Michigan
Minnesota
Singles Play Sends Michigan Past Minnesota
4/2/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 2, 2017
» Michigan won its sixth straight match and moved to 8-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center this season.
» U-M dropped the doubles point but rallied for the win, taking all six singles matches, marking Michigan's fourth win this season without the doubles point.
» Michigan played outdoors, the first time outside at the VTC this season.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #9 Michigan 6, Minnesota 1
Records: U-M (13-3, 5-0 Big Ten), MINN (10-8, 2-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, April 6 -- at North Carolina (Chapel Hill, N.C.), 1 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team relied on its singles play, winning all six matches on court in a 6-1 victory over Minnesota on Sunday afternoon (April 2) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Sophomore Brienne Minor and junior Mira Ruder-Hook evened the doubles ledger at one match each with a 6-3 win at No. 1, moments after Minnesota took the match at No. 2 (6-3). Ruder-Hook and Minor broke at 5-3, allowing Minor to serve out the match in the ensuing game.
Minnesota came away with a win in the tiebreaker at No. 3, taking the doubles point for the early 1-0 lead.
Michigan flipped the switch in singles action, taking control by winning all six first sets.
Freshman Chiara Lommer won her fifth straight match, putting Michigan on the board with a dominating 6-3, 6-1 win at the No. 4 position.
U-M pulled ahead a few minutes later when Ruder-Hook came away with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 5. Ruder-Hook raced out to a big lead in the first set and took advantage of a timely break in the second to put Michigan's second point up.
Minor breezed to a 6-0 first-set win at No. 1 before falling in an early hole in the second. It was all Minor again in the third set as she won a deuce point to break Carolina Ryba in her first service game for a 2-0 lead. Minor kept the momentum going, taking a 4-0 lead before winning the final frame by a 6-3 margin.
Junior Alex Najarian clinched the match for the Maize and Blue moments later, winning her second-set tiebreak, 7-2. Najarian was down a break a 5-4 in the second with Maja Vujic back to serve for the set. The Wolverine came away with the break to get back on serve and eventually push the set to the tiebreaker.
With the team match in hand, sophomore Kate Fahey came away with a 7-5, 6-3 win at No. 2. Fahey got a late break in the first set and carried over the momentum into the second as she remained unbeaten during her career in Big Ten play.
Senior Annie Wierda capped off Michigan's perfect day in singles, winning 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 at No. 6. Wierda got the break she needed in the third set, going up 4-3 and holding it the rest of the way in her second win of the weekend.
Michigan plays three matches next week, first traveling to North Carolina to take on the Tar Heels on Thursday (April 6) at 1 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 31 Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Caroline Ryba (Minn), 6-0, 3-6, 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 18 Kate Fahey (U-M) d. Tina Kreinis (Minn), 7-5, 6-3
No. 3 -- Alex Najarian (U-M) d. Maja Vujic (Minn), 6-3, 7-6 (2)
No. 4 -- No. 106 Chiara Lommer (U-M) d. AnneMarie Emme (Minn), 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 -- Mira Ruder-Hook (U-M) d. Camilla Vargas Gomez (Minn), 6-2, 6-3
No. 6 -- Annie Wierda (U-M) d. Caitlyn Merzbacher (Minn), 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 43 Mira Ruder-Hook/Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Caitlyn Merzbacher/Mehvish Safdar (Minn), 6-3
No. 2 -- AnneMarie Emme/Tina Kreinis (Minn) d. Kate Fahey/Chiara Lommer (U-M), 6-3
No. 3 -- Carolina Ryba/Cammy Frei (Minn) d. Annie Wierda/Alex Najarian (U-M), 7-6 (4)
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 4-5-1-3-2-6
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
