Following a tough road loss to Iowa, the Michigan women’s tennis team looked at a return trip to Ann Arbor to get it back on track in the Big Ten race.
After two wins in as many days over the weekend, the Wolverines accomplished just that.
“I think we made a big jump this past week,” Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said through the athletic department. “We were very disappointed with our performance at Iowa, and I thought we responded well in practice this week. We did a great job in these two dual matches, and the goal is to be better next weekend in Columbus.”
No. 36 Michigan (5-2 Big Ten, 11-6 Overall) followed its win against No. 43 Purdue on Saturday with an equally impressive 6-1 victory against Illinois (1-5, 6-11) yesterday.
Michigan has lost just two home matches all year, both against teams ranked in the top 15.
All weekend long, there was no sign of the play that cost the Wolverines down the stretch in last weekend’s loss to Iowa. Unlike against the Hawkeyes, where Michigan dropped a 2-0 lead and lost its final five matches, the Wolverines stayed focused throughout this entire weekend.
“I’m very happy with the way we played (Saturday) and (yesterday),” Ritt said through the athletic department. “I thought we did an excellent job of staying focused throughout each match at every position. Both Purdue and Illinois played well, and we did a good job of stepping up and playing our weapons and really coming through.”
As well as the Varsity Tennis Center treated the team, freshman Chisako Sugiyama seemed to be in a rush to leave. She made short work of her opponents in all four of her victories, failing to drop a set in either meet. Sugiyama put an exclamation point on the homestand with a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Illinois’ Emily Wang at No. 5 singles.
Her two singles wins boosted her team-high dual record to 6-1 in singles play.
“We knew that Chisako was going to do well, and we have a lot of confidence in her,” Ritt said through the athletic department. “She did a good job (Saturday) and even a better job (yesterday).”
But the solid play within the team didn’t just stop with newcomer Sugiyama. Veterans Elizabeth Exon (junior) and Debra Streifler (senior) capped off perfect 4-for-4 weekends of their own with multiple wins on Sunday.
Streifler and her partner, No. 1 singles player Kara Delicata, clinched another doubles point for the team. The duo’s 8-6 win against the Illini team of Macall Harkins and Wang got Michigan off on the right foot for the sixth time in seven matches and extended Delicata and Streifler’s conference record to 7-0 at the No. 1 doubles position.
Ritt said she was very pleased with the Maize and Blue’s lineup over the weekend.
“I think the doubles combinations are strong right now, and we’re playing well throughout the singles lineup,” she said through the athletic department. “This is a very competitive lineup, yet we still have some options. The lineup that we played this weekend was very effective.”
The afternoon before Michigan’s triumph over Illinois, the Wolverines topped Purdue (3-2, 8-7) thanks in part to four straight-set wins at singles to compliment the team’s doubles point.