Men's tennis hopes to make Penn State next Big Ten victim

When a team is on a hot streak, hasn't lost in its new home and a winless Big Ten visitor comes to town, it's hard not to put another 'W' on the schedule.

Michigan (5-0 Big Ten, 10-3 overall) could easily think "win" when Penn State (0-5, 7-8) comes to Ann Arbor to play the Wolverines Sunday at the Varsity Tennis Center.

Yes, the Wolverines are off to their best Big Ten start in three years.

Yes, they have clobbered the Nittany Lions 5-2 in each of the past seasons.

And yes, the Wolverines are still undefeated at home.

DANA LINNANE/Daily The Michigan men's tennis team has been beating on many teams during the past few weeks, as it is off to a 5-0 Big Ten start and is undefeated at the Varsity Tennis Center.

So what's not to take lightly?

This past weekend, Penn State lost to Illinois, 5-2. Illinois is undefeated in the Big Ten and is one of the top five teams in the country. Nevertheless, the match was extremely close. At No. 2 doubles, the Lions nearly won the doubles point, which would have resulted in a tight 4-3 finish.

Most of the Wolverines expect a win, but Michigan assistant coach Dan Goldberg says he is concerned that the team won't respect the Nittany Lions.

"They're a good team," Goldberg said. "They played us pretty close last year and we're not taking them lightly."

But for the Wolverines, everything seems to be falling into place.

Senior Arvid Swan is playing the best tennis of his career. He has won 10 in a row, and at 26-9 is two wins away from surpassing his single season victory record.

"His confidence was low last year, but he's back now," Goldberg said. "He's been working hard and doing all the right things."

At No. 4 singles, Will Farah is also on a rampage.

Coming from behind often, he has outlasted the competition and is in the middle of a five-game winning streak.

And so far this Big Ten season, the Wolverines have not let up on singles or doubles in any match.

"We've been able to sustain match after match of a certain quality, some better than others, but always at a quality good enough in this part of the country to win," Michigan coach Brian Eisner said.

The Wolverines are also starting to reevaluate themselves.

You try to not to "be so concerned with winning this match or that match," Eisner said.

"That kind of thinking just really puts a lot of stress on people, so we are looking on individual development."

Eisner has done just that. He has helped senior David Paradzik attack second serves in the recent weeks, with Paradzik's victory over Trey Eubanks Wednesday serving as a prime example.

To make sure the team doesn't burn out in its current Big Ten run, Eisner has been giving the team more time off. This week the team took off yesterday and Monday to rest.

"It is critical at this time that your people feel rested so that when you come out to play, you give it your all," Eisner said.

As for Penn State, Eisner sums it up mathematically.

"By definition, if we play our best tennis, our record is better, we're playing at home - then we should win," he said.

04-10-98