Notes & Quotes: Michigan Invitational (Day Three)
1/16/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Jan. 16, 2012
N O T E S
• A Wolverine player claimed the Michigan Invitational singles title for the second straight season. Last season, Denise Muresan took the crown with a 3-0 record.
• On the weekend, Michigan posted a 15-3 record in singles and went 7-2 in doubles.
• Freshman Emina Bektas improved to 11-4 this season. She has faced ranked opponents in nine of her 15 collegiate matches.
• With her win at No. 2 singles today, sophomore Brooke Bolender avenged a loss from last season. She previously fell to Georgia Tech's Christina Ngo, 7-6, 4-6, 6-1, at the 2011 Michigan Invitational.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Ronni Bernstein
On the Wolverines' performance ... "Every year, we try to bring in the best teams possible to this tournament. It's great for our young kids to feel what it's like to play at the Varsity Tennis Center in a format similar to a dual match. They all had their moments, where even if they didn't win the match, they were in it and fighting until the very end. That's what we want."
On freshman Emina Bektas' weekend ... "She's a freshman but doesn't play like one. She's very confident in what she does. She's got a big game that works around her serve, so if she can get a break, she's going to be in good shape. If we can get even better with her return game, the results are really going to come. She's been phenomenal since she got here. She had a great fall, and she's starting off our winter season with three quality wins."
On the freshman class ... "I'm happy with the way the freshmen played. Obviously, Emina really stood out, winning all her matches at No. 1 singles. Kristy won a big match today. They're all competing hard, and I think that's what is going to be important as they get used to the college format."
U-M Freshman Emina Bektas
On winning the singles title ... "It feels great. Even though this wasn't a dual format, I really wanted to come out, get adjusted to how it will be and play well for the team."
On her win today ... "I had been serving well the entire match, so I really just tried to stay positive throughout. She was fighting back. We had a couple close service games, and I had a couple break points that I didn't convert. But I knew that I was doing well in my serve, so as long as I just kept at it, I knew I could close out the match. I happened to get three aces."
U-M Sophomore Brooke Bolender
On the Wolverines' weekend effort ... "I think the weekend went pretty well for us. We have a young team, so it was nice for the freshmen to have a chance to play on our courts as we get ready for the dual season. We were strong all weekend, and each day got better for everyone. I think we just need to continue getting adjusted to the doubles pairings. The energy of the team was pretty good for most of the weekend. We just need to keep improving every day."
On playing at home for the first time this season ... "It felt awesome. Last year, my freshman year, we got to play twice here in the fall. It's a big difference to play at home. We have fans that come out and watch, which is great, and there's definitely just a comfort level that we have playing here."
Players Mentioned
