SOUTH BEND, Ind. ? No. 23 Michigan used solid singes play to claim a 4-2 win over No. 37 Colorado in the first round of the 2007 NCAA Tournament Saturday afternoon in South Bend, Ind.
Colorado finishes the 2007 team match season at 16-8, its best record since 1999. Michigan improves to 17-7 and will face No. 7 Notre Dame on Sunday in second round action. Notre Dame defeated Illinois-Chicago in the day's first match, 4-0.
Colorado started off the morning on a good note, claiming the doubles point with wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 spots. CU's No. 3 tandem of Melisa Esposito and Martina Sedivec improved to 15-3 on the year by defeating Elizabeth Exon and Allie Shafner, 8-2. Franziska Jendrian and Monica Milewski clinched the doubles point with an 8-6 win at the No. 2 spot over Michigan's Kara Delicata and Tania Mahtani.
Michigan picked up its first point of the match as Mahtani defeated Jendrian at No. 4 singles in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2. Esposito responded by winning her eighth-straight singles match, downing Shafner in the No. 6 slot, 6-2, 6-1, improving her freshman year record to 19-5.
Jenny Kuehn upset CU's No. 38 ranked Milewski at No. 1 singles, 6-2, 6-1, to tie the match at 2-2. Michigan's Chisako Sugiyama rallied for three straight points to claim a 7-5 first set win at No. 2 singles over Camila Belassi before rolling in the second set 6-1.
Michigan closed out the match at No. 5 singles as Exon swept Gleisy Torres Torres, 6-1, 6-3.
Colorado's representation at the NCAA Tournament is not over. Milewski will compete in the NCAA Singles Tournament which will begin May 23, in Athens, Ga.
No. 23 Michigan 4, No. 37 Colorado 2
UM (17-7), CU (16-8)
May 12, NCAA Tournament First Round
South Bend, Ind.
1d) Belassi/Torres Torres (CU) led Kuehn/Sugiyama (UM) 7-6 ? did not finish
2d) Jendrian/Milewski (CU) def. Delicata/Mahtani 8-6
3d) Esposito/Martina Sedivec (CU) def. Exon/Shafner 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 2
1s) (86) Jenny Kuehn (UM) def. (38) Monica Milewski 6-2, 6-1
2s) (91) Chisako Sugiyama (UM) def. Camila Belassi 7-5, 6-1
3s) Veera Nurmi (CU) led Kara Delicata (UM) 6-1, 4-6, 3-1 ? did not finish
4s) Tania Mahtani (UM) def. Franziska Jendrian 6-1, 6-2
5s) Elizabeth Exon (UM) def. Gleisy Torres Torres 6-1, 6-3
6s) Melisa Esposito (CU) def. Allie Shafner 6-2, 6-1
Order of finish: 4, 6, 1, 2, 5
