2006-07 TNW Wolverine Invitational -- Notes & Quotes
10/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
N O T E S
Chisako Sugiyama has won a singles title at the Wolverine Invitational in two straight seasons. In addition to her crown this weekend, Sugiyama used four straight wins to claim the "Blue" singles flight as a freshman in 2005. Sugiyama holds a 8-1 all-time singles record at the tournament.
With four victories this weekend, Chisako Sugiyama went over 30 wins for her singles career at Michigan. She holds an overall record of 31-11, including a 14-6 mark in tournament play.
With three wins on the weekend, Elizabeth Exon went over 25 tournament victories for her singles career as a Wolverine. She holds a 26-18 record against tournament opposition and a 68-44 record overall.
Allie Shafner's two wins at the Wolverine Invitational put her at 20 victories for her singles career at U-M. She holds an overall record of 20-27, including a 13-15 mark in tournament play.
The Wolverine Invitational marks the first event for Michigan under the direction of head coach Amanda Augustus.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Amanda Augustus
On her team's performance at the tournament ... "I was quite pleased with our play. We only lost one doubles match all weekend, which was great. Everyone played their game and competed very well. We got everything we wanted out of this tournament. We had a lot of good, competitive matches against some accomplished teams. Overall, it was a good experience for our team."
On the play of Chisako Sugiyama ... "Chisako won a lot of matches for Michigan towards the end of last season. We talked a lot about the things she would need to work on to move up in the lineup. I think she worked really hard over the summer and is moving in a great direction to reaching the individual goals she has set for herself. I'm very proud of the way she played this week. She was really working hard on adding some new things to her game and playing more aggressive and consistent. I'm very pleased and excited for her because I know it means a lot to her to win this tournament."
On Tania Mahtani's performance this weekend ... "Tania has a big game and I believe she will win a lot of matches for this program. I'm really excited to be working with her because I've known her since she was a little kid. I'm pleasantly surprised to see how her game has developed over the last couple of years. I think her potential is limitless if she continues to work hard and add some things to her game. I think she did a very good job and competed very hard in her first tournament."
On what the team will switch focus to as ITA regionals approach ... "We're going to rest up for a couple days and then get right back out there. Regionals is such a long event, so you really have to be in good shape. We're going to focus more on our fitness in addition to fine-tuning our games. The team as a whole hit the ball really well this weekend. We just want to make sure that we can continue to play well over a longer period of time."
U-M Sophomore Chisako Sugiyama
On the accomplishment of winning another singles title at the Wolverine Invitational ... "This tournament is definitely a confidence booster. I've won it two times in a row now, but I didn't know what to expect this year because we had three new teams coming in that I didn't know too much about. I always want to do well in the tournaments during the fall so that I can set myself up for the spring season."
On how she played over the weekend ... "I think I played pretty well. The playing circumstances were pretty tough on the first day. It was really windy, but I adjusted pretty well. The practice match (against Kentucky's Joelle Schwenk) in the morning really helped me out, even though I lost that match in two tight sets. I kept that match in mind and I knew what I had to do from that point on."
On Tania Mahtani and what she will bring to this team ... "I think Tania is a really good player. She knows how to play smart and she has a big serve. She will be a really great teammate to have, especially during the dual match season. She'll have a lot of good wins under her belt by then."
On how she feels this team will shape up as the dual match season approaches ... "I feel like the team chemistry has been great ever since I got to Michigan. We all get along really well. We have good leadership from our captains and upperclassmen every year. We have the potential to make it to the Sweet Sixteen of NCAAs this year and have a good shot at winning a Big Ten title. I think we'll definitely be able to improve on last season's performance. We have a solid singles lineup at No. 1-6 and our doubles is working really well right now also."
Players Mentioned
