'M' netters learn on the job

By Albert Kim

Daily Sports Writer

It was a learning experience for the young Wolverines this weekend as they competed in the Big Ten Singles Championships held at the Varsity Tennis Center. The senior-less men's tennis team was lead by junior Henry Beam and freshman Anthony Jackson, both of whom finished with 2-1 records. But the home-court advantage proved to be a non-factor as neither could advance past the round of 16.

"We did some good things. We did some other things that I didn't like, but that's to be expected in the first competition we've had in a couple months," Michigan coach Mark Mees said.

In the main draw, which consisted of the top six players from each team, three Wolverines - No. 4 Beam, Jackson and junior Ben Cox - won their first round matches. Cox dropped his next two matches while Beam and Jackson both advanced to the round of 16. Beam was upset by No. 9 Milan Rakvica of Indiana, and Jackson fell to No. 7 Philip Stolt of Illinois.

"You tend to put a little more pressure on yourself at home, and that's what happened with Henry," Mees said. "He didn't play well, but I expect him to have a really good season."

In the 7-9 player draw, the Wolverines didn't fare as well in the early rounds, but sent two players to the consolation semifinals - sophomores Chris Rolf and Jeremy Edelson. But neither could advance to the finals.

Rolf suffered an inflamed elbow in his semifinal match against Alex Muresan of Illinois, the eventual consolation bracket champion, and was forced to retire early in the second set. Junior Greg Novak suffered a similar injury. But both injuries are not believed to be serious, and neither player is expected to miss any matches.

"No matter how hard you practice, it's just not the same when you play in a tournament, and those things happen," Mees said.

Transfer Brett Baudinet played decently in his first Big Ten action, and finished with a 1-2 record, with one of the losses coming in a tough three-set tiebreak-laden thriller 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-7(10).

"He hasn't done a lot of indoor playing, but he showed some things that I was very happy with, and he's a very talented player," Mees said.

Overall, Michigan went a combined 16-16, going 2-4 against seeded players. It's still early in the season, and this weekend's tournament was a non-team-scoring event. Still, it was a good barometer as to where the Wolverines are right now, and where they need to go.

"It shows that we can play with anybody on an individual basis, and it gives us an idea of where we need to put our emphasis on," Mees said.

With five straight home matches before the Big Ten dual-season begins, the Wolverines hope to make home-court advantage a factor.