Blue tennis seeks upset win against Notre Dame

The No. 24 Michigan women's tennis team has not been upset too often this year. It dropped a close match to No. 30 San Diego, but with both teams so close in the rankings, that can't really be considered a shock.

The first time the Wolverines were truly upset was last Saturday, when they fell to No. 50 Purdue.

So with No. 15 Notre Dame heading to Ann Arbor, the Wolverines are looking to pull off an upset of their own.

The 11-5 Irish square off against the 5-5 Wolverines at 4 today at the Varsity Tennis Center.

"I'm hoping the loss to Purdue has a positive effect on the team," Michigan coach Bitsy Ritt said. "I think everyone is anxious to get back out on the court."

DANA LINNANE/Daily The Michigan women's tennis team - currently ranked 24th in the nation - continues its season this afternoon when the Wolverines host Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, ranked No. 15, will be looking to avoid being upset.

The Irish are also coming off a loss - theirs was at the hands of No. 4 Texas. They also fell to No. 1 Florida earlier this month.

A 5-4 loss by No. 27 Kansas earlier this month, proved that they can fall victim to the upset as well.

Michigan has not pulled off an upset in its four matches against higher-ranked teams this year. The Wolverines are looking to end this trend.

"I think we're ready," Michigan sophomore Erryn Weggenman said. "The loss (to Purdue) was disappointing for everyone, but everyone is ready."

In the loss to Purdue, the Wolverines' biggest problem was unforced errors.

"We gave them too many free points," Ritt said. "We're hoping to improve on our consistency."

The Wolverines will need to reverse this trend against a powerful Notre Dame team to earn the upset.

The strengths of the Irish parallel those of the Wolverines. Both teams rely on depth and strength throughout the lineup to carry them through dual meets.

Last year in South Bend, the Wolverines lost a close 5-4 decision to the Irish.

"We felt like we had opportunities to win that match," Ritt said. The Wolverines need a victory to stay above .500 in dual-meet matches.

A win would also help improve their national ranking, which is used for seedings at the NCAA regional tournament.

03-25-98