Healthy netters ready to face conference foes

By Joe Smith

Daily Sports Writer

While the Michigan men's basketball team is winding down its Big Ten season and preparing for lowly Northwestern, the women's tennis team is getting geared up for opening their conference schedule against two formidable foes, this weekend at the Varsity Tennis Center.

While Northwestern's basketball and football teams are perennial Big Ten basement dwellers, its women's tennis team is the defending conference champion, and often is in the upper tier of the conference.

The No. 14 Wildcats (7-1) come to Ann Arbor on Saturday having owned the Wolverines in the past - winning 25 of 32 meetings, including last year's 6-1 victory.

But this year the Wolverines have the firepower to match Northwestern. Michigan finally has a clean bill of health, with senior co-captain Danielle Lund returning to singles, winning her 70th career match last Sunday. And in doubles, she teams up with fellow senior co-captain Brooke Hart to form a solid No. 1 doubles team that has been ranked as high as No. 10 in previous years.

The Wolverines have a balanced singles attack. They have three players that have 10 wins or more, and consistent doubles tandems - that are 11-4 combined this year.

"Talent wise, we definitely have the ability to win," Lund said. "We just all have to have the same attitude that we can do it. You can say it until you're blue in the face, but you have to actually believe it in order for it to happen."

On Sunday, the Wolverines will take on another Big Ten beast, Illinios, who after a last place finish in 1998, rebounded to take third place in the conference last year.

"We're finally fully healthy for the first time this season," Ilinois coach Sujuay Lama said. "Finally the (Big Ten) season we've been looking for is approaching, and we have the goal in mind to win the conference title."