Winning streak gets snapped
After winning six straight matches, the University of Wisconsin women’s tennis team dropped a marathon match 7-0 against Michigan Sunday.
The loss marks the end of the regular season and closes the Badgers’ record at 13-10 overall, 6-4 in the Big Ten. Michigan ended its season on a similar note, finishing 6-4 in Big Ten play and 15-5 overall. The schools finish the regular season tied for fourth in the Big Ten.
The upset-minded Wisconsin team hit the courts hard in doubles but could only manage one win, allowing the Wolverines to tally the first point. The bright spot in the match for the Badgers was the No. 2 duo of Caitlin Burke and Teresa Gonzaga. Since being paired earlier this season against Indiana, they have not lost a doubles match — going 9-0 this season.
In Sunday’s match they upset the No. 54-ranked pair in the nation, Kim Plaushines and Debra Streifler, 8-6. UW’s threes, Kaylan Caiati and Shana McElroy, started strong and were up by four before Michigan’s Chrissie Nolan and Kavitha Tipirneni rallied to overcome the deficit and win 8-4.
In singles, the Badgers were ready to reclaim lost ground but again were hampered by Michigan’s patience and staying power. Matches at the one, three, four and five slots were stretched to three sets. Three of the four matches were extended with tiebreakers.
Burke and Lindsay Martin both claimed their first sets with commanding 6-1 scores. Playing at the three, Burke battled Tipirneni game for game, bringing the match to 6-6, when Michigan’s delegate narrowly evaded defeat in a 7-5 tiebreaker.
At the one, Katie McGaffigan was pitted against Michelle DaCosta, the most recent Big Ten Athlete of the Week. Down by a set, McGaffigan swatted down a 6-2 second set. After DaCosta established a 5-2 advantage in the third, McGaffigan rallied to send the match to a tiebreaker.
In the final frame, McGaffigan submitted to a 7-3 decision.
The Badgers will head to Northwestern’s campus for the 2004 Big Ten Championships April 29 to May 1. Seedings for the tournament will be released later in the week.
— compiled from staff reports
