Michigan
Illinois
Michigan Defeats Illinois in Regular-Season Finale
4/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Score: #18 Michigan 6,Illinois 1
Records: U-M (15-5, 9-1Big Ten),Illinois (17-6, 8-2Big Ten)
Next U-M Match:Friday, April 24-- vs.Wisconsin or Iowaat Big Ten Tournament (Madison, Wis.), 2 p.m. CDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team closed out the regular season with a big 6-1 victory over No. 33 Illinois on Sunday afternoon (April 19) at the Atkins Tennis Center. The Wolverines (15-5, 9-1 Big Ten) claimed their sixth doubles sweep and five of the six singles matches to clinch their fifth straight victory over the Fighting Illini(17-6, 8-2 Big Ten) and secure the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Big Ten Conference Tournament for the second straight year.
Senior Lindsey Howard(Richmond, Va./Mills E. Godwin HS) and sophomore Denise Muresan(Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson HS) struck first in doubles, earning an 8-4 triumph over Amy Allin and Annie McCarthy at No. 3 to even their dual-match record at 8-8. U-M's No. 24-ranked tandem of senior Chisako Sugiyama(Parsippany, N.J./The Montclair Kimberley Academy) and junior Tania Mahtani(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) clinched the team's 14th doubles point of 2009 with an 8-5 decision over Chelcie Abajian and Leigh Finnegan at No. 1. Sugiyama and Mahtani finish the Big Ten season with a team-best 9-1 record and hold an impressive 19-1 career record against conference opposition at the top spot. Sophomores Whitney Taney(Edina, Minn./Edina HS) and Rika Tatsuno(Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula HS) wrapped up the doubles sweep with an 8-7(5) win over Megan Fudge and Marisa Lambropoulos at No. 2, marking the U-M pair's eighth straight victory.
The Illini evened the score at 1-1 with a straight-setdecision at No. 5 singles, but Michigan strung together fiveconsecutivewins to run away withthe team victory. Taney got back on track with a commanding 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Abajian at No. 4, and Muresan moved past Lambropoulos by a score of 7-6(1), 6-3 at No. 3 to put the Wolverines in position for their sixth straightwin. Muresan finished the Big Ten season with a team-best 9-1 record in singles action.
Freshman Michelle Sulahian(Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall School) supplied the clincher with a gutsy 7-5, 7-6(4) victory over Kristina Minor at No. 6. Sugiyama completed a 6-7(3), 6-3, 1-0(2)comeback win over 99th-ranked Finnegan at No. 1 to wrap up her fourth straight 20-win singles campaign. Tatsuno capped off the match with an impressive 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4 upset victory over 75th-ranked Fudge at No. 2, marking her fifth career win over a nationally-ranked opponent.
The Wolverines will enter the Big Ten Tournament as the No. 2 seed and will face the winner betweenNo. 7-seed Wisconsin and No.10-seed Iowain the quarterfinals on Friday (April 24) at 2 p.m. CDT. The annualconference tournament will be played Thursday through Sunday (April23-26) at theNielsen Tennis Stadiumin Madison, Wis.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- #70 Chisako Sugiyama(U-M) d. #99 Leigh Finnegan, 6-7(3), 6-3, 1-0(2)
No. 2 -- #106 Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. #75 Megan Fudge, 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-4
No. 3 -- Denise Muresan(U-M) d. Marisa Lambropoulos, 7-6(1), 6-3
No. 4 --Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Chelcie Abajian, 6-2, 6-2
No. 5 --Amy Allin (Illinois) d. Tania Mahtani, 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 -- Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Kristina Minor, 7-5, 7-6(4)
Doubles
No. 1 -- #24 Mahtani/Sugiyama (U-M) d. Abajian/Finnegan, 8-5
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Fudge/Lambropoulos, 8-7(5)
No. 3 -- Lindsey Howard/Muresan (U-M) d. Allin/Annie McCarthy, 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles3-1-2, Singles 5-4-3-6-1-2
Contact: Marc Ressler (734) 645-0045
Players Mentioned
