Michigan
Kentucky
Michigan Shuts Out Kentucky to Advance to NCAA Super Regional
5/4/2019 4:43:00 PM | Women's Tennis
» Michigan shut out Kentucky to advance to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 years and ninth overall. The third round will now take place on campus sites as part of an NCAA Super Regional.
» U-M won the doubles point and got singles wins from Kate Fahey, Brienne Minor and Giulia Pairone to account for its four points.
» Michigan won its 20th match of the season, marking the 11th 20-win campaign in program history. U-M has now reached 20 wins in nine of the last 10 seasons.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Second Round)
Result: #16 Michigan 4, Kentucky 0
Records: U-M (20-5), Kentucky (19-9)
Next U-M Event: TBA -- at NCAA Super Regional, TBA
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team shut out Kentucky, 4-0, in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon (May 4) at the Varsity Tennis Center. With the win, Michigan has advanced to third round of the NCAA Tournament for the eighth time in the last 10 seasons and ninth time overall.
Michigan got the early lead after winning at No. 3 and No. 1 doubles for the match's first point.
At No. 3, junior Lera Patiuk and sophomore Alyvia Jones raced out to a 3-0 lead. After Kentucky got one of the breaks back, Michigan held on a deuce point to grab a 5-3 lead. U-M broke Kentucky in the ensuing game, wrapping up a 6-3 win at No. 3.
Michigan was down 5-2 at No. 1 and grabbed a 5-3 lead at No. 2 when the action switched to those courts. Kentucky broke Michigan at love to get back on serve, while U-M's top pair of seniors Kate Fahey and Brienne Minor went to work.
Fahey and Minor got one of the breaks back at 5-3, with Fahey holding her serve in the next game for a 5-4 deficit. Michigan was able to keep to stay alive, breaking the Wildcats to knot the match at 5-all.
Minor headed back to the service line and gave the Wolverines a 6-5 lead after U-M won the final two points of the game. Following a UK medical timeout, Michigan won its fifth straight game to wrap up a 7-5 win and clinch the doubles point.
Michigan took five first sets in singles action.
Fahey gave Michigan its second point of the afternoon, taking a 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 27-ranked Justina Mikulskyte at the top spot. Fahey fell down a break at 2-1 in the first set but then ripped off eight straight games to take the first set and a 3-0 lead in the second. That was all the space Fahey needed as she won her 20th straight match at the top of the lineup.
Minor put the third Michigan point on the board behind a 6-0, 7-5 victory at No. 3. Minor won the first 10 games of the match, holding a 4-0 lead in the second set before Kentucky started coming back. It appeared as if the set was headed to a tiebreaker as UK went back to serve at 5-6, but Minor cashed in on the deuce point to wrap up the straight-sets win and get off court.
It was a race between junior Giulia Pairone and Jones for the fourth point. Both were just one game away after Minor and Fahey won their matches.
Pairone was the victor, winning 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2 to provide the fourth point for the Maize and Blue. Pairone broke for the first set win before completely dominating in the second set.
Jones was two points away from victory at No. 5 as the remaining three matches were abandoned.
The third round of the NCAA Tournament will be played on campus sites as an NCAA Super Regional. Michigan will face the winner of the Georgia/Wake Forest match, which will be played Sunday (May 5).
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 3 Kate Fahey (U-M) d. No. 27 Justina Mikulskyte (UK), 6-2, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 80 Giulia Pairone (U-M) d. Lesedi Jacobs (UK), 6-4, 6-0
No. 3 -- No. 50 Brienne Minor (U-M) d. Akvile Parazinskaite (UK), 6-0, 7-5
No. 4 -- Diana Tkachenko (UK) vs. No. 48 Chiara Lommer (U-M), 7-5, 0-1 abandoned
No. 5 -- Alyvia Jones (U-M) vs. Anastasia Tkachenko (UK), 6-3, 5-3 abandoned
No. 6 -- Anca Craciun (U-M) vs. Brianna Tulloch (UK), 6-4, 3-2 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 37 Brienne Minor/Kate Fahey (U-M) d. No. 16 Justina Mikulskyte/Akvile Parazinskaite (UK), 7-5
No. 2 -- Giulia Pairone/Anca Craciun (U-M) vs. Lesedi Jacobs/Anastasia Tkachenko (UK), 6-6 abandoned
No. 3 -- Alyvia Jones/Lera Patiuk (U-M) d. Brianna Tulloch/Diana Tkachenko (UK), 6-3
Order of completion: Doubles 3-1, Singles 1-3-2
Players Mentioned
