Michigan
TCU
Michigan Pulls Out Big Road Win at Texas Christian
3/8/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site: Fort Worth, Texas (Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center)
Score: #19 Michigan 4, Texas Christian 3
Records: U-M (6-4),TCU(5-6)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, March21 --vs. Minnesota(Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
FORT WORTH, Texas -- The No. 19-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team pulled out a big 4-3 victory over No. 26 Texas Christian on Sunday afternoon (March 8) at the Bayard H. Friedman Tennis Center. With the Horned Frogs leading 3-2, junior Tania Mahtani(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) and freshman Michelle Sulahian(Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall HS) came up with huge singles wins at Nos. 4 and 6, respectively, to give the Wolverines (6-4)their first-ever victory over TCU (5-6).
Mahtani got off to a bit of a slow start against Gaby Mastromarino but found her groove and battled backto complete a 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory for U-M's third team point. Sulahian fed off the energy and closed out Maria Babanova by a score of 7-6(5), 6-4 to send the Maize and Blue home with the team win. It marked Sulahian's second match-clinching victory of her young career; she clinched the team's home winover South Carolina on Jan. 25.
The No. 21-ranked doubles team of Macall Harkins and Anna Sydorska gave Texas Christian the early momentum with an 8-1 triumph over Michigan's No. 38-ranked duo of Mahtani and senior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) at No. 1. Sophomores Whitney Taney(Edina, Minn./Edina HS) and Rika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) pulled the Wolverines even with an 8-5 win over Kayla Duncan and Katarina Tuohimaa at No. 2.
In the decisive match at No. 3, Babanova and Mastromarino outlasted senior Lindsey Howard(Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) and sophomore Denise Muresan(Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) by an 8-6 score to give the Horned Frogs a 1-0 advantage.
Michigan opened singles play with two straight victories to take its first lead of the match, 2-1. Tatsuno posted a solid 6-4, 6-1 decision over Duncan at No. 2 for her team-leading 15th overall win, while Muresan easily defeated Sydorska by a score of 6-2, 6-1 at No. 5 for her first win in three tries.
Texas Christian responded with a pair of straight-set victories at Nos. 1 and 3 to regain a 3-2 lead and set the stage for Mahtani and Sulahian's late-match heroics.
The Wolverines have nearly two weeks off before continuing the Big Ten Conference season at the Varsity Tennis Center. Michigan hosts Minnesota on Saturday, March 21, at noon and Iowa on Sunday, March 22, at 11 a.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 --#89 Macall Harkins (TCU) d. #58 Chisako Sugiyama, 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 --Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Kayla Duncan, 6-4, 6-1
No. 3 -- Katarina Tuohimaa (TCU) d. Whitney Taney, 6-0, 6-3
No. 4 -- Tania Mahtani (U-M) d. Gaby Mastromarino, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
No. 5 --Denise Muresan (U-M) d. Anna Sydorska, 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 --Michelle Sulahian(U-M) d. Maria Babanova, 7-6(5), 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- #21 Harkins/Sydorska (TCU) d. #38 Mahtani/Sugiyama, 8-1
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Duncan/Tuohimaa, 8-5
No. 3 --Babanova/Mastromarino (TCU) d. Lindsey Howard/Muresan, 8-6
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3, Singles 2-5-1-3-4-6
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 645-0045
Players Mentioned
