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'M' netters look to dethrone reigning Big Ten champs

In the wild, the ordinary gopher is no match for the sharp claws and waiting jaws of the fearless wolverine.

A duel between the furry creature of "Caddyshack" fame and the carnivorous mammal usually turns into a quick meal for the latter. What could save the gopher from the clutches of the predator?

Give him a tennis racket.

In the past four years, the Minnesota Golden Gophers have dominated men's tennis in conference play, winning four consecutive championships, including a 4-2 victory over the top-seeded Wolverines in last season's final.

That victory marked the second time in as many years that Minnesota beat Michigan for the title.

The Wolverines, hoping to regain the Big Ten title they last won in 1988, take a swipe at the Gophers today at 1 p.m. in a dual match.

At stake today is first place in the Big Ten standings in addition to a more personal milestone.

Michigan coach Brian Eisner is looking for his 400th win as head coach of the Wolverines. For Eisner, reaching that milestone against a team that has defeated his squad in the Big Ten finals the past two seasons would be sweet revenge.

The Wolverines have won their only Big Ten match going into today, defeating Penn State in early February. Overall, Michigan is 6-6 after going 1-2 in the Blue-Gray championships in Alabama.

The Gophers are 2-1 in the Big Ten and a win today could propel them toward a fifth-straight title. Minnesota is 4-9 on the season, but Eisner is cautious.

"All of the (early) losses were to very good teams," Eisner said. "I know how good they are and the team knows how good they are."

Even so, the timing of the match is excellent for Michigan.

In the new Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Rolex Collegiate Ranking released yesterday, Michigan vaulted from No. 25 to a season-high No. 14.

Individually, the Wolverines' No. 1 singles Peter Pusztai continued to climb, moving up a spot to No. 22, while the duo of Pusztai and John Costanzo jumped into the top 20 as the No. 17 doubles pair. The Wolverines seem to be clicking on all cylinders.

Minnesota, however, dropped out of the top 50 in the new rankings.

"Minnesota poses an unbelievable challenge to us," Eisner said. "We have lost to them in the final of the championships the past two years, and last year, we had beaten them decisively, 6-1, in a dual meet weeks before the tournament.

"The fact that they dropped out of the top 50 really means little to us."

The Gophers are led by No. 38 Lars Hjarrand and No. 22 Ben Gabler at the first two singles slots.

Both are 19-11 on the season and both match up well against Michigan's singles players on paper.

"(Minnesota) is big, strong and a very aggressive and powerful team," Eisner said. "They usually play better indoors than outdoors."

Last season, in the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season, Michigan broke the Gophers' Big Ten home winning streak at 40 games.

That match put the Wolverines alone in first place and captured the top seed in the Big Ten tournament, which Minnesota eventually won.

"It was a very competitive match and both teams went at it," Eisner said. "We expect as much (today)."

Michigan is next in action March 30 at Northwestern.