Michigan
Washington
Singles Sweep Sends Michigan to Win Over Washington
2/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
The Huskies (0-4) pulled out a pair of doubles wins at Nos. 2 and 3 -- both of which were decided by a margin of just two games -- to clinch the first team point. Senior Kara Delicata (LaSalle, Ontario/Sandwich Secondary School) and sophomore Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) prevented the Washington doubles sweep, outlasting Joyce Ardies and Victoria Brymer in a tiebreaker at No. 1, 9-8(3).
Delicata was the first Wolverine off the singles courts for the second straight match, as she easily defeated Allison Rainey, 6-1, 6-1, at No. 4 to tie the match at 1-1. Delicata has won five straight matches and holds a perfect 3-0 mark at the fourth position this season.
Freshman Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) continued her dominance at No. 5, extending her winning streak to six matches with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph over Melinda Wong. Mahtani has won all three of her dual matches and stands at 12-6 overall in 2006-07.
Graduate senior Jenny Kuehn (Leipzig, Germany/Sport Gymnasium Leipzig) put the Maize and Blue in front 3-1 after posting a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Tara Simpson at No. 1. With the win, Kuehn pushed her winning streak to three matches and improved her overall record as a Wolverine to 8-6.
Junior Allie Shafner's (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek HS) victory at No. 6, her first in three matches, proved to be the clincher for Michigan. She defeated Lauren Summers by a 6-1, 7-5 margin to ensure that the Wolverines would return home from their two-match road trip with an unblemished record.
Michigan earned wins on the two remaining courts after each Huskie player retired due to injury. Sugiyama came out with a 6-1, 3-6, 4-1 ret. victory over Ardies at No. 2, while senior Elizabeth Exon (Irvine, Calif./Woodbridge HS) came away with a 7-6(4), 4-1 ret. win over Brymer at No. 3.
The Wolverines have a week off before heading back out on the road to face Notre Dame on Wednesday, Feb. 14. The match is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start at the Eck Tennis Pavilion in South Bend, Ind.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #81 Jenny Kuehn (U-M) d. Tara Simpson, 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -- Chisako Sugiyama (U-M) d. Joyce Ardies, 6-1, 3-6, 4-1 ret.
No. 3 -- Elizabeth Exon (U-M) d. Victoria Brymer, 7-6(4), 4-1 ret.
No. 4 -- Kara Delicata (U-M) d. Allison Rainey, 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 -- Tania Mahtani (U-M) d. Melinda Wong, 6-1, 6-3
No. 6 -- Allie Shafner (U-M) d. Lauren Summers, 6-1, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- Delicata/Sugiyama (U-M) d. Ardies/Brymer, 9-8(3)
No. 2 -- Simpson/Wong (Washington) d. Kuehn/Shafner, 9-7
No. 3 -- Rainey/Morgan Ramser (Washington) d. Exon/Mahtani, 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 4-5-1-6-2-3
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
