Michigan
Vanderbilt
Wolverines Hang on to Dispatch of No. 18 Vanderbilt
2/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 13, 2011
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Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Result: #8 Michigan 4, #18 Vanderbilt 3
Records: U-M (6-0), Vanderbilt (5-2)
Next U-M Match: Friday, Feb. 18 -- at ITA National Indoor Championships (Charlottesville, Va.), Time TBA
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team was victorious on all three doubles courts and used singles wins at Nos. 1, 2 and 4 to defeat No. 18 Vanderbilt, 4-3, on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 13) at the Varsity Tennis Center. Today's match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network next Sunday (Feb. 20) at 11 a.m.
Michigan stayed perfect on the doubles courts for the third consecutive match, winning all three matches to secure the doubles point and a 1-0 early advantage. The No. 3 pair of freshman Sam Critser (Moutainview, Calif./Mountainview) and sophomore Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) jumped out to an early 4-1 lead before coasting to an 8-3 decision as the first Wolverines off the court.
At No. 1, senior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and freshman Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan) kept their dual-match record spotless with an 8-6 win to give Michigan its third consecutive doubles point. The duo battled back from a 2-0 deficit by winning four of the next five games en route to the 8-6 decision. Seniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) kept the Commodores off the board with an 8-2 victory moments after the No. 1 duo clinched the point.
Muresan was the first Wolverine off the singles court, scoring a 6-2, 6-1 win over No. 83 Jackie Wu to stake the Wolverines a 2-0 lead. Muresan led from start to finish in surrendering just three games to Wu.
Michigan extended its lead to 3-0 when Critser dispatched of No. 50 Alex Leatu (6-3, 6-3) at No. 2, before the Commodores won the next two matches at No. 6 and No. 5 to climb back in at 3-2.
Taney then wrapped the match up for the Wolverines with a 6-4, 6-2 win over No. 119 Lauren Mira at No. 5, battling back from a 2-0 hole in the first set to win the 12 of the next 16 games for the clinching victory. Bolender dropped a tough match at No. 3 to end the afternoon, falling to No. 89 Chelsea Preeg, 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8) in the only three-set match of the afternoon.
The Wolverines next head to the ITA National Indoor Championships next weekend (Fri-Mon., Feb. 18-21) in Charlottesville, Va. The draw will be announced on Feb. 15.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 11 Denise Muresan (U-M) d. No. 83 Jackie Wu (VU), 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 -- No. 105 Sam Critser (U-M) d. No. 50 Alex Leatu (VU), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 - No. 89 Chelsea Preeg (VU) d. Brooke Bolender (U-M), 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (8)
No. 4 -- No. 61 Whitney Taney (U-M) d. No. 119 Lauren Mira (VU), 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 -No. 64 Rachel Dillon (VU) d. Mimi Nguyen (U-M), 6-4, 7-5
No. 6 -- Keilly Ulery (VU) d. Rika Tatsuno (U-M), 7-5, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- Muresan/Bolender (U-M) d. Dillon/Leatu (VU), 8-6
No. 2 -- Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Wu/Preeg (VU), 8-2
No. 3 -- Nguyen/Critser (U-M) d. Ulery/Mira (VU), 8-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2; Singles 1-2-6-5-4-3
N O T E S
• Michigan swept all three doubles courts for the third consecutive match.
• The doubles tandem of Brooke Bolender and Denise Muresan are 6-0 on the year.
• For the first time this season, Sam Critser was not the last Wolverine off the court in singles.
• The 6-0 start is the best ever for the Wolverines under Ronni Bernstein.
• Whitney Taney (4-0) remained perfect in singles for the year.
• Michigan now leads the all-time series against Vanderbilt, 4-3.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On winning the doubles point ... "We are starting to click in doubles. I thought today was our best overall performance on all three courts. We looked really solid across the board. Vandy is really good so for us to get that point early was good. We are really happy with the lineups we have because we match up well both personality and skill-wise. We have won five of six doubles points this season so I am happy with that."
On the play of Denise Muresan ... "It was huge for her to put that second point on the board for us. She played a lot better today, and even during the match, she was saying how much better she felt out there. She was feeling the ball better today than she did the other day. When Denise plays like that at the top of the lineup and gets off court quickly, that really gets our team going."
On going to Indoors ... "We are really excited for it, to play with the top teams in the country. We are feeling good going in. We are going there and trying to win the thing. If we can get all six girls playing their best at the same time, we can do some damage. It is just a fun opportunity for us to see where we stand against the best."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
