Michigan
Penn State
Michigan Knocks Off Penn State for Fourth Straight Win
4/22/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 34 University of Michigan women's tennis team earned its fourth straight victory with a 5-2 decision over Penn State Saturday afternoon (April 22) on the outdoor courts at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines (13-6, 7-2 Big Ten) captured their sixth straight doubles point and followed with wins on four of six singles courts to remain near the top of the Big Ten Conference standings. U-M, winner in 11 of its last 14 matches, improves its all-time record against the Nittany Lions (8-11, 2-7 Big Ten) to 17-3.
Michigan's No. 26-ranked doubles team of senior Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) and junior Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) kept its bid for an undefeated Big Ten season intact, as the pair crushed Sasha Abraham and Jenny Shular by a score of 8-0 at No. 1 to give the Wolverines the early momentum. Streifler and Delicata have won nine straight matches and stand at 12-2 on the dual match season.
Sophomore Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and freshman Chisako Sugiyama (Pasippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) used a late surge to knock off Dorothy Dohanics and Andreea Niculescu at No. 3 and give Michigan the first team point. Shafner and Sugiyama captured the final four games to win 8-4 and improve their dual match record to 7-4.
The Wolverines nearly completed the doubles sweep, as senior Nina Yaftali (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) and freshman Lindsey Howard (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) held a 7-6 lead over Katelyn BeVard and Lauren Holzberg at No. 2. The Nittany Lion duo, however, withstood one match point and went on to take three straight games and steal a 9-7 victory.
Streifler continued her stellar singles play at No. 4, as she posted a 6-2, 6-3 win over Shular to give Michigan a 2-0 lead. Streifler has defeated 12 of 14 opponents at the fourth position this season and has been victorious in 16 of her last 18 matches dating back to Feb. 5. Her victory today moves her into sole possession of fourth place on U-M's all-time singles wins list (83). Streifler also matched a season high for overall singles wins (21), which she achieved in both her sophomore and junior campaigns.
Junior Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) also continued her spectacular play at the No. 2 spot, as she handily defeated Niculescu by a 6-2, 6-0 margin to put Michigan on top 3-0. Exon has won four straight matches and eight of her last 10. She has gone 6-1 since moving up to the second position in the lineup.
Delicata provided the clinching win, as she defeated Abraham by a score of 6-3, 7-6(4) to snap a six-match losing skid. Minutes later, Sugiyama completed a 6-3, 4-6, 6-1 triumph over Holzberg at No. 5. Sugiyama has won six straight matches and holds team-high totals in overall (23) and Big Ten (8) singles victories.
Penn State came out on top in the two remaining matches on the courts. BeVard fought back to defeat Yaftali, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4, at No. 3, while Leyla Morzan outlasted Howard in a marathon match at No. 6, 7-6(1), 5-7, 7-5.
The Wolverines close out the regular season tomorrow (Sunday, April 23) against Indiana. The 11 a.m. match against the Hoosiers marks the final appearance at the Varsity Tennis Center for Bitsy Ritt, who will move into an associate athletic director role at U-M after 22 seasons as head coach, and graduating seniors Streifler and Yaftali. Free hot dogs, chips and soda will be available for the first 200 fans in attendance.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Sasha Abraham, 6-3, 7-6(4)
No. 2 -- Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Andreea Niculescu, 6-2, 6-0
No. 3 -- Katelyn BeVard (PSU) d. Nina Yaftali, 2-6, 6-2, 6-4
No. 4 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Jenny Shular, 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 -- Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Lauren Holzberg, 6-3, 4-6, 6-1
No. 6 -- Leyla Morzan (PSU) d. Lindsey Howard, 7-6(1), 5-7, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- #26 Delicata/Streifler (U-M) d. Abraham/Shular, 8-0
No. 2 -- BeVard/Holzberg (PSU) d. Howard/Yaftali, 9-7
No. 3 -- Allie Shafner/Sugiyama (U-M) d. Dorothy Dohanics/Niculescu, 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3-2, Singles 4-2-1-5-3-6
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
