Muresan and Bolender Selected for NCAA Individual Championships
5/4/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
May 4, 2011
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Senior Denise Muresan (Lincolnshire, Ill./Adlai E. Stevenson) and freshman Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan) will represent the University of Michigan women's tennis team at the 2011 NCAA Individual Championships, the NCAA announced Wednesday (May 4). The Championships will run May 25-30 at Stanford University's Taube Tennis Center.
It is the second straight year Muresan has made the field of 64 for singles action, becoming just the fourth Wolverine in program history to earn multiple bids in a career. The 2011 Big Ten Player of the Year earned the conference's automatic bid and is ranked No. 8 in the latest ITA rankings. She carries a 30-10 overall record, including a 17-6 dual-match mark at the top of the lineup. She becomes the first U-M athlete since Michelle DaCosta in 2004 to qualify for the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships in the same season. Muresan is the No. 8 seed in the singles tournament.
Muresan and Bolender form the nation's No. 8-ranked doubles tandem, carrying a 21-3 dual-match record, including an 18-3 mark at the top of the lineup. The pair was named to the 2011 ITA National Team Indoor Championships all-tournament team after going 3-0 at the national event earlier this season. The Wolverine duo earned the Big Ten's automatic berth and is seeded 5-8 in the 32-team doubles tournament. It is the first time Bolender and Muresan have competed in the doubles tournament in their respective careers.
In addition, freshman Sam Critser (Mountain View, Calif./Mountain View) was named an alternate for the singles tournament. She is currently ranked No. 67 by the ITA with a 29-11 overall record, going 17-8 in dual matches. She is listed as No. 7 on the alternate list.
The Wolverines received the No. 10 seed for the upcoming NCAA Team Championship and will host a regional for the second consecutive season. U-M will square off against Akron in first-round action at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Varsity Tennis Center. Should the Wolverines win, they will face the winner of No. 22 Tulsa/No. 44 Nebraska on Sunday, May 15, at 1 p.m.
Contact: Sarah VanMetre (734) 763-4423
