According to Michigan women's tennis coach Ronni Bernstein, senior Chisako Sugiyama has an “all-court” game.

What the coach means is that Sugiyama has the ability to win points right at the net while also being able to volley back and forth for an extended period of time. In addition, an "all-courter" uses the whole court when trying to get a point and can win long points that require a lot of endurance.

Sugiyama fits the mold of an "all-courter" perfectly.

“She is super talented,” Bernstein said of the Parsippany, N.J., native. “Chisako is willing to come towards the net and has an excellent backhand and can beat you off that side as well.”

But with Michigan's five underclassmen on its eight-member roster, the soft-spoken Sugiyama has had to step up this season and influence the play of the rest of the team.

No one knows her leadership capabilities better than Sugiyama’s current doubles partner, junior Tania Mahtani.

"She has taught me the importance of being aggressive, especially in doubles, and not just waiting for an opponent to make an error,” Mahtani said. “Since I’ve started playing with her, I’ve become more multi-dimensional in my doubles games as well as in singles.”

Sugiyama had to learn to be a leader the hard way.

When she was in high school, Sugiyama simply relied on her natural ability.

“In high school tennis, I knew I was going to win,” Sugiyama said.

When she arrived in Ann Arbor, she knew she was going to have to work for every point.

But the transition from the high school ranks to the collegiate scene did not take long. Sugiyama notched a team-best 27 wins in her first year, thanks to guidance from the team captain.

Then-senior Debra Streifler gave Sugiyama many words of advice about her singles game, something Sugiyama says has helped her become the player she is today.

The following year, another upperclassman took Sugiyama under her wing.

“I played doubles with (then-senior) Jenny (Kuehn) two years ago,” Sugiyama said. “She wasn’t a very vocal person, but she knew how to play and what she wanted to do on the court.”

Sugiyama's leadership is similar to Kuehn's. She has become one of the best leaders on this year's edition of the Wolverines, even though she rarely talks while playing.

Now, Sugiyama is Bernstein's go-to player. The senior is just 10 wins away from becoming the all-time wins leader in Wolverine history. And with more than two months left in the season, Sugiyama is on pace to reach the milestone.

And if she hopes to make a dive into the NCAA Tournament this year, the Japanese-born Sugiyama will need to use every aspect of her "all-court" game.

She made an early exit last year, losing in the second round of the NCAA Singles Championship. But after much improvement and another year of experience, Sugiyama is now looking to make a statement.

"Chisako has been at the top of our lineup since I've been here," Bernstein said. "She is definitely one of those 'lead by example' players."