Kuehn and Sugiyama Named to All-Big Ten Team
4/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
PARK RIDGE, Ill. -- Graduate senior Jenny Kuehn (Leipzig, Germany/Sportgymnasium Leipzig) and sophomore Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J/The Montclair Kimberley Academy) of the University of Michigan women's tennis team were named to the 2007 All-Big Ten Conference team, the league office announced Thursday (April 26). Each was a unanimous selection on the 12-member team. It marks just the third time in eight years the Wolverines have placed two players on the All-Big Ten team in one season.
Kuehn | Sugiyama | |
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Kuehn, ranked No. 83 in this week's national singles rankings, has proven to be one of the Maize and Blue's most dependable players at the top of the singles and doubles lineups. She has posted a 14-5 dual match record at the top two singles positions, including a stellar 9-1 mark in the Big Ten. Kuehn's current nine-match winning streak has helped her move one victory away from her third career 20-win season (19-11).
Sugiyama, ranked 88th nationally, is putting together another record-setting season at Michigan. She has been victorious in 29 of 35 singles matches in 2006-07, tying her for third place on U-M's all-time season singles wins list. Sugiyama enters the Big Ten Championship with a team-best 17-3 dual match singles record at Nos. 1 and 2, and she was the lone Wolverine to finish the conference season with a perfect mark of 10-0. She will look to extend her team-high 12-match winning streak when she takes the court this weekend.
Kuehn and Sugiyama have teamed together for a team-best 15-4 overall doubles record in 2006-07. The pair holds a 10-2 dual match mark at the top spot, including victories in seven of nine league matches. Kuehn and Sugiyama have been dominant in their 10 dual match wins, surrendering no more than four games in each victory.
It marks the first career All-Big Ten selection of for both student-athletes. Kuehn was named to the All-Conference USA first team in each of her three seasons at Tulane University (2003-05).
Freshman Tanvi Dudhela (San Jose, Calif./Archbishop Mitty HS) received the team's Big Ten Sportsmanship Award for 2007. The 11 student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. These student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.
Dudhela has compiled a 4-3 dual match record at the No. 6 singles position and owns a 3-1 record in the Big Ten. She heads into the posteason with an overall record of 11-12, including an impressive 9-3 mark against opponents from the Midwest Region. Dudhela earned her first career dual match victory during Michigan's 4-3 triumph over Western Michigan on March 16. With the Wolverines and Broncos tied at 2-2, she stepped up and completed a 7-6(1), 6-2 win over Emily Dudzik to give U-M its first lead of the match.
The 26th-ranked Wolverines enter this weekend's 2007 Big Ten Championship as the No. 3 seed and will face No. 6 seed Purdue in the quarterfinals on Friday (April 27, 2 p.m. CDT). The team tournament will be played April 26-29 at the University of Minnesota's Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Minn.
Following are the 2007 All-Big Ten Conference awards:
| ALL-BIG TEN TEAM Megan Fudge, Illinois Alba Berdala, Indiana Laura McGaffigan, Indiana Jacqueline Lee, Iowa Jenny Kuehn, Michigan Chisako Sugiyama, Michigan Ashley Schellhas, Minnesota Samantha Murray, Northwestern Alexis Prousis, Northwestern Georgia Rose, Northwestern Mallory Voelker, Purdue Caitlin Burke, Wisconsin | Freshman of the Year Samantha Murray, Northwestern Athlete of the Year Georgia Rose, Northwestern Coach of the Year Lin Loring, Indiana |
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
