Michigan
Wisconsin
Shutout at Wisconsin Gives Michigan 500 Program Wins
4/3/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 3, 2011
Site: Madison, Wis. (Nielsen Tennis Stadium)
Result: #8 Michigan 7, Wisconsin 0
Records: U-M (15-3, 5-0 Big Ten), Wisconsin (11-7, 2-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Match: Saturday, April 9 -- vs. Ohio State (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team recorded the 500th victory in program history with a 7-0 win at Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon (April 3) at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium. The Wolverines are the fourth women's program at U-M to reach the 500-win plateau.
For the fourth consecutive match, the Wolverines grabbed the doubles point by sweeping all three matches to gain the early 1-0 advantage. The No. 2 duo of seniors Whitney Taney (Edina, Minn./Edina) and Rika Tatsuno (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./Palos Verdes Peninsula) won the first match for U-M, grabbing an 8-2 win. Michigan's top duo of senior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and freshman Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan), ranked No. 8, clinched the first point with another 8-2 victory.
The Wolverines stayed perfect on the doubles court with an 8-4 win by junior Michelle Sulahian (Valley Glen, Calif./Campbell Hall) and freshman Sam Critser (Mountainview, Calif./Mountainview) at No. 3.
Tatsuno was first off court once singles began, coasting to a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Jessica Seyferth at No. 5 to stake Michigan a 2-0 lead. Critser, playing at No. 4 for the second consecutive day, followed with a 6-0, 6-2 win against Hannah Berner to put Michigan on the verge of clinching the match.
Taney put the match away for the Maize and Blue with her ninth consecutive win, dispatching of Nicky Stracar at No. 3, 6-1, 6-2. Muresan continued Michigan's dominance on the singles court, winning 6-2, 6-3 over Jenny Hois at the top of the lineup to push the Wolverine advantage to 5-0.
Sulahian, playing at No. 6 for the second consecutive match, rallied for a 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (6) victory to push the Michigan advantage to 6-0. Bolender kept the Badgers off the board with a 6-3, 7-6 (3) triumph at No. 2, giving Michigan its third straight shutout win. Bolender was down 5-2 in the second set before coming back to win in the tiebreak, 7-3.
U-M returns home for a pair next weekend, hosting Ohio State at noon on Saturday (April 9) and Penn State at 11 a.m. on Sunday (April 10).
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 7 Denise Muresan (U-M) d. Jenny Hois (Wis), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 73 Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. Alaina Trgovich (Wis), 6-3, 7-6 (3)
No. 3 -- No. 98 Whitney Taney (U-M) d. Nicky Stracar (Wis), 6-1, 6-2
No. 4 -- No. 69 Sam Critser (U-M) d. Hannah Berner (Wis), 6-0, 6-2
No. 5 -- Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Jessica Seyferth (Wis), 6-1, 6-3
No. 6 -- Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Aleksandra Markovic (Wis), 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6)
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 8 Denise Muersan/Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. Hois/Trgovich (Wis), 8-2
No. 2 -- Whitney Taney/Rika Tatsuno (U-M) d. Berner/Seyferth (Wis), 8-2
No. 3 -- Sam Critser/Michelle Sulahian (U-M) d. Markovic/Stracar (Wis) , 8-4
Order of Completion: Singles 5-4-3-1-6-2, Doubles 2-1-3
N O T E S
• The Wolverines join softball (1,347), gymnastics (681) and volleyball (612) as women's programs at Michigan with 500 program wins. Michigan has an all-time record of 500-325.
• In five Big Ten matches, Michigan has outscored its competition, 33-2.
• Denise Muresan (5-0), Whitney Taney (5-0), Brooke Bolender (5-0), Rika Tatsuno (4-0) and Michelle Sulahian (2-0) all remain perfect in Big Ten competition.
• Denise Muresan now has 102 career wins, just two away from tying Chisako Sugiyama's all-time mark of 104.
• Brooke Bolender (11), Rika Tatsuno (10) and Whitney Taney (9) all kept their win streaks intact.
• Michigan has only dropped one doubles match in Big Ten action, going 14-1 in conference matches.
• U-M has won 16-of-18 doubles points in 2011 and is 15-1 when securing the first point of the match.
• The Wolverines have yet to trail in a Big Ten match.
• U-M has won 20 consecutive regular-season Big Ten matches and has not lost a conference match since a 6-1 loss to No. 1 Northwestern on March 29, 2009.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On the weekend ... "It was a really good weekend for us. We are starting to really put things together as a team. Everyone is contributing right now. Both days, it was just a total team effort out there. I feel like we are gaining more confidence each match as we head to the Big Ten Tournament at the end of the season. I thought it was good for Michelle (Sulahian) to come back and win her match today after dropping the first set. Brooke (Bolender) was down 5-2 in the second but found a way to win in two. I just feel like we are getting contributions from everyone right now and that is great to see."
On 500 wins ... "It is great for our program. The last couple of years has been amazing, but so many of those wins came before us. We are just trying to continue the success of the program; 500 is great, and I think it shows what a great program Michigan tennis is. I love working with the kids we have here and hopefully, we can get to 600 pretty quickly. It shows the dedication of everyone who has played here and the direction that we are taking this program."
On where the team goes from here ... "We are excited to get back home and play in front of our fans. I think that this past weekend was good for us, getting some more road experience and picking up some quality Big Ten wins. Anytime you can keep a team off the board, you are getting it done on the court. It was definitely a good trip for us."
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
