Michigan
Nebraska
Streifler, Howard Lift U-M Over Huskers in NCAA Opener
5/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- In one of the most tightly contested matches of the season, the No. 29 University of Michigan women's tennis team earned a 4-3 victory over No. 41 Nebraska in the first round of the 2006 NCAA Championship on Friday (May 12) at Notre Dame's Eck Tennis Pavilion. The Wolverines (17-7), winners in eight of their last nine matches, will make an appearance in the second round of the national tournament for the third time in the last four years.
Trailing 3-2 and needing wins in the final two matches to advance, Michigan's steady combination of youth and experience propelled the Wolverines to the thrilling victory. Freshman Lindsey Howard (Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) outlasted Ewelina Skaza by a score of 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 at No. 6 to keep U-M alive, while senior Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS) was able to finish off Vanessa Heute in a tiebreaker at No. 4, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4), to clinch the match.
Michigan's No. 1 pairing of Streifler and junior Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) overmatched Pamela Castillejos and Imke Reimers, as the Wolverine tandem cruised to an 8-1 victory to give the Maize and Blue the early momentum in doubles play. Streifler and Delicata, who are ranked No. 34 in the nation, improve to 14-4 on the dual match season.
Howard and senior Nina Yaftali (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) used a late surge to post an 8-5 win over Heute and Skaza at No. 3 and clinch the first team point for Michigan. Yaftali and Howard have been triumphant in 12 of 15 matches at the third position this year.
Sophomore Allie Shafner (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) and freshman Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) were on the verge of closing out their match at No. 2 when the doubles point was decided, as they led Kim Hartmann and Milena Schulz-Gartner by a score of 7-3.
Nebraska jumped out in front 2-1 thanks to a pair of straight-set victories at the No. 2 and 3 singles spots. Sugiyama stepped up and came away with one of the biggest wins in her young career, as she fought back to defeat Castillejos in three sets at No. 5 to pull the team score even at 2-2. After dropping the first set by a 6-4 margin, Sugiyama stormed back to take the final two sets, 6-0, 6-4, and earn the victory in her NCAA debut. Sugiyama has won 10 straight matches and holds a team-best 27-10 overall record.
The Cornhuskers regained a 3-2 advantage after the 97th-ranked Hartmann outlasted Delicata by a score of 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at No. 1 to set up Howard and Streifler's heroics in the final two matches remaining on the courts.
The Wolverines return to the Eck Tennis Pavilion tomorrow (Saturday, March 13) to face host and No. 2-ranked Notre Dame in the round of 32 at 1 p.m. The Fighting Irish (25-1), who earned a 5-0 first-round victory over Valparaiso, posted a 6-1 win over Michigan back on Feb. 15.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #97 Kim Hartmann (Nebraska) d. Kara Delicata, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
No. 2 -- Imke Reimers (Nebraska) d. Elizabeth Exon, 6-2, 6-2
No. 3 -- Milena Schulz-Gartner (Nebraska) d. Nina Yaftali, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4 -- Debra Streifler (U-M) d. Vanessa Heute, 6-3, 6-7(4), 7-6(4)
No. 5 -- Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Pamela Castillejos, 3-6, 6-0, 6-4
No. 6 -- Lindsey Howard (U-M) d. Ewelina Skaza, 6-3, 5-7, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- #34 Delicata/Streifler (U-M) d. Castillejos/Reimers, 8-1
No. 2 -- Allie Shafner/Sugiyama (U-M) led Hartmann/Schulz-Gartner, 7-3 (abandoned)
No. 3 -- Howard/Yaftali (U-M) d. Heute/Skaza, 8-5
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3, Singles 2-3-5-1-6-4
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
