After suffering its first loss of the season on March 14 to No.
37 Alabama, the No. 19 Michigan’s women’s tennis team
has come roaring back. It handed Western Michigan a 6-1 loss last
Wednesday at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Then on Saturday, the Wolverines traveled to Marquette and
dominated the Golden Eagles 7-0. The victory extended their season
record to 8-1.
Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt was very happy with the play of her
team. The Wolverines won all five singles matches, and swept the
doubles as well.
Michigan won the sixth singles match by default because
Marquette did not have anyone to play in that slot.
“We dominated today,” Ritt said. “We played
very competitive tennis, and just performed well.”
Even though Marquette has struggled tremendously this season
— losing many players to injuries and compiling just a 3-9
record — Ritt was able to draw many positives from the
match.
“It is tough to play on the road, in a different
environment, and on different courts,” Ritt said. “We
did a good job of going there and just playing our game.”
After dropping just one match in their nonconference schedule,
the Wolverines now begin their Big Ten schedule starting this
week.
The team will begin the conference season with a match against
Michigan State tomorrow in East Lansing. The Wolverines then take
on Penn State and Ohio State at the Varsity Tennis Center next
weekend.
-Richie Jain