Women's Tennis Hosts Big Ten Championships This Weekend
4/27/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 27, 2005
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Fifth year women's tennis head coach Tim Bauer and his Spartan squad are ready to accomplish what no MSU Women's tennis team has done since single-elimination play began in 1996, advance in the Big Ten Championships. This year, the Spartans earned the No. 10 seed and will battle seventh seeded Big Ten rival, No. 40 Michigan. The match will begin at 2 p.m., at the MSU Outdoor Tennis Courts. In the event of inclement weather, the match will be played at 3 p.m. at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility.
The Spartans, 11-11 and 1-9 in Conference play, grabbed their only Big Ten victory with a 5-2 win over Minnesota on April 2 in East Lansing. The win marked the eleventh straight victory for MSU at home. However, their streak was snapped by Iowa the following day on April 3 as the Hawkeyes passed by the Spartans, 6-1.
"It's frustrating to be 1-9 in our conference," said Bauer. "But the Big Ten is highly competitive and the team records have all been very close."
"Our first match against Michigan didn't accurately reflect how close it really was," said sophomore Jessica Baron (Miami, Fla.). "That was our first Big Ten match and we're all playing a lot better then we were at that time. It's going to be a very exciting and intense match."
On March 23, the Spartans opened Big Ten play in Ann Arbor where they suffered a 6-1 loss to then-No. 39 Michigan. Freshman Christine Bader (Okemos, Mich.) was the only Spartan to pick up a win as she defeated Kara Deliciata, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4 at No. 2 singles. At Thursday's match, Bader will face a new opponent as the Wolverine's Elizabeth Exon looks to be a challenge at No. 2 singles. Exon posts a 9-9 record at No. 2, while Bader holds a 9-10 mark.
"Out of all the teams in the Big Ten, U of M is a team we definitely wanted a rematch with," said Bader. "It's going to be great playing them on our courts this time."
At No. 1, senior Keri Thompson (Clark Lake, Mich.), who holds an 8-13 record, will look to avenge a 6-4, 6-3 loss handed by then-No.30 Michelle DaCosta earlier this year. DaCosta currently holds a 10-11 record at the Despite any obstacles MSU has seen at singles play, the Spartans been able to hold a strong presence at doubles, dropping only seven of 22 possible points during duo matches.
Starting at No. 1, Bader and Thompson post a 10-9 record, while the Spartans' sophomore duo of Pascale Schnitzer (Santiago, Chile) and Sarah Andrews (Darwin, Australia) hold a 2-1 mark at No. 2. Battling at No. 3, the newly paired team of senior Karen Gustafson (East Lansing, Mich.) and Baron look to improve on a 1-2 mark. Michigan finished the season 11-10 overall and tied for fourth in the Big Ten with a 6-4 conference record.
At doubles, U of M's No. 21 ranked duo of DaCosta and Delicata run a 15-5 record at No. 1 as Leanne Rutherford and Allie Shafner have a 6-8 mark at No. 2. Exon and Debrea Streifler have compiled a 10-2 record at No. 3.
"We're really looking forward to being the host of this year's tournament," said Bauer. "It's always great to be home especially since we only had three Big Ten home matches. Secondly, we have unfinished business against some of these teams. I think Thursday will be a great way to show just how great this team really is.
"This year's team is by far the best team I've coached here, but yet, we had a couple matches where we lost by one point. We're looking for redemption and revenge on Thursday. There is no better team to challenge than Michigan."
The last time MSU defeated the Wolverines was in 2002 in a 4-3 decision during the regular season.
Thursday's projected lineup:
University of Michigan vs. Michigan StateSingles competition:1. Keri Thompson (MSU) vs. Michelle DaCosta (UM)2. Christine Bader (MSU) vs. Elizabeth Exon (UM)3. Pascale Schnitzer (MSU) vs. Kara Delicata (UM)4. Jessica Baron (MSU) vs. Leanne Rutherford (UM)5. Sarah Andrews (MSU) vs. Debra Streifler (UM)6. Shelley Brady (MSU) vs. Nina Yaftali (UM)
Doubles competition:1. Christine Bader/Keri Thompson (MSU) vs. Michelle DaCosta/Kara Delicata (UM)2. Sarah Andrews/Pascale Schnitzer (MSU) vs. Leanne Rutherford/Allie Shafner (UM)3. Jessica Baron/Karen Gustafson (MSU) vs. Elizabeth Exon/Debra Streifler (UM)
Match Notes:Round 1 Big Ten ChampionshipNo. 7 seed U of M Vs. No. 10 seed MSU
Players Mentioned
