The Michigan Daily - Friday, April 6, 1990 - Page 11 Satisfaction guaranteed if women win by Jeni Durst Daily Sports Writer A win tomorrow would be doubly satisfying for Michigan women's tennis coach Bitsy Ritt in her squad's Big Ten home opener. One of the teams the Wolverines will face this weekend is Wisconsin, Ritt's former university. A win would mark the first over the Badgers since Ritt's arrival five years ago. Michigan will also face another Big Ten rival, Northwestern, on Sunday. The Wolverines will attempt to garner their first conference victories of the season. "I think we can win," Ritt said. "I'm very, very confident that we can beat Wisconsin and I think we can do well against Northwestern. . . I would like to see (a win) come against Wisconsin, that's my alma mater, that's where Wendy (Gilles) went to school, my assistant coach, and we haven't beaten them since I've been here. So, I'm pretty excited for it." Ritt has good reason for her confidence. It might be much easier for Michigan to capture a victory than the Big Ten pre-season coaches' poll would predict. Though the Badgers crushed the Wolverines 9-0 last year and were ranked at No. 2 in the poll, "they're not quite as strong as coaches anticipated," Ritt added. So far, they have compiled a conference record of only 1-4, losing to teams ranked well below them. But all of the positive statistics don't guarantee a Michigan victory. The individual members of the team will have be at their best. "I think (all the matches) will be very close, and they'll be very competitive matches," Ritt said. "Though I think we might have a little bit more depth than Wisconsin has." At No. 1, Christine Schmeidel will face the Badger's Elaine Demetroulis, who she lost to at the ITCA tournament in the fall. Schmeidel should have a good chance to even the record. "Elaine was at the top of her game (at the tournament), she played flawless tennis," Ritt explained, "and Christine is playing so much better than she did last semester. They have two different types of play. Elaine is a serve and volleyer, very aggressive, so she'll put a lot of pressure on Christine. But, if Christine returns serve well and hits effective passing shots, she has a great chance to win." Wisconsin will challenge Michigan more in doubles than in singles; the Badgers are known for their strong doubles play. And doubles have proved to be a problem area for the Wolverines this, season. But, two individual doubles' matches Michigan captured against another tough team, Minnesota, last weekend has helped to boost their confidence. "Traditionally, Wisconsin has been very strong in doubles," Ritt said. "But, after last weekend, where we won two of the three doubles and almost won at No.1 (seed), I think we can play with them. I think it will come down to the doubles and I think we can win." Northwestern should provide tougher competition. The Wildcats had a 9-0 romp over Michigan last year and have captured the last 12 of the two teams' previous 17 matches. The Big Ten coaches ranked them fourth in the pre-season and so far have compiled a respectable 2-2 mark in the Big Ten. "Northwestern has a win over Wisconsin, 6-3, so I anticipate the stronger match will be on Sunday against Northwestern," Ritt said. "I think we can beat both teams if we play as well as we did against Minnesota..if we continue to do that we're going to get a win." Michigan will strive for that win Saturday at 11 a.m. against Wisconsin and again Sunday versus Northwestern at 10 at the Track and Tennis Building. If the weather improves the matches will be played outside at the Huron Valley Tennis Club. Softball opens title quest vs. by Scott Erskine Daily Sports Writer JOSE JUAREZIDaiiy Malivai Washington (above) led the Wolverines to an undefeated Big Ten record last year. Michigan will begin its home conference season , against Northwestern Saturday at 1 p.m. at the Liberty Sports Complex. New twist: 'M' tries to upset favored Wildcats by Michael Bess Daily Sports Writer The prospect of starting off league play against Northwestern is usually an appealing notion. This is not the case in the world of men's collegiate tennis. Michigan (4-6), welcomes the Wildcats on Saturday followed by a Sunday venue with the Iowa Hawkeyes. Both dual competitions begin at 1 p.m. at the Liberty Sports Complex in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines have historically been the prohibitive favorite entering conference play. In coach Brian Eisner's 20 year tenure, his teams have captured 17 Big Ten titles. 1990 is different. Michigan lost a great amount of talent in the off-season due to a variety of reasons. What remains is a team that is potentially dangerous, but painfully inexperienced. Michigan has competed against a number of national powers,which should better prepare them for conference play. Eisner's philosophy is simple. "Always seek the highest competition," Eisner said. "Because even if you lose you can learn from it and it puts you on a positive note. It's a basis for improvement." The young Wolverine squad has taken its lumps, but has pushed a number of national powers to competitive matches. Northwestern is one of the stronger teams in the Midwest region and could prove to be a difficult opening opponent. "Northwestern is a very good team," Eisner said. "They may be the No. 1 team in our section." There are a number of similarities between Michigan and Iowa. Both have weaknesses, but are capable of challenging for the Big Ten championship. "Iowa is a lot like us," said Michigan's coach. "They aren't quite as strong as Northwestern, but at this stage we can't afford to take anyone lightly." Michigan will look for continued strong play from number one singles player David Kass. They will also need another impressive performance from their doubles teams, which played well in last week's Blue/Gray Team Championships. The Wolverines will host Michigan State later in the week and Notre Dame on April 17th. The Michigan women's softball team begins its Big Ten season this weekend at Varsity Diamond against Minnesota. The team, which has had its ups and downs throughout the pre-season, hopes to start playing more steadily. These first four conference games against the Golden Gophers may prove crucial for Michigan, not only because the outcome may set the tone for the rest of the Big Ten season, but also because last year's championship was won by only a half a game. Michigan finished second in the Big Ten last year behind Iowa. Michigan head coach Carol Hutchins says that consistency may be the key to defeating the Golden Gophers. "Playing consistently good ball (is the key to winning). That's all we need to do," she said. "We need to execute. We need to play defense." Hutchins is midway through her sixth season as the head coach of the Wolverines. Junior outfielder Kelly O'Connor hopes that the Wolverines can pull together on offense. "I think that we need to have hot bats, be good offensively, and get some hits. We haven't been hitting that well as of recently," she said. One bright spot for the Wolverines is the anticipated return of junior shortstop Bonnie Tholl, who led the Big Ten in runs scored last year and was first team all-Big Gophers Ten as well as making the Mideast all-Regional team. She is returning from a shoulder injury which she suffered near the end of March at the Bud Lite Invitational in San Jose, California. Minnesota, however, will be playing without junior stars Brenda Bixby and Kari Blank. Bixby, the 1988 Big Ten "Freshman of the Year," will be forced to sit out with a shoulder injury while Blank, the Gopher's team MVP in 1989, will be sidelined with a knee injury. The Wolverines will face Min- nesota at 3 and 5 p.m. Friday and at 1 and 3 p.m. Saturday. Bixby - i , I ,:. The Athlete's Business Suit OUR SPECIALTY: Clothing for the muscular build. We expanded our selection to include suits for the serious body builder - 10" & 12" Drop - Sports Coats - Tuxedos - Trenchcoats Sizes 36S to 54X Long. $198 to $445 OV" Athletic Dress Shirts 120 E Main, Northville 349-3677 Save this ad... a friend may need it. Premiere of by Dr. Stephen Rush composer in residence of University of Michigan Dance Department and member of Campus Chapel for choir, soprano and baritone soloists, harp, organ, handbells and congregation. 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