Captain's Log with Lindsey Howard: It's Almost Over
5/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Captain's Log with Lindsey Howard
WEDNESDAY,MAY6 -- It's Almost Over
Hello everyone! It has been a while since my last blog, so I have a lot to write about! To conclude Big Ten play, we defeated Illinois and Indiana on the road. With these two wins, we finished second in the Big Ten with a 9-1 record, and this guaranteed us a No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. The following weekend we headed to Madison, Wis., for the Big Ten Tournament where we played Wisconsin in the first round. We captured the doubles point and won three of six singles matches to advance to the next round where we faced Illinois. Despite beating them 6-1 in the regular season, we knew it was going to be a battle. We won the doubles point with wins at Nos. 1 and 3. The momentum quickly changed and we went down 3-1 with straight-set losses at Nos. 1, 2 and 6. We needed to win every match still out on the court to stay alive in the tournament. Whitney closed the gap to 3-2 with a win at No. 4 while Denise and Tania were just starting their third sets. I was so nervous! Tania went up 5-0 in the third while Denise went down 4-1. It was not looking good but Denise always finds a way to pull it out in pressure situations. The team really got behind her and she fought her way back to 4-3. Tania won at No. 5, so it was all on Denise. She started to get into a rhythm while the freshman from Illinois got tight. I truly believe her experience was the reason she won that match! It was one of the closest college matches I have ever been a part of! With the win over Illinois, we advanced to play Northwestern in the title match. Unfortunately, we lost to them in the finals but I am extremely proud of the girls and of everything that we have accomplished so far!
When we came back from the conference tournament, some of the girls had more finals to study for while I had to move out of my house. I lived in the same house for three years. I lived with volleyball and field hockey players and with one soccer player and one swimmer. I loved my house and will never forget the memories we made there! Michelle is moving into the house so I know I can always come back to visit! Ever since I moved out, I have been staying at friends' houses and living out of my car! It is not an ideal situation but it will do until the end of season! Lets just say I have a new-found appreciation for shelter that is my own! This past weekend was graduation. I still cannot believe it is all coming to an end. My family came into town for the ceremony and for a barbecue with all of my friends and their families. It was nice for everyone to get together one last time before we all have to say goodbye.As much as I am going to miss college, it is exciting to move on to the next chapter of my life (whatever that may be)!
We finished the regular season ranked No. 17, one spot short of hosting the first and second rounds of the NCAA tournament. However, several California schools finished in the top 16 and the NCAA has a rule that regulates the number of teams from the same region hosting. As a result of this rule, we thought we had a chance. We got together with the mens team at the Varsity Tennis Center to watch the selection show. No one knew where we would end up ... some thought we would host while the majority of the team thought we would go to California. As the show went on we saw that Illinois, a lower ranked team from our region, was selected to host while we were being sent to Notre Dame! We couldnt believe it. This will be my third year going to South Bend for NCAA Regionals. It is unfortunate that we didnt get to host, but this weekend is a great opportunity for us. Friday we play Sacramento State, a team we have never seen before, and the winner will play either Notre Dame or Illinois-Chicago on Saturday. My college tennis career is also coming to an end soon. While I had many ups and downs, I am really going to miss competing for Michigan and I am especially going to miss the girls! They have been like family to me over the past four years! Making the Sweet 16 would be an amazing way to end my career here at Michigan, so hopefully well make that happen! Thanks for reading and Go Blue!
Players Mentioned
