Michigan
Pepperdine
Michigan Wins at Pepperdine for Fourth Straight Victory
3/5/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 5, 2010
Site: Malibu, Calif. (Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center)
Score: #7 Michigan 6, #35 Pepperdine 1
Records: U-M (10-3), Pepperdine (4-7)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, March 20 -- at Michigan State (East Lansing, Mich.), 2 p.m.
MALIBU, Calif. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team concluded its two-match West Coast swing with a 6-1 triumph over No. 35 Pepperdine on Friday (March 5) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center. The Wolverines won the doubles point and dropped only one singles match on the afternoon to claim their fourth consecutive victory.
For the seventh consecutive match, U-M entered singles play with the 1-0 advantage courtesy of the doubles point. Michigan secured wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles as the No. 53 duo of juniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) won 8-1, while senior Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) and junior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) collected their fourth in a row at the No. 3 position, 8-0.
Sophomore Michelle Sulahian (Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall School) was the first Wolverine off the court thanks to a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 6 singles. Taney quickly followed with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 4, with freshman Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) clinching the match for the Maize and Blue at the No. 3 slot, defeating Ali Walters, 6-3, 6-3.
The Wolverines picked up two more singles wins before the contest was over, with Tatsuno defeating Anamika Bhargava (6-3, 6-3) for her second consecutive victory. Muresan defeated Pepperdine's only ranked singles player, No. 81 Arianna Colffer, 6-3, 6-3. The Waves won at the No. 5 position to secure their only team point of the match.
U-M will take a weekend off before opening up Big Ten Conference action at in-state rival Michigan State on March 20 at 2 p.m. in East Lansing.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 27 Denise Muresan (U-M) d. No. 81 Arianna Colffer (Pepperdine), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Anamika Bhargava (Pepperdine), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- Mimi Nguyen (U-M) d. Ali Walters (Pepperdine), 6-3, 6-3
No. 4 - Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Marie Zalameda (Pepperdine), 6-0, 6-1
No. 5 - Andrea Oates (Pepperdine) d. Tania Mahtani (U-M), 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (6)
No. 6 -- Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Tania Rice (Pepperdine), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 - Zalameda/Bhargava d. No. 32 Nguyen/Sulahian (U-M), 8-7 (4)
No. 1 - No. 53 Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Oates/Walters (Pepperdine), 8-1
No. 3 -- Mahtani/Muresan (U-M) d. Rice/Colffer (Pepperdine), 8-0
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 6-4-3-2-1-5
• Michigan moves to 1-3 versus Pepperdine.
• U-M played outdoors for the third time this season (at Duke, Feb. 20; at Loyola Marymount, March 3).
• Michigan won the doubles point for the 12th time this season and for the seventh match in a row.
• Mimi Nguyen improved to a team-best 11-2 in dual matches.
• Mimi Nguyen has won five matches in a row, with Whitney Taney and Michelle Sulahian riding four-match win streaks.
• Mimi Nguyen and Michelle Sulahian dropped only their second doubles match of the season.
• Denise Muresan and Tania Mahtani are 4-0 at the No. 3 doubles slot.
• Tania Mahtani played at No. 5 singles for the first time this season.
• Michelle Sulahian (10-2) won her 10th dual match of the season.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head coach Ronni Bernstein
On the spring break trip and today's match ... "We got a good week outside, which was what we wanted. We wanted get some outdoor matches under our belt because that is what we will be playing in May. I was really pleased with our match today. Pepperdine is a really good team, and we beat them pretty convincingly. We are definitely where we want to be right now. I was really happy with the whole team today, especially Rika (Tatsuno). It was nice to see her get her confidence back because we need her playing well if we are going to be successful. We played well today and fought hard, something this team has done all season."
On having a little bit of a break before Big Ten action starts ... "We leave tomorrow and then we are going to give them a couple of days off before getting back to it on Tuesday. We need to work on some little things, but for the most part, we are where we want to be. Doubles has obviously stood out for us so far and that has to continue. We have played hard all season and competed as a team. We need to keep it up as the season goes on."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
