Michigan
USF
Wolverines Shut Out South Florida to Begin Homestand
3/18/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 18, 2011
• Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery 
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Result: #5 Michigan 7, South Florida 0
Records: U-M (11-3), USF (5-10)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, March 26 -- vs. Indiana (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team swept all three doubles matches and stayed perfect on the singles court in a 7-0 triumph over South Florida on Friday evening (March 18) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Michigan raced out to an early 1-0 advantage, courtesy of sweeping all three doubles matches to secure the doubles point. At No. 3, sophomore Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) and freshman Sam Critser (Mountainview, Calif./Mountainview) made quick work of Alessandra Borte and Kate Parker, dispatching of the USF duo, 8-0. Michigan's No. 2 duo of seniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) clinched the point with an 8-4 victory after jumping out to a 4-1 lead.
With the point in hand, Michigan made it a clean sweep when the No. 1 pairing of senior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and freshman Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan) held on for an 8-5 win.
Nguyen claimed Michigan's first singles win with a 6-0, 6-1 dismantling of Kate Parker to put the Wolverines on top, 2-0. Tatsuno followed next at No. 5, taking a 6-0, 6-3 decision from Alessandra Bonte. Taney provided the clinching point moments after Tatsuno won, scoring a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4.
Muresan kept Michigan's winning ways going, grabbing a 6-2, 6-1 victory over No. 47 Irene Rehberger at the top spot to extend Michigan's lead to 5-0. Critser, who battled back from a first-set loss, and Bolender both had match point at the same time as the two Wolverines left on court. Critser came through first, winning 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (4).
Bolender cashed in on her second match point of the evening, winning 6-4, 6-2 at No. 2 to keep the Bulls off the scoreboard.
The Wolverines return to Big Ten play next Saturday (March 26), hosting Indiana at 11 a.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 8 Denise Muresan (U-M) d.No. 47 Irene Rehberger (USF), 6-2, 6-1
No. 2 -- No. 75 Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. No. 100 Ecaterina Vasenina (USF), 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 -- No. 63 Sam Critser (U-M) d. No. 70 Janette Bejlkova (USF), 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (4)
No. 4 -- No. 94 Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Loreto Alonso (USF), 6-1, 6-2
No. 5 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Alessandra Bonte (USF), 6-0, 6-3
No. 6 -- Mimi Nguyen (U-M) d. Kate Parker (USF), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 14 Muresan/Bolender (U-M) d. No. 46 Bejklova/Alonso (USF), 8-5
No. 2 -- No. 55 Taney/Tatsuno (U-M) d. Rehberger/Vasenina (USF), 8-4
No. 3 -- Critser/Nguyen (U-M) d. Bonte/Parker (USF), 8-0
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 6-5-4-1-3-2
• Whitney Taney became the first Wolverine to eclipse the 100-win plateau in doubles.
• Michigan improves to 5-8 all-time against the Bulls.
• Mimi Nguyen played at No. 6 for the first time this season.
• Brooke Bolelnder won her seventh consecutive singles match, Whitney Taney won her sixth consecutive and Rika Tatsuno won her fifth consecutive match.
• Michigan is 12-1 at the No. 3 singles position and 11-2 at both the No. 4 and No. 6 slots.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On tonight's match ... "I thought tonight was one of our better matches of the season. It was a complete team effort from all three doubles to all six singles. I was really happy with the way everyone played today. South Florida is a really good team, and we never really let them into the match."
On Whitney Taney earning her 100th doubles win ... "Whitney is such a great doubles player. She has a great sense of the game and where to hit. She does the right thing and just has such a presence out on the court. She has been amazing for us the past four years. She is a great leader on the court, and I am happy for her."
On heading into Big Ten action ... "The girls feel really good about where we are right now after tonight's match. We will go back to work this week, work on a few things and just continue to get better. Our goal is to win it again. We are excited with where we are right now. We have had a few bumps in the road, but it has made us a better team."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
