Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Clinches B1G Championship with Win over MSU
4/18/2021 5:26:00 PM | Women's Tennis
» Michigan rallied after dropping the doubles point, getting singles wins from Gala Mesochoritou, Jaedan Brown, Kari Miller and Bella Lorenzini to record a 4-1 win over Michigan State.
» Michigan finished the Big Ten season with a 15-1 record, clinching its 10th Big Ten championship in program history and ninth since 2010.
» In the singles lineup for the first time during the dual-match portion of the season, Lorenzini clinched the match after being honored as part of Senior Day.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Ceter)
Result: #20 Michigan 4, Michigan State 1
Records: U-M (15-2, 15-1 B1G), MSU (6-11, 6-10 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wed-Sun., April 28-May 2 -- at Big Ten Tournament (Madison, Wis.), TBA
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won the first four singles matches off court to secure its 10th Big Ten championship in program history behind a 4-1 win over Michigan State on Sunday afternoon (April 18) at the Varsity Tennis Center. U-M went 15-1 in Big Ten action during the 2021 season to wrap up the title.
Senior Bella Lorenzini, playing singles for the first time in dual-match action this season, came through to put the fourth point on the board behind a 6-3, 7-5 win at No. 6 on her Senior Day. She raced out to a 2-0 lead in the first set and did not look back to take the early lead. In the second, Lorenzini broke in the final game, cashing in on her second match point of the game for the fourth point of the day.
MSU took the early lead after winning the doubles point, getting wins at No. 1 and No. 2 sandwiched around a U-M win at No. 3.
U-M took control back in singles, winning five first sets.
Freshman Gala Mesochoritou stayed perfect on the season and pulled Michigan even with the Spartans behind a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 5. She took advantage of early breaks in both sets to put Michigan's first point on the board.
Moments later, classmate Jaedan Brown came through with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 3 to give Michigan its first lead of the day. Brown broke for a 3-1 lead in the first and that was all the space she needed to get the win. She raced out to a 3-0 lead in the second before Samantha Memije battled back on serve. The Wolverine freshman won the final two games of the match, serving it out and winning on her second match-point opportunity.
Fellow freshman Kari Miller put the Wolverines on the brink of the win with a 6-2, 7-5 victory at the top spot. Miller rattled off six straight games in the first set after falling in a 2-0 hole to get the win. In the second, Miller grabbed a 5-3 lead, but Mary Lewis won two straight games to tie it at 5-5. Miller broke right back and held in her final service game to account for Michigan's third point and set up Lorenzini's clinching match.
Michigan is next in action at the Big Ten Tournament, set for April 28-May 2 at the University of Wisconsin.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 46 Kari Miller (U-M) d. Mary Lewis (MSU), 6-2, 7-5
No. 2 -- Chiara Lommer (U-M) vs. Lauren Lemonds (MSU), 6-1, 6-7 (2) abandoned
No. 3 -- No. 121 Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. Samantha Memije (MSU), 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 -- Maja Pietrowicz (MSU) vs. Andrea Cerdan (U-M), 7-6 (2), 5-3 abandoned
No. 5 -- No. 119 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. Nicole Stephens (MSU), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 -- Bella Lorenzini (U-M) d. Ayshe Can (MSU), 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- Mary Lewis/Maja Peitrowicz (MSU) d. Chiara Lommer/Jaedan Brown (U-M), 6-3
No. 2 -- Samantha Memije/Nicole Stephens (MSU) d. Andrea Cerdan/Alyvia Jones (U-M), 6-4
No. 3 -- Bella Lorenzini/Kari Miller (U-M) d. Lauren Lemonds/Ayshe Can (MSU), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3-2, Singles 5-3-1-6-4-2
Players Mentioned
