
No. 3 -- Kavitha Tipimeni (U-M) def. Paige Mainor, 6-1, 6-1
No. 4 -- Chrissie Nolan (U-M) def. Kimberly Curtis, 6-4, 6-0
No. 5 -- Leanne Rutherford (U-M) def. Kana Aikawa, 6-1, 6-3
No. 6 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) def. Renata Camargo, 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- DaCosta/Kara Delicata (U-M) def. Fitzgerald/Mainor, 8-4
No. 2 -- #36 Streifler/Kim Plaushines (U-M) def. Jaros/Boutet, 8-1
No. 3 -- Exon/Nolan (U-M) def. Camargo/Curtis, 8-1
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
