Michigan
Ohio State
Wolverines Crush Buckeyes, Earn Spot in NCAA Sweet 16
5/15/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 15, 2010
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| NCAA Regional Central | 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Event: NCAA Championships (Second Round)
Score: #4 Michigan 4, Ohio State 0
Records: U-M (24-4), Ohio State (20-10)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, May 20 -- vs. Tennessee - NCAA Sweet 16 (Athens, Ga.), 3 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Junior Denise Muresan's (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) three-set win at the No. 1 position on Saturday (May 15) gave the No. 4-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team a 4-0 triumph over Ohio State in the second round of the NCAA Championships at the Varsity Tennis Center. U-M's victory sends the Wolverines to the Sweet 16, to be played next Thursday (May 20) against Tennessee at 3 p.m. in Athens, Ga.
The Wolverines captured the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2 to grab the early advantage. The No. 2 pairing of freshman Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) and sophomore Michelle Sulahian (Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall School) came away with a quick 8-2 decision, before Ohio State took a victory at No. 3 to tie up the competition. The No. 19-ranked duo of juniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) raced out to a 6-0 advantage and hung on for an 8-5 win to deliver the doubles point to the home side.
Sulahian was once again the first Wolverine off court in singles, winning 6-4, 6-0 at No. 6 to put U-M on top, 2-0. Senior Tania Mahtani (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) rebounded from a 6-4 first-set loss to claim her second straight match at No. 4 (4-6, 6-1, 6-1).
Muresan then iced the match for the Wolverines at the No. 1 position, defeating No. 72 Kirsten Flower in three sets (6-2, 2-6, 6-4). On her second match point, Muresan forced a Flower forehand into the net to give the Wolverines their second straight shutout win of the NCAA Championships.
Michigan now heads to the Sweet 16 at the University of Georgia. The Wolverines will face off against No. 13-seeded Tennessee on Thursday (May 20) at 3 p.m. from the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 19 Denise Muresan (U-M) d. No. 72 Kirsten Flower (OSU), 6-2, 2-6, 6-4
No. 2 -- Whitney Taney (U-M) vs. Paloma Escobedo (OSU), 6-3, 3-6, 1-2 abandoned
No. 3 -- Mimi Nguyen (U-M) vs. Kelsey Haviland (OSU) , 5-7, 6-4, 2-3 abandoned
No. 4 -- Tania Mahtani (U-M) d. Gabby Steele (OSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-1
No. 5 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) vs. Christina Keesey (OSU), 6-7 (5), 6-1, 2-1 abandoned
No. 6 -- Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Cami Hubbs (OSU), 6-4, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 19 Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Haviland/Hubbs (OSU), 8-5
No. 2 -- Nguyen/Sulahian (U-M) d. Escobedo/Keesey (OSU), 8-2
No. 3 -- Steele/Manashirova (OSU) d. Mahtani/Muresan (U-M), 8-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3-1; Singles 6-4-1
N O T E S
• It is the first time since 1997 that Michigan advanced to the NCAA Team Championships.
• It is the first time that head coach Ronni Bernstein has led her team to the Sweet 16.
• Michigan went 2-0 against Ohio State this season. U-M scored a 6-1 win over Ohio State earlier in the campaign on April 11 to record its 100th win at the Varsity Tennis Center.
• Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno have won 15 matches in a row as a doubles pair.
• Michelle Sulahian picked up her 32nd win of the season, putting her in a tie for second on the single-season list.
• Denise Muresan won her 33rd match of the season, leaving her one away from tying the single-season win mark, held by Sarah Cyganiak. It was Muresan's first win since April 25 against Indiana.
• Today's match marked the final match at the Varsity Tennis Center this season. U-M went 10-1 this season at home.
• Tania Mahtani played her final match at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On the crowd ... "It was such a great atmosphere here today. It is exciting to be at home and play these big matches here. You never know what you are going to get with a crowd, but they really came out today and pushed us through. They got behind us early, and the girls were able to feel that. It was a big reason why we were able to win today."
On advancing in the NCAA Championships ... "It is just great for the program, and I am so happy for the girls. They have put in so much work and definitely deserve this. It is going to feel good to have Michigan in the final 16 down there. We are not going to just show up; we are there to do well. We think that we belong and want to come out and show that. We believe we can do that."
On the doubles point ... "I think we got a little tight (at No. 1 doubles). We were up and just had to remember that we were up. We were still in control even though they were coming back. We just had to settle down and win the point. The doubles point was huge today, just like it has been all year. It has been such a positive thing for us all year and it was good to get off to that start today."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
