Michigan
Texas A&M
Wolverines Hang On for Win Over 15th-Ranked Aggies
2/12/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Feb. 12, 2017
» The Wolverines finished with a 2-1 record at the event, the fifth time U-M has won multiple matches at the national tournament.
» Michigan won the doubles point for the sixth time this season and moved to 5-1 when winning the match's first point.
Site: New Haven, Conn. (Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center)
Event: ITA National Team Indoor Championship
Score: #13 Michigan 4, #15 Texas A&M 2
Records: U-M (6-1), TAMU (6-3)
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 17 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 3 p.m.
NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team jumped out to a 3-0 lead before hanging on for a 4-2 win over No. 15-ranked Texas A&M on Sunday evening (Feb. 12) in consolation action of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship at the Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center.
Michigan kept it rolling on the doubles court, taking the first point for the sixth time this season for the early lead. Texas A&M won the first match off court at No. 3, but the lead was short-lived as all three matches finished within a minute.
The No. 2 pair of sophomore Brienne Minor and junior Mira Ruder-Hook took a break at 3-1 and held it throughout, winning 6-4 to even the score at 1-1. At No. 1, junior Alex Najarian and Kate Fahey saw their early break disappear as the Aggie pair went back to serve at 4-5. The game got to a deuce point, which Michigan won to clinch the doubles point with the 6-4 victory.
Michigan took a 2-0 lead after another point from Fahey at the top of the lineup. Fahey was down in a first-set tiebreaker at 6-5 before ripping off three straight points for the win. She went up a break at 2-1 in the second and held that the rest of the way to win in straight sets and put the second point on the board for U-M.
The Wolverines took a 3-0 advantage behind a three-set win from Minor at No. 2. Minor went up a break at 4-2 in third set and did not look back in a 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 win.
The Aggies won the next two matches to cut U-M's lead to 3-2, putting the team match in the hands of No. 5 and No. 6.
Ruder-Hook, who won her first set before dropping the second, saved a match point at 4-5 in the third to stay on serve at 5-5 and eventually headed to a tiebreaker at 6-all.
At the same time, freshman Valeria Patiuk went up a break in her third set at 5-3. The Wolverine held serve in the next game, clinching the Michigan win by putting the fourth point on the board.
Ruder-Hook was tied at 1-1 in her tiebreaker when the match was abandoned with the team match in hand.
U-M will be back in action at 3 p.m. Friday (Feb. 17) when it faces Ohio State in a non-conference match in Columbus, Ohio. The Wolverines will then return home to host Baylor at 11:30 a.m. Sunday (Feb. 19) at the Varsity Tennis Center
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 26 Kate Fahey (U-M) d. No. 71 Rachel Pierson (TAMU), 7-6 (6), 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 27 Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Rutuja Bhosale (TAMU), 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
No. 3 -- Tina Bokhua (TAMU) d. No. 64 Alex Najarian (U-M), 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (6)
No. 4 -- Marcarena Olivares (TAMU) d. Chiara Lommer (U-M), 7-6 (4), 6-4
No. 5 -- Mira Ruder-Hook (U-M) vs. Saska Gavrilovski (TAMU), 6-4, 2-6, 6-6 abandoned
No. 6 -- Valeria Patiuk (U-M) d. Eva Paalma (TAMU), 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 3 Kate Fahey/Alex Najarian (U-M) d. No. 16 Rachel Pierson/Rutuja Bhosale (TAMU), 6-4
No. 2 -- No. 40 Mira Ruder-Hook/Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Tina Bokhua/Marcarena Olivares (TAMU), 6-4
No. 3 -- Eva Paalma/Hristov (TAMU) d. Valeria Patiuk/Chiara Lommer (U-M), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 1-2-4-3-6
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
