Michigan
Wisconsin
U-M Romps Past Wisconsin in Regular-Season Finale
4/25/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 29 University of Michigan women's tennis team closed out the regular season in dominant fashion, recording a 7-0 shutout against No. 50 Wisconsin on Sunday (April 25) at the Varsity Tennis Center. With the victory, the Wolverines (15-5, 6-4 Big Ten) claim fourth place in the final Big Ten regular-season standings.
Seniors Chrissie Nolan (Glenview, Ill./Glenbrook South HS) and Kavitha Tipirneni (Galloway, Ohio/Kettle Moraine HS) both rebounded from lopsided first-set losses to claim victories in their final home dual meet. After rallying with a 6-3 decision in the second to split sets with the Badgers' Lindsay Martin at the No. 4 spot, Nolan dominated the deciding frame, winning the first four games en route to a 6-1 score.
Playing against Caitlin Burke at No. 3 singles, Tipirneni fought off elimination late in the second set, knotting the score at six games apiece before narrowly claiming a 7-5 win in the tiebreaker. Tipirneni carried the momentum into the final set, where she took control in the seventh game, winning the final three games to record a 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3 final score.
Junior Michelle DaCosta (Huber Heights, Ohio/Wayne HS) and sophomore Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) also needed three sets to earn victories at the No. 1 and No. 5 singles positions. After splitting sets against No. 75-ranked Katie McGaffigan, DaCosta let a 5-2 advantage in the third set slip away as the Badger won four consecutive games to send the match to a final determining tiebreaker. DaCosta rallied in the extra frame, winning the first five points en route to a 7-3 decision.
At the No. 5 spot, Streifler came back strong in the final set after dropping the second 2-6 to Kaylan Caiati, twice breaking serve to win by a 6-2 margin.
Freshmen Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) and Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary) each collected her second singles victory of the weekend, handily winning in straight sets against Shana McElroy and Teresa Gonzaga at the No. 2 and No. 6 positions, respectively.
The Wolverines also earned their second doubles point of the weekend, claiming wins at the at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots. DaCosta and Delicata broke serve four times against Martin and McGaffigan en route to a 8-5 decision, while Nolan and Tipirneni rallied from an early deficit to win the final four games and hang a 8-4 loss on the Badgers' Caiati and McElroy.
U-M will return to the hardcourt next Thursday through Sunday (April 29-May 2) for the 2004 Big Ten Championship in Evanston, Ill.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #57 Michelle DaCosta (U-M) d. #75 Katie McGaffigan, 6-4, 2-6, 7-6 (3)
No. 2 -- #101 Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Shana McElroy, 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 -- Kavitha Tipirneni (U-M) d. Caitlin Burke, 1-6, 7-6 (5), 6-3
No. 4 -- Chrissie Nolan (U-M) d. Lindsay Martin, 1-6, 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Kaylan Caiati, 7-6 (6), 2-6, 6-2
No. 6 -- Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Teresa Gonzaga, 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- #48 DaCosta/Delicata (U-M) d. Martin/McGaffigan, 8-5
No. 2 -- Burke/Gonzaga (UW) d. #54 Kim Plaushines/Streifler, 8-6
No. 3 -- Chrissie Nolan/Tipirneni (U-M) d. Caiati/McElroy, 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles 6-2-4-5-3-1
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
