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Eisner nets 400th victory

Neither snow nor pesky Gophers could stop the Michigan men's tennis team from winning No. 400 for coach Brian Eisner.

Not that both didn't try.

Inclement weather that blew into Ann Arbor last night dumped five inches of snow and made roads hazardous. Fortunately for Michigan, Minnesota had played at Michigan State the day before and was able to make the match.

How is that fortunate? Yesterday's match marked the 400th win for Eisner as Wolverine head coach, a feat that would have been delayed at least until Michigan plays at Northwestern, March 30, had the match been canceled.

It also enabled Eisner to break the mark in front of the hometown fans. No. 1 singles player Peter Pusztai expressed little surprise that Eisner had achieved the mark.

"He works so hard out here on the court," Pusztai said. "He's out (on the courts) all day. He is a good guy -- he definitely deserves it."

It also gave the Wolverines a psychological boost as they head into the heart of the Big Ten season. Eisner said that Michigan did not play extremely well today, but that might actually be encouraging.

"I think the significance of (the win) was that, to be honest, we weren't very sharp today," Eisner said. "Minnesota is a much stronger team indoors than outdoors -- we're just delighted with this win."

The win yesterday against a tough Minnesota team, when all the players seemed flat, may be a sign that Michigan has turned the corner. Over the past four years, the Wolverines have defeated Minnesota only twice, losing twice in the Big Ten tournament finals the past two years.

Today, the Golden Gophers challenged, but Michigan was simply too much.

"I think that (Pusztai's) match was a classic example," Eisner said. "(Minnesota No. 1 singles player Ben Gabler) is a great server and volleyer indoors, and now (Pusztai's) beaten him three times (this year)."

The match was decided on the singles courts, as Michigan scored victories at first, third, fourth and sixth singles.

The Wolverines also captured the doubles point, winning two of the three matches. Four matches went into the third set, and Michigan prevailed in three of them.

Michigan had jumped nine places to No. 14 in the rankings the day before the match, but the threat of a letdown was not significant to Eisner.

"Our guys are mature enough to understand that it takes everything we've got, every time we come out, to be the kind of team we want to be," Eisner said. "And that's the definition of a good team."

Missing from the Gopher lineup was Lars Hjarrand, who suffered a knee injury earlier and was unable to compete. Hjarrand normally plays first singles and first doubles for Minnesota, and losing him proved costly.

Michigan won the No. 1 singles match and also was victorious at first doubles, clinching the doubles point. Minnesota's loss was Michigan's gain, and the outcome may affect future meetings.

"Anytime we beat Minnesota, it feels great," Pusztai said. "It definitely gives us the edge going into Big Tens."

Injuries have plagued the Wolverines lately, but Eisner said the upcoming break is coming at an opportune time.

"We're beaten up -- we got injuries and everything else and (the Michigan players) gave everything they had and fortunately, it was enough today," Eisner said. "I think with us resting up now and focusing on our indoor tennis, I think that we're going to move dramatically forward."