April 1, 2004
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
With regular season action dwindling, the University of Maryland men's and women's tennis teams have a weekend full of home court advantage. The Terp men will face Mount St. Mary's, Saturday at Noon, followed by Morgan St. and Towson, Sunday at 10:30 and 2:30 respectively. The women's team continues with conference action, as they host No. 3 Duke, Saturday at 10 a.m. and No. 12 UNC, Sunday at 11 a.m. After this weekend's matches, both Terrapin teams have one full week of tennis action remaining in their regular seasons.
Men At Work
Maryland's men's tennis team plays three matches this weekend as they come down the homestretch. Only five matches remain on the Terps regular schedule, all matches being played at the Tennis Center at College Park.
The Terrapins, who still are the only team in the Atlantic Coast Conference to not have the full NCAA allowable 4.5 scholarships, have struggled in conference play this season. They are winless at 0-6 in the ACC, and have posted a 5-7 record overall.
The ACC is annually one of the toughest and most competitive conferences in the nation. In the latest ITA poll, six out of the nine teams have received a national ranking. Duke, Virginia and North Carolina all sit in the top 20 standings.
Coach Laitta and his Terps are near perfect in out of conference play, with their only loss coming to Pennsylvania. Against non-conference opponents, Maryland has posted three shutouts this season. The sweeps have come against Villanova, George Mason and Delaware.
Maryland hopes to continue with their out of conference success this weekend with Mount St. Mary's, Morgan State and Towson coming to town.
Three Terps: Ian Bliss (Plainview, N.Y.), Scott Fink (Roslyn Heights, N.Y.), and David Reichsfeld (Santa Cruz, Bolivia), are tied for the team's highest singles victories with six apiece.
After this weekend's matches, the Terps only have two matches remaining before heading into the ACC tournament. Maryland will use this weekend's non-conference action as way to prepare for their final two conference match ups against Virginia and Duke.
Let's Hear It For The Girls
Ranked 68th by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, the Maryland women's tennis team has had somewhat of a rollercoaster season. The Terps' 2004 spring schedule is of one of the hardest in the program's history, facing a total of 14 ranked opponents throughout the year. Third year coach Martin Novak, has lead his team through 10 ranked opponents in the past 14 matches, coming out with a 6-8 mark.
Maryland's matches this weekend are no exception. Once again the young squad will be put under fire as two top-notch conference foes come into town. The Terps are still searching for their first conference win and look to improve upon their 0-3 record against third-ranked Duke and No. 12-ranked North Carolina.
The Blue Devils come into College Park with a 13-1 record and are a perfect 4-0 in conference play. Three members of the top-ranked Duke squad have received nation recognition by the ITA. Blue Devils Saras Arasu, Amanda Johnson, and Jennifer Zika are all ranked in the ITA's latest poll. Johnson leads the team with a No. 7 ranking. In their last match the Blue Devils, who are winners of their last eleven matches, defeated Wake Forest by a score of 5-2.
North Carolina has posted a 14-6 record overall this season. The No. 12-ranked Tar Heels will be hungry for a conference win as they have only one victory in the competitive league play. Leading the Heels into Saturday's match-up is No. 29 Aniela Mojzis. The junior is also involved on the doubles side with partner Kendall Cline. In the most recent poll, the duo is ranked No. 23 by the ITA. In their last match, UNC stunned NC State, 7-0, for their first ACC win.
Last time out for the Terps, Maryland rebounded from back-to-back losses to conference foes No. 20 Clemson and No. 39 Georgia Tech. Led by sophomore Ramona But (Timisoara, Romania) in the top singles spot, Maryland recorded a huge win, knocking off No. 37 William & Mary, 5-2.
Playing their last out-of-conference match of the season, the Terps swept the team doubles matches, and never looked back. Ranked No. 60 by the ITA, But clinched her biggest win of the season, defeating No. 20 Megan Muth in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3.
But also shined in doubles, Tuesday against the Tribe. She partnered up with senior co-captain Emily Marker (Ann Arbor, Mich.) in the top doubles slot. The duo won big over W&M's No. 29-ranked team of Megan Muth and Amy Wei.
Sophomore Jennifer Dent (Safety Harbor, Fla.) is on a seven-match tear, with her last loss coming on Feb. 21. Her spring record stands at 12-2 and she is 3-0 in the No. 3 position since moving into the top half of the lineup on Mar. 27. She defeated the Tribes' Amy Wei in the No. 3 spot, 7-5, 6-2.
