Michigan
Illinois
Wolverines Stay Perfect in B1G Behind Win at Illinois
4/7/2019 3:28:00 PM | Women's Tennis
» Illinois won the doubles point but Michigan won the first four singles matches off court to rally for the win.
» Kate Fahey ran her win streak to 12 matches with a win at No. 1, while Giulia Pairone picked up her eighth straight win.
» Michigan is the lone unbeaten team in the Big Ten with a 9-0 record and has two conference matches remaining at Rutgers and Maryland.
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Result: #18 Michigan 4, Illinois 3
Records: U-M (13-4, 9-0 B1G), Illinois (9-10, 4-3 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Thursday, April 11 -- at Florida (Gainesville, Fla.), 5 p.m.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team dropped the doubles point but won the first four singles matches off court in straight sets to pick up its eighth straight win in a 4-3 victory over Illinois on Sunday afternoon (April 7) at the Atkins Tennis Center.
Michigan's top pair of seniors Brienne Minor and Kate Fahey took a 6-1 win at No. 1, but Illinois won the remaining two matches at No. 2 and No. 3 to take the doubles point. Michigan's No. 3 pair of sophomore Alyvia Jones and junior Chiara Lommer rallied from a 3-0 deficit to the get the match back on serve at 3-3, but Illinois won three of the last four games to take the 1-0 lead.
Needing four singles wins to clinch the match, Michigan won first sets at No. 1, No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4.
Minor evened the team score with a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 3. After dominating the first set, Minor fell in a 2-0 hole to start the second. The Wolverine responded by winning six of the final seven games, taking a two-set win to pull Michigan even at one point each.
Junior Giulia Pairone followed Minor's lead, breezing to a 6-1 lead before falling behind 3-0 to start the second. Pairone answered by winning six of the next seven games to put Michigan's second point on the board with a 6-1, 6-4 victory.
Fahey accounted for Michigan's third point on the afternoon with a 6-4, 6-2 win at the top spot over No. 47-ranked Asuka Kawai. Fahey broke Kawai for the first-set win and took control midway through the second to wrap up her 12th consecutive win at the top of the lineup.
Moments later, Lommer clinched the Michigan win behind a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 4. Lommer used an early break in the first set at 4-2 to comfortably take the first, 6-3. Lommer raced out to a 3-0 advantage in the second and never looked back in grabbing the deciding point.
Illinois won the final two matches on court to provide the final 4-3 margin.
Michigan embarks on a three-match road swing this week, first wrapping up non-conference action with a match at Florida on Thursday (April 11) at 5 p.m. U-M will conclude conference play over the weekend at Rutgers (April 13) and Maryland (April 21).
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 3 Kate Fahey (U-M) d. No. 47 Asuka Kawai (Illinois) 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 85 Giulia Pairone (U-M) Mia Rabinowitz (Illinois), 6-1, 6-4
No. 3 -- No. 48 Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Jaclyn Switkes (Illinois), 6-1, 6-3
No. 4 -- No. 29 Chiara Lommer (U-M) d. Sasha Belaya (Illinois), 6-3, 6-2
No. 5 -- Emilee Duong (Illinois) d. Anca Craciun (U-M), 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (8)
No. 6 -- Daniela Pedraza Novak (Illinois) d. Alyvia Jones (U-M), 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 33 Kate Fahey/Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Jaclyn Switkes/Sasha Belaya (Illinois), 6-1
No. 2 -- Daniela Pedraza Novak/Emilee Duong (Illinois) d. Giulia Pairone/Anca Craciun (U-M)
No. 3 -- Asuka Kawai/Mia Rabinowitz (Illinois) d. Chiara Lommer/Alyvia Jones (U-M), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3 Singles 3-2-1-4-6-5
Players Mentioned
