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Men's tennis wins conference title, heads for NCAAs

For the Michigan men's and women's tennis teams, April was a month of changes.

The Michigan men's tennis team entered April with a 7-7 record after opening the spring season with three consecutive victories. An undefeated month and an 11-match winning streak propelled the Wolverines to their first Big Ten title in eight years and a first round bye in the NCAA regionals Saturday.

Michigan, which finished at 12-1 in the conference, is the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Region IV Championships at South Bend, Ind.

The Wolverines clinched the Big Ten title by defeating Ohio State, 4-0, in the first round and avenged a regular season loss to Northwestern in the second round, winning 4-3.

Michigan then bested third-seeded Illinois, 5-2, in the final to take the conference crown.

The title marked the 36th title for the Wolverines and the 18th for Michigan coach Brian Eisner. The past two seasons, Michigan has finished second in the conference, losing to Minnesota in the finals both years.

The Wolverines' success has been rewarded, as three players were named to the All-Big Ten team this season.

Michigan No. 2 singles player John Costanzo was named to the team for the third consecutive season, while Michigan's top singles player, Peter Pusztai, was honored for the second year in a row.

No. 3 singles player Arvid Swan was named to the team for the first time.

Pusztai, who sports a career record of 115-54 heading into the NCAA regionals, was honored as the Big Ten Player of the Year. He was also named the Regional ITA/Senior Player of the Year and garnered Big Ten Athlete of the Month for Tennis in April.

Pusztai leads the team in victories with a 37-13 mark, and is ranked No. 25 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's Rolex Collegiate Rankings.

For the Michigan women's tennis team, April was a month of calm after a season of difficulties. After losing two key members to injuries, including senior Angie Popek, the Wolverines rebounded to go 4-3 for the month, including a three-match winning streak.

The strong April play earned Michigan a berth in the NCAA Midwest regional, where the Wolverines were seeded sixth.

Michigan upset third-seeded Indiana in the first round, 5-4, but dropped a 5-0 decision to second-seeded Northwestern in the second. The loss ended the season for the Wolverines, as they finished 6-5 in the Big Ten and 8-12 overall.

Early season injuries decimated the women's team, as Popek and freshman Jennifer Boylan were sidelined by knee injuries.

Michigan No. 1 singles Sarah Cyganiak enjoyed a good season, going 11-4 in the Big Ten and 22-9 overall. Cyganiak was also 19-4 at doubles, teaming with Sora Moon at the first doubles slot.

Senior Tara Graff finished at 14-13 overall, and had the only other winning record at singles on the team.

The Wolverines finished tied for fifth place in the Big Ten with Purdue, and return four starters next season.

The Michigan men's tennis team faces Minnesota or Notre Dame at 2 p.m. CDT on Saturday at South Bend, and with a victory would advance to the finals Sunday.