Michigan
North Carolina
Wolverines Battle, Fall Short Against No. 2 North Carolina
2/5/2022 3:21:00 PM | Women's Tennis
» North Carolina won the doubles point and the first three matches off court to clinch the match, eventually winning 5-2.
» Kari Miller and Gala Mesochoritou were victorious in singles for Michigan. Miller won in three sets against No. 5-ranked Cameron Morra, with Mesochoritou winning in straight sets at No. 6.
» Five of North Carolina's singles players were ranked, including four in the top 20.
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Result: #2 North Carolina 5, #20 Michigan 2
Records: U-M (3-2), UNC (7-0)
Next U-M Event: Tuesday, Feb. 8 -- vs. #4 California (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 20-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team dropped a 5-2 match to No. 2-ranked North Carolina on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 5) at the Varsity Tennis Center. North Carolina won the doubles point and the first three singles matches off court before Michigan got on the board with wins at No. 1 and No. 6.
North Carolina struck first, taking the doubles point behind a pair of 6-4 wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Michigan suffered late breaks on both courts as the Tar Heels closed out the wins within moments of each other. U-M's No. 3 pair of Anca Craciun and Nicole Hammond were up 5-4 when the match was abandoned.
Michigan got first-set singles wins at No. 1 and No. 6, with North Carolina taking the other four.
The Tar Heels won the first three singles matches off court at No. 5, No. 4 and No. 2 to clinch the team match. Hammond battled back after dropping her first set to force a third at No. 2 but could not complete the comeback.
A few moments after North Carolina clinched the match, Gala Mesochoritou came through with a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 57-ranked Anika Yarlagadda at No. 6. Mesochoritou was in a 2-0 hole in the first set before winning four straight games for a 4-2 lead. That was all the space she needed as she took the first set. In the second, Mesochoritou went up a break at 5-3 and had a pair of match points on her serve that Yarlagadda fought off. In the ensuing game, Mesochoritou had another pair of match points that were saved. She held on her serve in the next game and got the break she needed in the 12th and final game for the win at No. 6.
Kari Miller picked up a 6-0, 2-6, 6-1 win over No. 5-ranked Cameron Morra at No. 1 to account for Michigan's other point on the afternoon. After breezing to the first-set win, Miller fell behind quickly in the second. She tried to mount a comeback but could not, sending the match to a third set. It was all Miller in the third as she broke Morra in the third game and did not drop a game the rest of the way in the 6-1 victory.
North Carolina closed out the day with a win at No. 3 to provide the final 5-2 margin.
Michigan is back in action Tuesday (Feb. 8), hosting No. 4 California at the Varsity Tennis Center at 6 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 17 Kari Miller (U-M) d. No. 5 Cameron Morra (UNC), 6-0, 2-6, 6-1
No. 2 -- Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) d. No. 120 Nicole Hammond (U-M), 6-1, 3-6, 6-1
No. 3 -- No. 7 Reilly Tran (UNC) d. Andrea Cerdan (U-M), 7-5, 6-4
No. 4 -- No. 19 Fiona Crawley (UNC) d. Jaedan Brown (U-M), 6-4, 6-2
No. 5 -- No. 13 Carson Tanguilig (UNC) d. No. 99 Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 -- Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. No. 57 Anika Yarlagadda (UNC), 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 1 Fiona Crawley/Elizabeth Scotty (UNC) d. Jaedan Brown/Andrea Cerdan (U-M), 6-4
No. 2 -- No. 6 Cameron Morra/Carson Tanguilig (UNC) d. Kari Miller/Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-4
No. 3 -- Anca Craciun/Nicole Hammond (U-M) vs. No. 34 Alle Sanford/Reilly Tran (UNC), 5-4 abandoned
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2, Singles 5-4-2-6-1-3
Players Mentioned
