The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/130469
NCAA Championships: women's tennis refer back to the energy we played with against Duke," Betkas said. "We played like we had something to prove that day, and even though we're ranked high right now we're still going to play the underdog role and use that to our advantage." "We always play a tough non-conference [schedule], but what's really helped us this year is the Big Ten has improved so much and week after week we're being tested by our competition," Bernstein added. "In past years, maybe we weren't challenged as much and then when we hit some adversity late in the year, we didn't respond as favorably, but this team is in a good place, and these girls believe in themselves." Though UCLA is the higher-ranked team, it will hold no physical edge when the NCAA Championships move to a neutral site in Urbana, Ill., for the weeklong event from May 17‑21. Like in its victories over IPFW and ND, Michigan needs a total team contribution to move on. "You need four points to win a match, but it can't always be the same people because sometimes you're going to have an off day, and sometimes you run into an opponent playing better than you," Bernstein said. "We had everyone playing well, and when we have that, with our lineup, we're pretty tough to beat. "Your hope is that the team can carry that attitude over to another weekend and another match, because even though we played great against Notre Dame, we'll have to be better to beat UCLA." When the Maize and Blue square off with the Bruins, Betkas will meet UCLA's Robin Anderson, the third-ranked singles player nationally (Betkas is No. 30). The personal challenge will be great, but the Indianapolis native is 58-18 in her career, including 20-4 at No. 1 singles this season. She can set the tone for the Wolverines. "When you have someone at the top of your lineup that continually goes out and wins, it gives off confidence that the rest of the team uses," Bernstein said. "And she's such a terrific team player. She's the type of player you want on your side when you go into competition." Betkas has won six in a row heading into the Sweet 16, and U-M has won 10 of its last 11. With one more victory, the Maize and Blue will earn their first trip to the Elite Eight in program history. "This is the time of the year you want to be peaking, and coming off the weekend we had, in front of our home crowd, we're excited," Betkas said. "If we believe in ourselves, and play to our potential, we know we can beat anybody we play. We can't get caught looking ahead because UCLA is a tough opponent, but we're not satisfied with where we're at. We want to go further than we've ever gone before." — Michael Spath