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Page 345 text:
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on his backhand form, first-year student Greg Artz prepares for match. -Bob Kalmbach Front: Greg Art?, Grody Burnett, Eric Grand, Dan Brafcus, Adam Wagner, Mice Nold, student trainer Mary Sulisz- Back: Assiwnt coach Dan Goldberg, Chris Wyatt, Peter Pusztai, Geoff Prentice, John Constanzo, Head Coach Brian Eisner. Photo Courtesy of Sports Information. Scoreboard % Men ' s tennis 8-14 Derail 6-9 Big 10 (8th) Tom Fallen Intttational Harvard Fall Invtational Volvo All-AmeM:an Tournament m Rolex Sectiona Spartan Invita Eastern Michi Baylor Texas A M Texas Championships nal in South Florida Tulsa Indiana Ohio State Notre Dame Iowa Minnesota Michigan State West Virginia Penn State Wisconsin Northwestern Illinois Purude Big 10 Championship (8th Place) Illinois Wisconsin Minnesota Iowa Ohio State NTS NTS NTS NTS NTS 7-0 5-2 3-4 0-7 0-5 3-5 5-0 2-5 3-4 1-6 3-4 1-6 4-3 5-2 3-4 5-2 3-4 5-2 6-1 4-0 4-1 1-4 1-4 2-4 Spans 343
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Page 344 text:
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I ! till! II FILLING THE VOID A blend of new faces and experienced players worked together to overcome the challenges caused by the graduation of nearly the entire Men ' s tennis team, by Josh Bopp ' ne of the pitfalls associated with any college athletic team is the loss of experienced athletes due to graduation. Having to fill the void left by those who have graduated often rests on inexperi- enced players. With the men ' s tennis team, a type of rebirth came with the loss of nearly the entire team due to gradua- tion ana the arrival of several new faces . As a result, many players were put in situations unfamiliar to them, but although it was not the most impressive record for the young Wolverines, many obstacles were overcome. Head Coach Brian Eisner wanted to emphasize that the season was mainly a time of building and learning with only four returning players and four first-year players. As team captain, junior Dan Brakus said, It was a definite learning year for the team. A lot of the learning came from hands-on experience as all four first-year students saw regular playing time throughout the year. It was pretty tough with a lot of young players who hadn ' t played a lot rfHHIlesPWIfer lHPw JP learning as w|went along, (and) it some- times takes a while to get used things, said sophonBre Grady Burnett who, though in hiBsecond year on the team, was playing on a regular basis for the first time. Both Beaches and players alike seemed to agrre that having the inexperi- ence was, although no one ' s fault, the root C J ' f- or the team Wif student John ostanzo saia, W e naaa lot of talent, but the inexperience hurt us. Losing numerous matches by only a few sets, the team struggled to both overcome inhibitions and live up to expectations they had set from themselves. It ' s hard when you don ' t have that many guys used to the situation and pressures (of college tennis), said Burnett, who saw action as both the 3 and 4 singles player. As players recounted, when the being a team just was not thereat uchor this was attributed to having so many new faces around. We lost practically a whole team in one season. So, it was kind of weird with so many young teammates, said Brakus, who compiled a 3 1 - 1 1 record as well as being the fourt h-ranked player in the Midwest playing 1 singles. We just weren ' t at all close or team- mates in the true sense of the word, added Costanzo, the team ' s 1 singles player. However, serving as team cap- tain and leader, Brakus was able to bring the team to- gether by season ' s end. As Costanzo said, He (Brakus) pulled us all to- gether and made us feel like a team. His on-court lead- ership inspired us all. He save 100% in my eyes, we had the ability to finish) second or I wanted for us to step up and follow his example, added Burnett. Eisner felt with the team ' s eighth place finish in the Big 10, the team was mis- The team ad Mcontend not only Pith inexperi- ence J|ut also with inj urBs as it headed into he Big 10 Championships. As Isner said, CorBng into the Big 10 tournament we hi three of the start|g eight play- injuries. Because of the injuries, the team was hardly able to field a full line up. Eisner added, Let ' s be truthful. I ' m not trying to make excuses for our record, but Compiling a 31 ' 1 1 record at 1 singles, including 15-4 Big 10 play, junior Dan Brakus earned All-Big 10 honors . Brakus also qualified for the NCAA Singles National Championship where he lost a tough first round match 6-4, 6-7 (1-7), 7-6 (7-1) to the number 12 seed. -Bob Kalmbach 1 342 Sports
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Page 346 text:
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EXPERIENCE OF A LIFETIME Eager to work hard, the women ' s tennis team used their season as a chance to gain valuable experience, by Elyse Hardebeck ' ii First year student Angle Popekj K one of five players to record at least 20 victories during the season. Placing 2 , 3 , and 4 singles , Popek fjgshed the season with a 20- i record. -Bob Kalmbach I I JL ake experience, add some young enthusiasm, and what do you get? A team that is M gtcMM e d teiw more than just talent. Although women s tennis team members were disappointed with a low Big 10 finish, they hoped a sea- son of experience would pay dividends in the future. Finishing sixth in the Big 10 would seem to be quite an accomplishment to most people but not to the Wol- verine women. Last year was a year of ups and downs. We had our share of disap- pointments and strong points, said sophomore Jaimie Fielding. But, said Head Coach Bitsy (Eliza- beth) Ritt, we had a young team, with only two upper class players. The talent was there, but it was rela- tively inexperienced in terms of college tennis. It ' s important that we ' re all working toward a com- mon goal and I think we had a good work ethic, said Ritt. The team was eager to work hard and follow the lead set by their coach. As Fielding said, (Coach Ritt) is a great example to her layers. She is extremely organized and wis a great work ethic. Yet, despite the ragerness, the inexperi- ence came back tdmaunt the team. We were fresh and reac to play, but we had some mistakes and fell down in some areas, said Fielding, a veteran in only her second year on the team. Despite the inexperience of young members, new blood can be a welcome addition to any team, but it can also throw off a team ' s balance. With only eight players, Ritt aimed for two players per class to achieve the perfect mix, but in- stead, there was only one senior, one j unior, three sophomores, and three first-year stu- dents. So, what helped to obtain team balance even when there was no clas b HjH Individual team member stressed a strong work ethic and a focuse goal im the team as a whole. If some o the pliers felt that their individual per- formaj|ces were not quite up to the standMd they expected at the beginnin of the eason, they recognized what they needaito work on and worked hard at it, ' said Bt. This attitude of hard work was rewarfcd by the participation of five tean memtjp in the All- American Pre-Quali Palisades, California. The tournamen gave the players a chance to get a feel foi what highly competitive West Coast ten- nis was like. Many of the West Coas ' schools are very competitive, (and) i ' gave us an opportunity to meet Wes Coast players, said Ritt. Unlike the dua matches the team was normally accus tomed to playing where a player had th opportunity to play both singles anc doubles, in this tournament, players wer guaranteed only one match. Once player lost, she was out. With five of the eight player recording at least twenty victories, led b Fielding ' s twenty-six, and having wot five of their last seven matches, the tea had high hopes heading into the Big 1 Championships. However, the team lo: to Iowa, a team they had beaten 7-2 i the regular season, and finished sixt Losing to Iowa and finishing sixth was big disappointment, said Fielding. I was disappointing, considering what w thought we would do in the beginning c the year, added Ritt. Nonetheless, the experience playing against top-notch players was ver valuable to all those involved. Th California trip was rewarding for me as player and also for the team and prograr because it let people see that Michiga could compete (with some of the best), said Fielding. I just thought it was be; for the program. In the end, it ' s going benefit us, said Ritt. 344 Sports
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