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Badgers, Irish blow into town

Just after the city of Ann Arbor made it through one big snowstorm, the forecast may be calling for a storm of a different kind.

This weekend, heading in from the west, potentially hazardous adversity faces the Michigan women's tennis team. Currently ranked 33rd in the nation, the Wolverines are coming off a good showing against rival Michigan State.

Saturday, the radar shows Notre Dame coach Jay Louderback bringing in some trouble at approximately 1 p.m. The hard-hitting Irish will drop in for a match at Liberty Sports Complex.

Notre Dame boasts a 13-2 record and is ranked sixth in the nation. As tough as beating the Irish may be, it may be just as difficult a task to find specific weaknesses to exploit.

"(The Irish) are a proven team in the region," Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said. "They're solid at the top and all the way through."

The No. 1 singles match should be a good matchup. For the Wolverines (2-1 Big Ten, 1-3 overall), junior Sarah Cyganiak will try to upset Notre Dame's Jennifer Hall.

Hall, a freshman, is already ranked 21st in the country. Cyganiak is No. 61, but more importantly, is on a roll heading into Saturday's match. Her seven-game winning streak and experience may give her an edge.

Michigan fell short of topping the Irish last year in South Bend. Notre Dame was ranked in the top 20 last year and has shown tremendous improvement this season.

The extended forecast calls for more of the same Sunday against Wisconsin. Though the stakes are a little different, the challenge will be much the same.

Wisconsin is ranked 11th in the nation. The Badgers (3-0, 9-1) hope to stay undefeated in the conference.

They are strong across the board as well, Ritt said.

Strong may be an understatement. Wisconsin has two singles players among the top 25.

At the top singles spot, junior Melissa Zimpfer will clash with Cyganiak. Zimpfer is a transfer from Tennessee and is playing her first season as a Badger. Zimpfer should pose a tough challenge for Cyganiak.

No. 2 singles player Sora Moon also has her work cut out for her. She will face the 22nd-ranked player in the country, Laura Gavaris.

As a team, the Wolverines split their two matches against Wisconsin last year. The Badgers upset Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Championships to finish third in the conference. Right now, Wisconsin is the best team in the Big Ten.

No matter the results, Michigan can only hope to weather the storm. If not for their sake, then for the cause of Liberty Sports Complex and the city of Ann Arbor.

"I'm confident that we can play well and be competitive," Ritt said.