'M' tennis, Zawacki prepare for Eck

Last year the Michigan women's tennis team completed its most illustrious season in history.

The Wolverines worked their way to a record of 21-5, including a 12-match unbeaten streak, a perfect 10-0 in the Big Ten and a 7-0 record at Michigan's new Tisch Tennis Center.

They also brought home their first Big Ten championship to go along with the NCAA Southeast Regional title and an NCAA tournament appearance. After the dust settled on the 1996-97 campaign, the Wolverines were ranked 16th in the nation.

Will this year's team be able to generate the same spirit?

New assistant coach Terry Ann Zawacki feels confident it can. Zawacki, a 1996 Wake Forest Graduate, was hired just more than a month ago. She has been impressed with the team's attitude so far.

"The girls are pumped," Zawacki said. "They're working hard and are really serious about repeating as Big Ten champions."

In fact, Zawacki even went as far as to admit that she has never encountered such a strong work ethic anywhere else.

"I go to the weight room at 7 in the morning, and to my surprise, there are players there," Zawacki said.

She thinks such a strong work ethic will lead to good things for the Wolverines this season. Their first test comes this Friday when the Wolverines travel to Notre Dame for this weekend's Eck Classic.

"This tournament will be a good measuring stick for the spring," Zawacki said.

Because it is still the preseason, many teams are juggling their schedules and have not confirmed their invitation to the Eck. At last check, Michigan was unsure of which teams would be competing.

"No warm-weather teams will be attending," Zawacki said. "Only cold-climate teams like Michigan, and other members of the Big Ten."

Michigan's attitude has also been positive this week.

"The girls are excited about the tournament," Zawacki said, who added that the level of focus in practice has been stellar in preparation for this weekend.

Although the Wolverines are ranked 19th in the nation - tops in the Big Ten - Zawacki said the girls are not overconfident.

"Every team works hard over the summer," Zawacki said. "Preseason rankings don't mean much."

The Wolverines will have their complete lineup in South Bend. Head coach Bitsy Ritt planned on taking sophomores Brooke Hart and Danielle Lund to Orlando, Fla., for the ITA Classic, but they pulled out to join the rest of the team at Notre Dame.

Hart and Lund will join freshman Alison Sinclair, fellow sophomores Jennifer Boylan, Tenley Hardin and Erryn Weggenman, and upperclassmen Tumeka Harris and Sora Moon in South Bend.

Although many teams experience a "sophomore slump" after a record-setting season, the Wolverines seem prepared to avoid one.

With the unfaltering determination Zawacki described, the Wolverines seem poised to repeat as Big Ten champions and make a run in the NCAA tournament.

10-02-97