Michigan
Syracuse
Michigan Blanks Syracuse to Remain Perfect in Dual Match Action
2/6/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 6, 2010
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #16 Michigan 7, Syracuse 0
Records: U-M (4-0), Syracuse (4-1)
Attendance: 308
Next U-M Match: Sunday, Feb. 7 -- vs. Notre Dame (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won its fourth consecutive match to begin the 2010 season, blanking Syracuse, 7-0, on Saturday (Feb. 6) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
U-M won its fourth consecutive doubles point, with the duo of freshman Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) and sophomore Michelle Sulahian (Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall School) winning its eighth consecutive match. The No. 3 pair led the entire match, coming away with an 8-4 win to clinch the point for U-M. Michigan won the first doubles match at the No. 2 position as juniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) combined for an 8-3 victory.
The Maize and Blue continued its strong play into singles, where all six Wolverines won in straight-sets to keep Syracuse off the scoreboard.
Sulahian won her seventh consecutive singles match, claiming a 6-2, 6-3 decision over No. 102 Alessondra Parra at the No. 6 position. Junior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) had little trouble in a 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 1 position, using a cross-court shot down the left sideline to win the match.
Nguyen then clinched the match for the Maize and Blue with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 74 CC Sardhina at No. 5 singles. The freshman broke Sardhina with a drop shot to take the second set, 6-1, and win her fifth consecutive match.
After the deciding match, Tatsuno followed with a win at No. 3 (6-1, 7-5). With Tatsuno up 5-4, Tan came through with a break to knot the score at 5-5. Tatsuno broke right back before serving out the 7-5 second-set win.
U-M completed the sweep when Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) won her first match of the season at the No. 2 position (6-4, 6-4) before Taney ended the match with a victory (7-5, 6-4) at No. 4 singles.
The Wolverines will conclude their weekend home stand tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 7) when they host No. 13-ranked Notre Dame as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. The women's match will begin at 11 a.m. with the men slated to follow at 3 p.m. against Pepperdine.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 36 Denise Muresan (U-M) def. Emily Harman (SYR), 6-3, 6-1
No. 2 -- Tania Mahtani (U-M) def. No. 102 Alessondra Parra (SYR), 6-4, 6-4
No. 3 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) def. Christina Tan (SYR), 6-1, 7-5
No. 4 -- Whitney Taney (U-M) def. Eleanor Peters (SYR), 7-5, 6-4
No. 5 -- Mimi Nguyen (U-M) def. No. 74 CC Sardinha (SYR), 6-2, 6-1
No. 6 -- Michelle Sulahian (U-M) def. No. 102 Simone Kalhorn (SYR), 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- Harman/Tan (SYR) def. Muresan/Mahtani (U-M), 8-6
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) def. Sardinha/Jones (SYR), 8-3
No. 3 -- Nguyen/Sulahian (U-M) def. Peters/Kalhorn (SYR), 8-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3-1, Singles 6-1-5-3-2-4
N O T E S
• With the win, U-M improves to 2-0 all-time against Syracuse.
• Michigan (4-0) is off to its best start since the 2004 season, when the Wolverines opened with a 7-0 record.
• It is the second time this season the Wolverines have shutout an opponent; they also defeated Western Michigan, 7-0, on Jan. 24.
• The No. 2 doubles pairing of Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno, along with the No. 3 duo of Mimi Nguyen and Michelle Sulahian, are both undefeated in dual-match play (4-0).
• Rika Tatsuno and Tania Mahtani flipped in the singles lineup, with Mahtani playing at the No. 2 position and Tatsuno playing at the No. 3 slot for the first time this season.
• Mimi Nguyen knocked off the first ranked opponent of her career (No. 74 CC Sardhina).
• Denise Muresan, Mimi Nguyen and Michelle Sulahian are all undefeated in dual-match play (4-0).
• With her 19 wins this season, Denise Muresan is one win away from tying her win total from all of last season when she went 20-9.
• Syracuse is in the midst of a three-match Michigan road trip. The Orange defeated Eastern Michigan, 4-3, yesterday (Friday, Feb. 5) and will take on Michigan State tomorrow (Sunday, Feb. 7).
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
