Rocky road ahead for 'M' women's tennis

The home stretch for the Michigan women's tennis team has arrived. Of the Wolverines' 15 matches this year, 12 have been against nonconference opponents. That's about to change.

Michigan heads into the heart of its Big Ten schedule this weekend, with road matches against Minnesota and Iowa. The Wolverines enter these matches with a 2-1 Big Ten record and a 7-8 overall mark.

"I'm psyched for these matches, and to get back into the Big Ten," Michigan sophomore Jen Boylan said.

Up first for Michigan is a Minnesota team that has yet to lose a Big Ten match. The Gophers have yet to face a team of Michigan's caliber. The Gophers beat up on some of the lower teams in the conference, with wins over Ohio State and Penn State - two teams without a conference win.

EMILY NATHAN/Daily Brooke Hart and the Michigan women's tennis team will travel north this weekend to face Minnesota. The Gophers are undefeated in Big Ten play.

Minnesota has also beaten Iowa, and earned its first-ever win over Indiana.

The Gophers' 9-5 overall record seems much more impressive than the 7-8 mark Michigan has, but Minnesota has not faced the same level of competition.

Minnesota has faced only three teams ranked in the top 50 nationally, while Michigan has faced eight. In their most recent meeting with a top 50 team, the Gophers were swept by South Florida two weeks ago. South Florida squeaked past Michigan, 5-4.

The Gophers feature Alice Rangsithienchai at No. 2 singles. She has yet to lose a Big Ten match this season, compiling a 6-0 record against conference opponents.

Michigan travels to Iowa City on Sunday to face the Hawkeyes (2-2, 9-6). Iowa's two conference wins came against lowly Penn State and Ohio State.

The Hawkeyes' losses have come at the hands of Minnesota and Indiana. They also dropped a 5-4 decision against Marquette, a team Michigan dominated earlier this season.

They start sophomore Natalya Dawaf at No. 1 singles, where she will face Michigan sophomore Brooke Hart.

Iowa also features strength at the bottom of its lineup, with No. 5 singles player Carolina Delgado (14-5), and freshman Erica Johnson (18-4) at No. 6 singles.

The Wolverines have not fared well on the road this year, with only two wins in eight tries away from Ann Arbor. Michigan is looking to reverse this trend this weekend.

04-09-98