'M' splits Bayou trip

By Jeff Phillips

Daily Sports Writer

A day of rest may be what the Michigan men's tennis team needs after a tough weekend.

The Wolverines traveled to Bayou country to face two of Louisiana's top teams, but did not return unscathed, having split their two weekend matches.

Coming into the weekend undefeated at 6-0 and ranked No. 26, Michigan may have been the marked team.

"With our record and being a northern team, they were excited to play us and we got their best effort," Michigan coach Mark Mees said.

But Sunday, the Wolverines were handed their first loss of the season by No. 48 Tulane - due in part to Michigan losing its first doubles point all year. Out of three doubles pairings, only the No. 3 tandem of Henry Beam and Ron Nann came away with a victory.

"We still have some issues at doubles that we just have to get better at," Mees said.

In singles, Beam, Nano and Ben Cox won at the No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 positions, but Michigan was unable to come up with another point against the Green Wave as Matt Wright, John Long and Danny McCain each lost.

"They have some really talented kids that play No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles," Mees said. "They played some excellent tennis."

The Green Wave even surprised coach Robert Klein with its play.

"I talked to their coach and he said that it was by far the best they have played all season," Mees said.

The Wolverines' loss to Tulane was Mees' first setback as a head coach. This past summer he took over after thirty-year veteran Brian Eisner retired.

Regardless, the weekend trip was not a complete disappointment for Michigan.

On Saturday, the Wolverines were able to pull out a big victory over No. 28 Louisiana-Lafayette. The crowd at the match held true to its nickname, the Ragin' Cajuns.

"It was an intense match," Mees said. "It is a pretty tough place to play: they have a very boisterous crowd."

Michigan was led by Wright's victory over No. 13 Eduardo Gordilho. Wright won in a close three-set match.

In addition to Wright, the other three singles wins were all in three sets. Long, Beam and Nano each defeated their opponent after McCain and Cox lost in straight sets.

The Wolverines were helped by their doubles play. Long and Brad McFarlane won at No. 2 doubles and Nano and Beam won at No. 3 doubles to secure the doubles point.

"I was very happy with the way we played," Mees said. "We fought hard and I was really happy to get out of there with a 5-2 win."

The Wolverines' next match will be the first of the Big Ten season. They will face No. 30 Minnesota next Sunday in Minneapolis.