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`M' women's tennis swings at victory

Let the games begin. After spending the entire fall term competing in invitational matches as individuals, the Michigan women's tennis team faces Penn State this Saturday in its first dual match of the season.

Coach Bitsy Ritt feels the team had a strong fall season, with a number of players showing improvement. The team is now set to concentrate on the upcoming regular season matches.

"We're anxious. We're ready to play," Ritt said.

The Wolverines face an improved Penn State team from the one they defeated a year ago, 8-1. The Nittany Lions boast a deeper lineup than last year's squad and return their top singles player, Olga Novako.

The Wolverines should sport a strong blend of young and experienced talent during this campaign.

Freshmen Jennifer Boylan and Tumeka Harris, as well as sophomore Sibyl Smith, will all play important roles in Michigan's success this season.

The experience possessed by returning starters Sarah Cyganiak, Tara Graff, Sora Moon and Angie Popek should help with the development of the three budding talents. Popek, who did not play in the fall season due to a knee injury, plans to return strongly this winter.

Cyganiak, who will play first singles, hopes to continue the performance that garnered her Big Ten All-Conference recognition the past two years. Her leadership will also be important during a difficult regular season.

"Just play every match one at a time," Cyganiak said, in reference to the younger players' development. "We can just hope to come out on top each time."

This advice should come in handy when the Wolverines prepare for matches against their traditional Big Ten foes this season.

Michigan is looking to improve upon last year's fifth-place finish in the Big Ten.

"We'd like to finish in the top three in the Big Ten, if not shoot for the championship," Ritt said.

The Wolverines, now ranked No. 30 nationally and fifth regionally, will have their work cut out for them if they hope to garner the conference title.

The influx of inexperienced players, and the always-difficult Big Ten schedule are not the only roadblocks facing Michigan.

The NCAA is testing a new format for women's tennis dual meets this season. The new scoring system is designed to de-emphasize doubles play by giving only one point to the team that wins the majority of the three doubles matches. The old system allotted a point for each match won.

With this new format, players are under added pressure to perform well in their singles matches. This could be problematic for the relatively inexperienced Wolverine team.

Michigan, however, is not concerned by this.