Michigan
Iowa
Wolverines Trounce Iowa for Ninth Win in a Row
4/17/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 17, 2011
Site: Iowa City, Iowa (Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex)
Result: #10 Michigan 7, Iowa 0
Records: U-M (19-3, 9-0 Big Ten), Iowa (6-13, 3-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, April 23 -- vs. Northwestern (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
IOWA CITY, Iowa -- For the second straight match, the No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won all nine matches -- three doubles and six singles -- to shutout Iowa, 7-0, for its ninth consecutive win on Sunday afternoon (April 17) at the Hawkeye Tennis and Recreation Complex.
Michigan swept the doubles matches in convincing fashion, sprinting out to 6-0 leads on all three courts. At No. 3, the pair of sophomore Mimi Nguyen (Long Beach, Calif./Millikan) and junior Michelle Sulahian (Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall) blanked Cassandra Escobar and Ally Majercik, 8-0, to put Michigan on the brink of securing the point. Moments after that match concluded, U-M's No. 2 duo of seniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) took an 8-2 victory to clinch the point for the Maize and Blue.
Senior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and freshman Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan) completed the trifecta of doubles victories, defeating No. 24-ranked Sonja Molnar and Jessica Young at No. 1 (8-2).
Freshman Sam Critser (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View) was first off court in singles, winning a 6-1, 6-0 match at No. 4 to push Michigan's lead to 2-0. Bolender, playing one court over from Critser, followed with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at No. 2 over Jessica Young for a 3-0 team lead. Nguyen clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-3 triumph over Cassandra Escobar. Nguyen faced a 3-0 second-set deficit before reeling off six straight to take the second and put the match out of reach.
Taney pushed Michigan's advantage to 5-0 with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Lynne Poggensee-Wei at No. 3. Muresan rebounded from a first-set loss (6-3) to win the second, 6-3, and force a 10-point tiebreaker in lieu of a full third set against No. 116 Sonja Molnar. It was all Muresan in the breaker, as she won 10-3 for her ninth Big Ten win of the season.
All focus turned to No. 5, as Tatsuno was the last remaining Wolverine on court. After dropping the first set, Tatsuno rallied from down 5-2 in the second to force and eventually win a tiebreaker (7-4) to take the set. Moving to the 10-point tiebreaker, Tatsuno wore down Christina Harazin to win, 10-7, and keep Iowa off the board.
The Wolverines will look for their second consecutive undefeated conference season and Big Ten Championship next Saturday (April 23) when they host Northwestern at the Varsity Tennis Center. Doubles are slated for an 11 a.m. start, with the senior class being honored prior to the match as part of Senior Day.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 8 Denise Muresan (U-M) d. No. 116 Sonja Molnar (Iowa), 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (3)
No. 2 -- No. 87 Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. Jessica Young (Iowa), 6-0, 6-2
No. 3 -- No. 109 Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Lynne Poggensee-Wei (Iowa), 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 -- No. 69 Sam Critser (U-M) d. Alexis Dorr (Iowa), 6-1, 6-0
No. 5 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Chrisinta Harazin (Iowa), 5-7, 7-6 (4), 1-0 (7)
No. 6 -- Mimi Nguyen (U-M) d. Cassandra Escobar (Iowa), 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 9 Brooke Bolender/Denise Muresan (U-M) d. No. 24 Sonja Molnar/Jessica Young (Iowa), 8-2
No. 2 -- No. 86 Whitney Taney/Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. No. 82 Lynne Poggensee-Wei/Christina Harazin (Iowa), 8-2
No. 3 -- Mimi Nguyen/Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Cassandra Escobar/Ally Majercik (Iowa), 8-0
Order of completion: Singles 4-2-6-3-1-5, Doubles 3-2-1
• Mimi Nguyen played for the first time since Michigan's 7-0 win over Purdue on March 27.
• Mimi Nguyen and Michelle Sulahian played as a doubles team for the first time during dual-match action.
• In doubles, Whitney Taney and Rika Tatsuno are a perfect 9-0 in Big Ten action.
• Brooke Bolender (9-0), Whitney Taney (9-0), Denise Muresan (9-0) and Mimi Nguyen (4-0) all remained perfect in conference action.
• Brooke Bolender won her 15th consecutive singles match
• Michigan has never trailed in a Big Ten match this season, outscoring its opponents, 60-3.
• During U-M's current nine-match win streak, the Wolverines have allowed only two points to opponents (61-2).
• Today was Michigan's second consecutive shutout and sixth of Big Ten action.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On Rika Tatsuno rallying for the win ... "She definitely dug in and found a way to win that match. Coming back from being down, I don't think that she felt great. But the true competitor in her came out and she just was able to get that win. That is what she has always been about for us, hanging in and not giving up. She battled and willed her way to a win in that final match. It was a great way to finish them off and get the sweep."
On doubles play ... "We got great starts across the board and did not let them in at all. That was really what it came down to today, getting good starts and just playing basic. It was good to see Michelle (Sulahian) and Mimi (Nguyen) get that 8-0 and get off quickly. We were high quality all the way down today in doubles. We set the tone from the beginning and got a lot of momentum heading into singles."
On playing for the Big Ten title at home next weekend ... "It is going to be a challenge, but we are really excited for it. This is what you play for. The goal for us is always to win the conference championship and now we have a chance to do it. Northwestern is a great team and you always want to see where you stack up against other teams in the conference. We are really where we need to be right now, and we are continually improving.
"The nice thing is that we get to play the match at home. It is going to be an emotional day, honoring this great senior class and what they have meant to the program. But at the same time, we have this great opportunity to play an important match in front of our great fans. We are really hoping for a great crowd at the VTC next weekend. Our fans can really make a difference."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
