Michigan
Illinois
Wolverines Capture B1G Championship
4/23/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 23, 2017
» Michigan completed a perfect 11-0 season in the Big Ten, tying with Ohio State for the Big Ten championship. It marks the seventh Big Ten championship for the Maize and Blue in the last eight years. U-M will be the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament.
» Michigan won the doubles point and got singles wins from Chiara Lommer, Kate Fahey and Brienne Minor to record the 4-0 win.
» Lommer (10-0), Fahey (9-0) and Alex Najarian (6-0) each completed perfect singles seasons during Big Ten action.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Score: #10 Michigan 4, Illinois 0
Records: U-M (19-4, 11-0 Big Ten), ILL (13-11, 7-4 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 28 -- at Big Ten Tournament - Quarterfinals (Champaign, Ill.), 2 p.m. CDT
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team wrapped up its seventh Big Ten championship in the last eight years with a 4-0 win over Illinois on Sunday afternoon (April 23) at the Atkins Tennis Center.
Michigan took the doubles point behind wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Illinois won the first match off court, grabbing the final four games at No. 3 for a 6-2 victory.
U-M's No. 2 duo of freshman Chiara Lommer and sophomore Brienne Minor jumped out to a 4-1 lead and never looked back in a 6-3 win to even the doubles score at one match each.
It was a back-and-forth affair at No. 1, as the match featured five straight breaks of serve. Junior Alex Najarian and sophomore Kate Fahey broke on a deuce point for a 5-4 lead, sending Fahey back to the service line. U-M won the first two points of the game to take control, holding serve for the 6-4 win.
Michigan got off to hot starts on all six singles courts, going up a break across the board through the first four games.
Lommer was the first off court, winning 6-2, 6-0 at No. 4 for Michigan's second point of the afternoon. With the win, Lommer completed a perfect Big Ten season during her freshman campaign with a 10-0 mark.
It was a race to the finish for Michigan's sophomore duo of Fahey and Minor, as each were a game away from putting their matches away. Fahey came though first, putting together a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1 to finish her second straight unblemished Big Ten singles season.
Minor quickly followed, winning 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2 to clinch the match and championship for Michigan.
U-M won five first sets on the day, with freshman Valeria Patiuk on the verge of winning her match (6-1, 5-3) at No. 6 when the match was abandoned.
Michigan has secured the No. 2 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament and will be in action on Friday (April 28) at 2 p.m. CDT. Illinois is hosting the tournament.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 25 Kate Fahey (U-M) d. Louise Kwong (ILL), 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 24 Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Alexis Casati (ILL), 6-3, 6-2
No. 3 -- Alex Najarian (U-M) vs. Madie Baillon (ILL), 6-7, 1-1 abandoned
No. 4 -- Chiara Lommer (U-M) d. Jaclyn Switkes (ILL), 6-2, 6-0
No. 5 -- Mira Ruder-Hook (U-M) vs. Daniela Pedraza Novak (ILL), 6-3, 4-4 abandoned
No. 6 -- Valeria Patiuk (U-M) vs. Grace Tapak (ILL), 6-1, 5-3 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 9 Kate Fahey/Alex Najarian (U-M) d. Louise Kwong/Ines Vias (ILL), 6-4
No. 2 -- Chiara Lommer/Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Madie Baillon/Jaclyn Switkes (ILL), 6-3
No. 3 -- Alexis Casati/Daniela Pedraza Novak (ILL) d. Annie Wierda/Mira Ruder-Hook (U-M), 6-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2-1, Singles 4-1-2
Communications Contact: Sarah VanMetre
Players Mentioned
