Michigan
Virginia
Wolverines Rally for Win over Virginia
3/10/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 10, 2017
» For the second time under 10th-year head coach Ronni Bernstein, U-M rallied from a 3-0 deficit for the win. The last time it happened was April 6, 2016, at Duke.
» Michigan got singles wins from Mira Ruder-Hook, Brienne Minor, Chiara Lommer and Alex Najarian to erase the 3-0 hole.
» The Wolverines are now 5-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center this season.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #9 Michigan 4, Virginia 3
Records: U-M (8-3), UVA (5-5)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 18 -- vs. Michigan State (Varsity Tennis Center), 2 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- After falling in a 3-0 hole, the No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won the final four matches on court to record the 4-3 comeback win over Virginia on Friday (March 10) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Junior Alex Najarian completed the comeback with a three-set win at No. 3, winning 7-4 in a third-set tiebreaker. Najarian was in a 2-0 hole to start the breaker before ripping off three straight points to take the lead. The two exchanged points for a 4-4 tie, with Najarian taking the final three points to clinch the win. Najarian recovered from an early break in the third set, getting back on serve with a break on a deuce point to knot it at 4-4 en route to the tiebreaker.
Moments earlier, freshman Chiara Lommer tied the match at 3-3 with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 win at No. 4. Lommer raced out to a 5-0 lead in the third set before holding on for the 6-2 win.
Sophomore Brienne Minor accounted for U-M's second point on the afternoon, taking advantage of a late break in the third set for a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 win at the top spot. Minor broke for a 5-3 lead before serving out the match in the next game.
Junior Mira Ruder-Hook got the Wolverines on the board with a 6-1, 7-5 win at No. 5, cutting into Virginia's 3-0 lead.
The Cavaliers took the doubles point with wins at No. 2 and No. 3, followed by singles wins at No. 6 and No. 2 to race out to the 3-0 lead. U-M won the first doubles match off court in just 18 minutes, a 6-0 win from Najarian and sophomore Kate Fahey, but it was all Virginia for the next two hours until Ruder-Hook's win turned the tide.
Michigan kicks off Big Ten action next Saturday (March 18), hosting Michigan State at 2 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 30 Brienne Minor (U-M) d. No. 75 Cassie Mercer (UVA), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 94 Rosie Johanson (UVA) d. No. 20 Kate Fahey (U-M), 6-2, 6-1
No. 3 -- No. 119 Alex Najarian (U-M) d. Meghan Kelly (UVA), 1-6, 6-3, 7-6 (4)
No. 4 -- Chiara Lommer (U-M) d. Chloe Gullickson (UVA), 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
No. 5 -- Mira Ruder-Hook (U-M) d. Teodora Radosavljevic (UVA), 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 -- Camille Favero (UVA) d. Kara Hall (U-M), 6-1, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 2 Kate Fahey/Alex Najarian (U-M) d. No. 43 Cassie Mercer/Chloe Gullickson (UVA), 6-0
No. 2 -- Rosie Johanson/Meghan Kelly (UVA) d. No. 28 Mira Ruder-Hook/Brienne Minor (U-M), 7-6 (4)
No. 3 -- Hunter Bleser/Camille Favero (UVA) d. Kara Hall/Chiara Lommer (U-M), 7-5
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3, Singles 6-2-5-1-4-3
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
