Weekly Release #15
5/9/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Upcoming Schedule
Fri-Sat., May 12-13 -- at NCAA Regional Championship (South Bend, Ind.)
May 12 -- Michigan vs. Nebraska, 10 a.m.
May 12 -- Valparaiso vs. Notre Dame, 1 p.m.
May 13 -- Nebraska/Michigan winner vs. Valparaiso/Notre Dame winner, 1 p.m.
Thu-Mon., May 18-22 -- at NCAA Team Championship (Athens, Ga.)
Wolverines Return to NCAA Championship
The No. 29 University of Michigan women's tennis team (16-7) earned its fifth consecutive bid to the 64-team field of the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship, announced last Wednesday (May 3). Michigan, the No. 2 seed, begins its quest for a national title at the NCAA Regional Championship (May 12-13) in South Bend, Ind., and will meet No. 3 seed Nebraska in the first round on Friday (May 12, 10 a.m.) at the Courtney Tennis Center. With a victory against the Cornhuskers, the Wolverines would face the winner of host and No. 1 seed Notre Dame and No. 4 seed Valparaiso on Saturday (May 13, 1 p.m.) for a trip to the 16-team NCAA Championship to be played May 18-22 at Stanford University's Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif. Complete coverage of the 2006 NCAA Championships can be found at www.ncaasports.com.
Scouting the Opponents
Nebraska -- The No. 41-ranked Cornhuskers (17-9) are making their second straight trip to the NCAA Championship after reaching the semifinal round at the Big 12 Conference Championship (April 27-29). Nebraska has notched victories over eight nationally ranked opponents this year. Five Cornhuskers have recorded at least 14 singles victories, led by Big 12 Freshman of the Year Kim Hartmann. Hartmann, who is ranked No. 97 in the nation, has gone 22-11 overall, including a 15-9 dual match record at No.1 singles. She teams with senior Milena Schulz-Gartner for a team-best 17-7 doubles record. Nebraska returns six letterwinners from last year's team, which finished at 18-4 and earned its first-ever bid to the NCAA Championship. Scott Jacobson is in his 15th year as head coach and owns a career record of 198-140 at the school. Friday's (May 12) match will be the first-ever meeting between Michigan and Nebraska. Nebraska on the Internet: www.huskers.com.
Notre Dame -- The No. 2-ranked Fighting Irish (24-1), the second overall seed in the 64-team NCAA field, earned an automatic bid for the 11th consecutive season and the 13th time in the last 14 years. The Irish earned one of the top 16 seeds in the NCAA Championship for the first time since 2001 and the fifth time overall. Sophomore Brook Buck is listed at No. 87 in the national singles rankings after compiling a 22-9 overall record. Juniors Catrina and Christian Thompson are the No. 5-ranked doubles team in the nation and hold an overall record of 22-4. The Irish return nine letterwinners from last year's team, which finished at 15-10 and reached the second round at the NCAA Championship. Notre Dame, which earned the BIG EAST Championship in 2005, is coached by Jay Louderback. Louderback is in his 17th season at UND and holds a career record of 306-147 at the school. Notre Dame holds a 15-9 lead in the all-time series with Michigan, with the Irish winning 11 of the last 12 meetings dating back to the 1995 season. Notre Dame on the Internet: www.und.com.
Last Time Against Notre Dame -- Michigan had its six-match home winning streak snapped by then No. 15-ranked Notre Dame in the last meeting on Feb. 15, 2006, dropping a 6-1 decision at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Wolverines' lone team point came from senior Debra Streifler (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park HS), who handed Kelcy Tefft a 3-6, 7-6(4), 1-0(3) loss at No. 4 singles.
Valparaiso -- The Crusaders (15-7) earned an automatic bid for the second straight year after claiming the Mid-American Conference regular season and tournament championships. Valparaiso has won five straight matches and 11 of its last 12. Junior Kate Evangelist leads the Crusaders with an overall singles record of 17-6. Valparaiso returns five letterwinners from last year's team, which finished at 8-7 overall. Tim Maluga is in his fourth season as head coach. Michigan has never faced Valparaiso in dual match competition. Valparaiso on the Internet: www.valpo.edu/athletics.
Michigan at the NCAA Championship
The Wolverines are making their fifth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championship and eighth overall after making three straight trips from 1996 through 1998. Michigan split two matches at the 1996 tournament, beating Indiana (5-4) before losing to Northwestern (5-0) in the regional semifinal. The Wolverines returned to the championship after winning the 1997 Big Ten title and advanced to the 16-team field by winning three matches at the Southeast Regional -- 5-0 vs. Central Florida, 5-3 against Miami (Fla.) and 5-4 vs. South Alabama. U-M lost 5-0 to NCAA runner-up Florida in the round of 16. Michigan suffered first-round losses against Wisconsin (5-2) in 1998 and Georgia Tech (4-2) in 2002. U-M earned NCAA first-round victories two of the past three years, defeating Colorado (4-0) in 2003 and Denver (4-1) in 2004, but had its season ended with 4-0 losses to top-ranked Stanford both years.
U-M at the 2005 NCAA Championship
The Wolverines were unable to pull off an upset of then No. 15-ranked Duke in the first round of the 2005 NCAA Championship, falling by a 4-1 score on May 13 at UNC's Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. The Wolverines put forth a brilliant effort in doubles to earn the first team point, but the Blue Devils responded with four straight singles victories to claim the match.
Ritt Guides U-M to Eighth NCAA Appearance
For the eighth time in her 22-year career, Michigan head coach Bitsy Ritt will guide the Wolverines into the national tournament. She has compiled a 6-7 record at the NCAA Championship, including a 3-1 mark at 1997 tournament when U-M claimed the Southeast Regional title.
U-M Runner-Up at Big Ten Championship for Second Straight Year
Michigan is fresh off a runner-up finish at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Championship, held last week April 27-30 in Champaign, Ill. After a 4-1 quarterfinal victory over Wisconsin, the third-seeded Wolverines knocked off No. 2 seed Iowa by a score of 4-3 to advance to the final. U-M lost by a 4-2 margin to top seed Northwestern in the championship match. It marks the second straight year that the Wildcats have beaten Michigan in the championship match, with the Wolverines losing by a 4-1 margin as the seventh seed last season.
Delicata and Exon Selected to All-Big Ten Team
Juniors Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) and Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) were named to the All-Big Ten Conference team, the league office announced on April 27. It marks just the second time in seven years that the Wolverines have placed two members on the All-Big Ten team in one season. It marks the first career All-Big Ten nomination for Delicata, while Exon is carrying the honor for the second time in her career. Senior Debra Streifler was named Michigan's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award honoree.
Exon Peaking in Postseason
In the Big Ten Conference Championship semifinal match against Iowa (April 29), junior Elizabeth Exon found herself in the exact same pressure situation as last season, as her singles match against Hillary Mintz at No. 2 would decide if Michigan would advance to the Big Ten Championship final. Just as she did last year, Exon came up in the clutch and provided a 4-6, 7-6(3), 6-3 victory over Mintz to send the Wolverines into the championship round.
Exon's heroics against the Hawkeyes were of no surprise, as she has played brilliantly since moving up to the No. 2 position in late March. Exon has won eight of 10 matches at the position and 12 of her last 17 overall after starting out the dual match season 2-3. She matched a season-best mark of 8-2 in the Big Ten and is just two victories shy of reaching her third straight year with at least 20 overall singles wins.
Streifler Climbing the Michigan Charts
Senior Debra Streifler's 6-3, 6-1 win over Wisconsin's Elizabeth Carpenter in the Big Ten Conference Championship quarterfinals (April 28) was her 85th career singles victory at Michigan, which puts her alone in fourth place on U-M's all-time singles wins list, while her .698 winning percentage puts her in third place all-time. Streifler, who is 85-37 overall, needs one win to tie Kalei Beamon (1990-93) for third place.
Streifler, who is 23-9 on the year, will finish her career with at least 20 overall singles wins in all four seasons. She has won 16 of her last 20 matches.
Freshman Sensation
Freshman Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) continues to show that she is one of the brightest young players in the Big Ten, as she has notched victories in 13 of her last 15 matches, including 12 in straight sets, dating back to March 16. Sugiyama holds team-high totals in overall wins (26), regional victories (17) and conference wins (9). She will try for her 10th straight win this Friday (May 12).
Delicata and Streifler Complete Undefeated Big Ten Season
Michigan's No. 1 doubles tandem of senior Debra Streifler and junior Kara Delicata proved that they were the best team in the Big Ten during the regular season, as their 8-6 triumph over Indiana's Sarah Batty and Laura McGaffigan April 23 secured an undefeated record at 10-0. The Wolverine duo has been unbeatable as of late, claiming victory in 13 of its last 17 matches. The pair's perfect record in the Big Ten included a 9-8(3) upset over Northwestern's then No. 7-ranked Cristelle Grier and Alexis Prousis on March 26. They are 13-4 in dual match play and hold an impressive record against Midwest regional opponents (11-2).
Doubles Dominance
Michigan continues to tear through its doubles competition, as it has not dropped a doubles point in 10 matches dating back to April 1. The Wolverines own a combined .632 winning percentage in their dual matches this season (43-25), including a mark of .739 (17-6) at the No. 3 position. U-M was also strong against Big Ten opponents, winning 23 of 30 doubles matches in conference play.
Michigan Jumps to No. 29; Delicata and Streifler Ranked
With its runner-up finish at the 2006 Big Ten Conference Championship, Michigan jumped two spots to No. 29 in the 15th edition of the Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings, administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association on Monday, May 1. The Wolverines, who began the 2006 dual match season at No. 35, are the top Big Ten team in the poll behind No. 9 Northwestern. Defending national champion Stanford occupies the No. 1 spot for the 15th straight week. Michigan was tested from start to finish in the regular season, as 13 of its 20 opponents were listed in the first national rankings.
Senior Debra Streifler and junior Kara Delicata maintained a spot in the national doubles rankings for the fourth straight week, as they are listed at No. 34 after posting wins in 13 of their last 17 matches. They are the top Big Ten doubles team in the national rankings behind Northwestern's No. 13-ranked pair of Cristelle Grier and Alexis Prousis. Delicata and Streifler upset the Wildcat duo, 9-8(3), back on March 26.
Publication Ranks U-M Among Top Tennis Schools
SMASH - a cutting-edge tennis lifestyle magazine for teens from the publishers of Tennis Magazine - has listed Michigan as the 17th best Division I school for women's tennis. The rankings are based on colleges' academic rankings (from U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges) and their average year-end tennis rankings over the last five seasons. Michigan is the top Big Ten school behind Northwestern (No. 3), while Stanford takes top honors. For a complete list of the rankings: www.smashtennis.com.
Streifler Named Captain for 2006
Head coach Bitsy Ritt announced that senior Debra Streifler will serve as team captain for the 2006 dual match season. It marks the first nomination for Streifler.
Wolverine Trio Earn Fall Regional Rankings
Three Michigan student-athletes were awarded with regional rankings (Dec. 2) at the conclusion of the 2005 fall season. Senior Debra Streifler is the top Wolverine in the Midwest Region singles rankings at No. 17 after going 5-3 during the fall, including her first-ever trip to the Riviera/ITA All-American Championships. Junior Elizabeth Exon, who is listed at No. 19, joined Streifler at the All-American and finished the fall at 2-5. Freshman Chisako Sugiyama earned the No. 26 spot after tallying a 7-4 record in her first fall season, which included a "Blue" singles flight championship at the 2005 Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 30-Oct. 2). Streifler and Sugiyama are the lone U-M doubles team in the regional rankings (No. 12) after recording a 3-0 mark during the fall.
2005 Fall Season Review
Michigan got off to a strong start in the fall thanks to freshman Chisako Sugiyama, who captured the "Blue" singles flight in her first collegiate tournament, the Wolverine Invitational (Sept. 30-Oct. 2). U-M sent four student-athletes to the 2005 Riviera/ITA All-American Championships (Oct. 1-9), but none were able to advance past the qualifying round. Senior Debra Streifler led Michigan's effort at the 2005 Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships, as she reached the round of 16 in the 64-player main singles draw. The Wolverines wrapped up the fall season at the Thunderbird Invitational, led by senior Nina Yaftali's (Westlake Village, Calif./Westlake HS) quarterfinal berth in the 32-player main singles draw.
The Leader of the Wolverines
Head coach Bitsy Ritt is in her 22nd season at the helm of the U-M women's tennis program, having compiled a career record of 287-239 (.546) since her appointment in 1984. Ritt has guided the Wolverines to the NCAA Championship eight times in the last 11 seasons, including the NCAA Southeast Championship in 1997. She has instructed eight NCAA individual qualifiers, three Big Ten Conference Players of the Year and 14 All-Big Ten honorees. Ritt has been named the Big Ten Coach of the Year three times during her career and the ITA Midwest Regional Coach of the Year twice. Her athletes have also succeeded in the classroom, with a total of 27 players having earned 49 Academic All-Big Ten citations during their careers and five student-athletes having received ITA Scholar-Athlete honors.
Augustus Joins Coaching Staff in 2005-06
Amanda Augustus is in her first season as an assistant coach with the Michigan women's tennis program. Prior to her appointment at U-M, Augustus served as head coach of the men's and women's tennis programs at Whittier College (2004-05) following a successful six-year career as a professional player on the WTA circuit.
A former collegiate standout at the University of California from 1996-99, Augustus was a two-time NCAA doubles champion (1998-99) and earned All-America honors in each of her four seasons. Augustus captured 20 professional titles during her stint on the WTA Tour and achieved career-best world rankings of No. 82 in doubles and No. 304 in singles. She competed in the main draw at all four Grand Slam events, most recently the 2004 Wimbledon Championships. She reached the second round in both the French Open and U.S. Open, and was a semifinalist at the Bank of West Classic.
Mahtani Commits to Michigan for 2006-07
The Michigan women's tennis program announced Thursday, Dec. 1, the signing of Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) to a National Letter of Intent to compete for the Wolverines in 2006-07.
Mahtani is currently listed at No. 45 nationally in the USTA Girl's 18-and-under singles rankings, and she has been ranked as high as No. 30 during her junior career. She also holds a No. 11 sectional ranking in the Southern California Girl's 18s. Mahtani has consistently earned top 30 national rankings in both Girl's 14s and 16s.
2004-05 Season Review
The Wolverines finished the 2005 dual match season with a 14-12 overall record and a runner-up finish in the Big Ten Conference at 9-5. Michigan won five of its last seven dual matches during the regular season before winning three straight matches to advance to the final at the Big Ten Championship. Although the Wolverines fell to Northwestern in the title match, they still earned their fourth straight invitation to the NCAA Championship. Michelle DaCosta (2002-05) and Kara Delicata qualified for the NCAA Doubles Championship for the second consecutive season and fell just shy of earning All-America Status. Five Wolverines were named to the Academic All-Big Ten team in 2004-05 and Elizabeth Exon was named an ITA Scholar-Athlete for the second straight season.
Ritt To Move Into Associate AD Role Following Season
University of Michigan athletics director Bill Martin announced Friday, Jan. 13, that head coach Bitsy Ritt will be the new associate athletic director to oversee 22 Olympic sports, effective June 1. Ritt will remain as the head women's tennis coach through the 2006 dual match season. Ritt will also represent Michigan on the Big Ten Conference Sports Management Council. She will chair the U-M Sports Management Committee and directly supervise women's basketball, women's gymnastics, volleyball, softball and baseball.
On the Horizon ...
The Wolverines hope to advance to next weekend's (May 18-22) NCAA Team Championship, to be held at Stanford University's Taube Family Tennis Center in Palo Alto, Calif. Senior Debra Streifler and junior Kara Delicata are third on the alternate list for the NCAA Doubles Championship, to be held May 23-28 at the same facility.
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
