SPORTS
Rookie Raves
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Sports Writer
endy Stross had the
same worries as most
college freshman when
she entered the Univer-
sity of Michigan last
September. She worried about her
roommate, gaining weight, rushing a
sorority, among other things. But she
had an emotional anchor that most
freshman do not have — the tennis
team. "If anything I was pretty con-
fident coming in here with the ten-
nis," recalls Stross. "I just knew I
could play tennis:' •
For Stross, an All-American and
three-time All-State selection at Ann
Arbor Huron High School, tennis was
not only the least of her worries, it
helped her to structure her college
schedule.
"Just knowing that you have to be
at practive every day from four to
seven (o'clock), it kind of motivates
you to not waste a lot of time and get
your (school) work done. You kinda
have to look at practice as your free
time?"
Stross has done well with her
"free time," posting an 18-9 singles
record, entering this weekend's Big
10 championship tournament at
Bloomington, Indiana. She is 6-5 in
the Big 10, playing number three
singles. She is 10-11 in doubles
overall.
"I like college tennis a lot;' says
Stross. "It's a lot different atmosphere
NV
than junior (national) tennis. It's a dif-
ferent kind of pressure. But I like
that, I like playing for the team.
Sometimes, in junior tennis, it's hard
to go out and play for yourself. Here
you know you've got to go out and
play no matter what, because
everybody else is counting on you .. .
When you're down you can look
around and see the girls and they'll
be clapping for you, or you can see
them on their courts, and that kinda
gets you going."
Michigan, which was once a con-
sistent Big 10 competitor, finished
last in the conference in the past two
seasons. This year, with strong
freshmen at the number two through
four singles spots, they have been in
the middle of the Big 10 pack all
season. Coach Elizabeth Ritt hopes to
finish no lower than sixth in this
weekend's event.
Stross is a baseline player with lit-
tle doubles experience in recent years,
although she won a national doubles
title at age 12. Ritt says that Stross
"has excellent fundamentals, great
technique. I think Wendy needs the
most help in just reminders of
strategy. I think as she continues in
her college career, I think she's going
to have to work on some all-court
aspects of her game and possibly be
more aggressive in singles and con-
tinue to work on doubles things as
well."
"I have a really long way to go;'
agrees Stross. "But we've played some
really tough matches and pulled them
.
out. There've been some times when
I have been surprised with myself. It's
been a lot of work, but it's been a lot
of fun. It's much easier to see the pro-
gress I've made in doubles than in
singles."
On the doubles court, Stross has
played respectably at the number two
or three spots. In doubles, she says, "I
really didn't have much of a clue
when I got (to Michigan). I didn't
know how to serve and volley." But
her two freshman year highlights are
Wendy Stross
both doubles matches. Twice, against
Notre Dame and Iowa, her contests and her confidence and she pulled
have decided the match, and both those ,matches out."
times she and partner Kriste Miner
Ritt says that Stross, among
were victorious.
others, is a potential number one
Now, with the season and the player next season. "She would pro-
school term ending, Stross looks back bably have to set her goals a little bit
on the year fondly. "I had a really higher than she has this year to real-
good year. Everything that I was ner- ly make that jump;' says Ritt.
vous about worked out really well. I'm
For the first time in eight years,
really pleased with everything that Stross will not play a regular tennis
happened this year. It's really schedule this summer. She will teach
positive. I had some silly worries. But at the Huron Valley Tennis Club in
everything took care of itself."
- Ann Arbor. and plans to help coach a
Stross has not looked ahead to her local tennis team in the North
future with the Wolverines, but Ritt American Maccabi Games in Chicago
has. "Wendy can definitely improve. this August. "I just need a break," she
I think she has the potential to move
laughs, although she and friend Chris
up and to be one of the top players in Gilles, the number one player from
the program . . . She doesn't have the University of Wisconsin, will play
anything that would hold her back. in some events this summer.
She doesn't have a weakness in her
After the Maccabi Games, Stross
game. She's strong, mentally, she does will return for her sophomore season
well under pressure . . . She's come at Michigan, complete with her ten-
through in very close matches, had nis anchor, which should prevent the
match points against her and really Wolverines from sinking back into the
was able to keep her concentration Big 10 depths. ❑
Trying Harder
1987 NCAA tennis runnerup Dan Goldberg continues to play
a deceptively strong game for the Wolverines
MIKE ROSENBAUM
Sports Writer
F
co
co
2
0
Dan Goldberg
or a while last spring, it
seemed that Dan Goldberg's
name might be linked with
that of tennis great Jimmy Connors.
Goldberg, a sophomore, entered the
National Collegiate Athletic Associa-
tion championships as the number
two singles player from the Universi-
ty of Michigan. The last NCAA titlist
who was not his team's number one
player was Connors, in 1971.
Goldberg's start was not auspi-
cious, beating Byron Talbot of Ten-
nessee in a third-set tiebreaker, 7-3.
The unseeded Goldberg kept on win-
ning, taking five straight matches to
reach the final against seventh seed
Andrew Burrow of Miami.
"It was . a bit of a surprise;' said
Goldberg of his NCAA performance,
"but once I got going and showed
myself that I could play well and beat
some of the top people, it really wasn't
that much of a surprise. I think it sur-
prised other people more than it sur-
prised myself."
Goldberg won the first set of the
final, 6-2, but put so much effort into
it that he was mentally drained for
the second set, which he lost 6-1. "The
third set was just an absolute war," he
recalls. It was tied 4-4 but Burrow
took the final two games and the
match.
Reaching the final, says Goldberg,
"was the most amazing feeling. It's
hard to express. Based on the tradi-
tion of the tournament and looking at
the past winners, Connors, (John)
McEnroe, Tim Mayotte, many of the
top guys . . . I just felt a tremendous
sense of pride on making it to the
University of Michigan
U-M freshman Wendy Stross is a key part
of the Wolverine's women's tennis renaissance