Michigan
Clemson
Michigan Falls at No. 13 Clemson in NCAA Second Round
5/10/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site: Clemson, S.C. (Hoke Sloan Tennis Center)
Event: NCAA Championship (Second Round)
Score: #13 Clemson 4, #19 Michigan 1
Records: U-M (19-6), Clemson (17-9)
Next U-M Event: May 21-26 -- Chisako Sugiyama at NCAA Singles Championship (Tulsa, Okla.)
CLEMSON, S.C. -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team saw its season come to an end with a 4-1 setback to No. 13-ranked Clemson in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Championship Saturday afternoon (May 10) at Clemson University's Hoke Sloan Tennis Center. The Wolverines lost the doubles point for just the seventh time this season, and the host Tigers (17-9) followed with three wins in singles. The Maize and Blue, which was bidding to advance to the NCAA Team Championship for the first time since 1997, finishes its first season under head coach Ronni Bernstein with a 19-6 record.
Ina Hadziselimovic and Alexandra Luc ended junior Lindsey Howard(Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) and freshman DeniseMuresan's(Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) eight-match winning streak at No. 3 doubles, claiming an 8-5 victory to give Clemson the early advantage. The No. 4-ranked duo of Ani Mijacika and Carol Salge gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead with their 8-5 triumph over Michigan's No. 40-ranked pairing of junior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) and sophomore Tania Mahtani(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) at No. 1. It was just Sugiyama and Mahtani's seventh loss in 25 matches at the top spot.
Mijacika, who is ranked second nationally in singles, put Clemson in front 2-0 with a 6-0, 6-4 decision over No. 50-ranked Sugiyama at No. 1. Freshman Rika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) stepped up and delivered in her NCAA debut, closing out Federica van Adrichem by a commanding 6-1, 6-2 score at No. 5 to cut the deficit to 2-1. Tatsunowas victorious in 17 of 20 matches at the fifth position, including 17 straight.
The momentum was short-lived, however, as No. 113-ranked Estefania Balda handed freshman Whitney Taney(Edina, Minn./Edina HS) a 6-3, 6-3 defeat at No. 2 to put the Tigers ahead 3-1. Laurianne Henry then clinched the team win for Clemson with a 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-2 victory over Howard at No. 6.
Muresan (3-6, 6-4, 2-1) and Mahtani (4-6, 6-4, 3-2) both held a lead in the third set of their respective matches at the time the team match was decided.
Sugiyama will represent Michigan at the 2008 NCAA Singles Championship, which will be held May 21-26 at the University of Tulsa's Michael D. Case Tennis Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #2 Ani Mijacika (Clemson) d. #50 Chisako Sugiyama, 6-0, 6-4
No. 2 -- #113 Estefania Balda (Clemson) d. Whitney Taney, 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- Denise Muresan (U-M) vs. #59 Carol Salge, 3-6, 6-4, 2-1 (unfinished)
No. 4 -- #112 Tania Mahtani (U-M) vs. Ina Hadziselimovic, 4-6, 6-4, 3-2 (unfinished)
No. 5 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Federica van Adrichem, 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 -- #115 Laurianne Henry (Clemson) d. Lindsey Howard, 6-1, 6-7(3), 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- #4 Mijacika/Salge (Clemson) d. #40 Mahtani/Sugiyama, 8-5
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) vs. Balda/van Adrichem, 7-7
No. 3 -- Hadziselimovic/Alexandra Luc (Clemson) d. Howard/Muresan, 8-5
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1, Singles 1-5-2-6
QUOT E S
U-M Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On today's match... "We knew Clemson was going to be tough coming in. After they won the ACC, we knew they were really peaking. We were loose, we thought we could definitely hang with them, and I think we showed that we could. I think that they can go far in the tournament. They are very strong from the top of the lineup to the bottom."
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
