Michigan Earns No. 22 Final National Ranking
6/4/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SKILLMAN, N.J. -- The University of Michigan women's tennis team received its highest year-ending national team ranking in 10 seasons, finishing the 2007 campaign listed at No. 22 in the final FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings. It marks the first time U-M has finished in the top 25 since 2004, and it's the program's highest final ranking since the Wolverines were listed at No. 16 in 1997.
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First-year head coach Amanda Augustus guided the Wolverines to an overall record of 17-8, which ties for the highest win total in the past 10 seasons. The Maize and Blue went 8-2 in the Big Ten Conference, which also ties for the best league record since 1997. Michigan reached the final match of the Big Ten Championship for the third straight season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship for the fourth time in the last five years.
Graduate senior Jenny Kuehn (Leipzig, Germany/Sportgymnasium Leipzig) was the top Wolverine in the national singles rankings, finishing her final collegiate season listed at No. 70 (No. 5 regionally). The All-Big performer proved to be one of the Maize and Blue's most dependable players at the top of the singles and doubles lineups in her lone year at U-M. She posted a 16-5 dual match record at the top two singles positions, including a stellar 9-1 mark in the Big Ten. Kuehn ended the year on an 11-match winning streak, allowing her to secure her third career 20-win season (21-11). A transfer student from Tulane University, Kuehn completed her collegiate career with an overall singles record of 98-37 (.726).
Sophomore Chisako Sugiyama (Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) finished the year ranked No. 98 (No. 9 regionally) after putting together another record-setting season at Michigan. The All-Big Ten performer was victorious in 30 of 36 singles matches in 2006-07, putting her in third place on U-M's all-time season singles wins list. Sugiyama went 18-3 at the top two singles positions during the dual match season, including a perfect league record of 10-0. She concluded the year on a team-best 13-match winning streak. Sugiyama currently sits in first place on Michigan's all-time singles winning percentage chart at .781 (57-16). She holds a career dual match record of 35-8, including a 19-1 mark in the conference.
Kuehn and Sugiyama did not receive a final national doubles ranking, but the pair was listed at No. 6 in the Midwest Region's final poll. The duo went a team-best 17-5 overall and won 12 of 15 dual matches at the top spot.
Michigan concluded the year with a regional team ranking of No. 3. The Wolverines have finished behind No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Northwestern the past two seasons.
FILA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
