Michigan
Ohio State
Wolverines Perfect in Home Shutout Against Buckeyes
3/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 19 University of Michigan women's tennis team dominated the harcourt today (Sunday, March 28) to record a 7-0 shutout against Ohio State at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines (12-1, 3-0 Big Ten) won all three doubles contests and swept the singles to record their eight home win of the season.
In a pair of marathon-like matches at the No. 2 and 3 doubles positions, the Wolverines rallied late to secure the extra doubles points. With the score tied 5-5 against the Buckeyes' Lindsay Adams and Emily DeCamilla, junior Leanne Rutherford (Calgary, Alberta/National Sports School) and senior Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Hilliard Darby HS) won three of the final four games, breaking Ohio State's serve twice en route to a 8-6 victory.
Senior Kim Plaushines (Oconowomoc, Wis./Kettle Moraine HS) and sophomore Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) captured the doubles point for the Wolverines only moments later with their 9-8(3) win at the No. 2 spot. The U-M tandem, ranked 32nd by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, broke serve in the eighth game to take the lead, but Ohio State's Meaghan Colville and Lindsay Williams followed suit in the very next game to keep the score even. With the match knotted up at eight games apiece, the teams went to the tiebreaker, where U-M won five consecutive points to prevail 7-3.
U-M swept all six singles matches for the fourth time the season, including four contests in straight sets. Tipirneni clinched the match for the second day in a row with her 6-2, 6-2 win over Emily Decamilla at the No. 3 spot. Tipirneni led the first set from start to finish, building a 3-0 advantage before adding another three consecutive games to take the 6-2 win. The Wolverine senior broke serve in the sixth game of the second set and finished with back-to-back games to extend her winning streak to eight matches.
Streifler also maintained her singles winning streak, improving it to seven consecutive matches with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Kristin Messmer at the No. 6 position. The Wolverine sophomore broke serve three times in the match, including the eighth game of the second set to seal the win. Junior Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) collected her fourth straight singles win, defeating Lindsay Williams 6-4, 6-2 at the No. 1 spot.
After losing four consecutive games to drop her first set 5-7, senior Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) rallied with 6-0, 6-3 scores in the final two sets to collect her 75th career win, over Jackie Leskovar at the No. 4 position. Nolan becomes only the seventh Wolverine women's tennis player to earn 75 career singles victories.
The Wolverines hit the road next weekend for a pair of Big Ten dual meets against Iowa and Minnesota. U-M will meet the Hawkeyes on Saturday (April 3) at 10 a.m. CST in Iowa City, Iowa, before traveling north to Minneapolis, Minn., for a dual meet against the Gophers on Sunday (April 4) at 11 a.m. CDT.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Michelle DaCosta (U-M) d. Lindsay Williams, 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 -- #72 Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Erica Fisk, 6-3, 6-7(6), 1-0(7)
No. 3 -- Kavitha Tipirneni (U-M) d. Emily Decamilla, 6-2, 6-2
No. 4 -- Chrissie Nolan (U-M) d. Jackie Leskovar, 5-7, 6-0, 6-3
No. 5 -- Leanne Rutherford (U-M) d. Lindsey Adams, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Kristin Messmer, 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- #30 DaCosta/Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Fisk/Leskovar, 8-4
No. 2 -- #32 Kim Plaushines/Streifler d. Meaghan Colville/Williams, 9-8(3)
No. 3 -- Tipirneni/Rutherford (U-M) d. Adams/DeCamilla, 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 1-6-3-5-4-2
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
