Michigan
Vanderbilt
Michigan Drops Season-Opening Match at Vanderbilt
1/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site: Nashville, Tenn. (Currey Tennis Center)
Score: #16 Vanderbilt 7, #23 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (0-1), Vanderbilt (4-0)
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Jan. 27 -- at Kentucky (Lexington, Ky.), 9 a.m.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The No. 23-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team opened the 2008 dual-match season with a 7-0 setback to No. 16-ranked Vanderbilt Friday afternoon (Jan. 25)at the Currey Tennis Center. The Commodores avenged their 2007 season-opening loss to the Wolverines by claiming a doubles sweep and wins in all six singles matches.
Vanderbilt earned a pair of convincing victories at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles to pick up the first team point of the match, and junior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) and sophomore Tania Mahtani(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) fell just a few points shy of claiming a win at the top doubles position.
Straight-set singles wins at Nos. 1, 3 and 5 provided the Commodores with the team victory. Sugiyama jumped out in front of No. 24-ranked Catherine Foreman at No. 2, taking the first set by a 7-5 count. Foreman rebounded to win the remaining two sets, 6-4, 6-3, for Vanderbilt's sixth team point. Freshman Denise Muresan(Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) also put forth a solid effort, battling Taka Bertrand through three sets at No. 4 before falling 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3 in the final match of the day.
The Wolverines stay on the road to face No. 34-ranked Kentucky on Sunday (Jan. 27). The match is scheduled for a 9 a.m. start at the Hilary J. Boone Tennis Complex in Lexington, Ky.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #34 Amanda Taylor (Vanderbilt) d. Tania Mahtani, 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 -- #24 Catherine Newman (Vanderbilt) d. Chisako Sugiyama, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
No. 3 -- #13 Courtney Ulery (Vanderbilt) d. Whitney Taney, 6-3, 7-5
No. 4 -- Taka Bertrand (Vanderbilt) d. Denise Muresan, 7-6(3), 6-7(5), 6-3
No. 5 -- Keilly Ulery (Vanderbilt) d. Rika Tatsuno, 6-4, 6-3
No. 6 -- Caroline Ferrell (Vanderbilt) d. Lindsey Howard, 6-2, 2-1 ret.
Doubles
No. 1 -- Bertrand/Newman (Vanderbilt) d. Mahtani/Sugiyama, 8-7(5)
No. 2 -- Taylor/ C. Ulery (Vanderbilt) d. Taney/Tatsuno, 8-1
No. 3 -- Ferrell/K. Ulery (Vanderbilt) d. Howard/Muresan, 8-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 5-3-1-6-2-4
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
