Michigan
Michigan State
Wolverines Blank Spartans to Collect 22nd Consecutive Victory in Rivalry
4/9/2022 6:40:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: East Lansing, Mich. (MSU Indoor Tennis Center)
Result: #22 Michigan 4, Michigan State 0
Records: U-M (12-5, 6-1 B1G), MSU (9-9, 1-6 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Friday, April 15 -- vs. Nebraska (Varsity Tennis Center), 3 p.m.
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 22-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won the doubles point behind a new lineup and took the first three singles matches off court in a 4-0 shutout win over Michigan State on Saturday afternoon (April 9) at the MSU Indoor Tennis Center. The victory marked Michigan's 22nd straight win over the Spartans.
Michigan mixed up its doubles lineup to tremendous success, getting a pair of wins at No. 2 and No. 3 to clinch the match's first point for the early 1-0 lead. U-M got off to solid starts on all three courts, holding concurrent 2-0 leads across the board.
It was all Kari Miller and Andrea Cerdan at the No. 2 spot as the Wolverine duo breezed to a 6-0 win as the first match off court. U-M got the break on the deuce point after Cerdan's service return resulted in a netted forehand for Michigan State for a 2-0 Wolverine lead. That was all the Wolverines needed as they did not drop a game in the win.
After Michigan was broken at 2-1 following a 2-0 start at No. 3, Merri Kelly and Nicole Hammond bounced back with a break of the Spartans at love for a 3-1 lead. U-M kept the advantage in the next game, winning on the deuce point when MSU sent a ball long for a 4-1 Michigan lead. Kelly and Hammond converted on their third match point, clinching the doubles point with a 6-2 victory.
Michigan took first sets on the even courts in singles, with MSU countering with wins on the odd courts.
Cerdan extended Michigan's lead to 2-0 behind a 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 4. Cerdan won the first four games of the first set en route to the win. In the second set, Cerdan and Nicole Stephens were tied at 3 before the Wolverine ripped off three straight to put the second point of the afternoon on the board for the Maize and Blue.
Jaedan Brown staked the Wolverines to a 3-0 lead behind a 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 2. Brown broke Maja Pietrowicz in the 12th game of the first set, sealing a 7-5 win. She carried that into the next set, winning the first five games to take a 6-1 second-set win. Brown converted on her third match point, serving out the win.
Miller sealed the win for the Wolverines with a come-from-behind win at the top spot. After falling 6-4 in the first set, she won the first three games of the second set to take control. She battled back to hold her serve in the final game of the set, cashing in on the deuce point for the 6-1 win. In the third set, she got a break at 3-2 when Mary Lewis sent a forehand long on the deuce point. Miller backed it up in the next game for a 4-2 lead before breaking Lewis at love for a 5-2 advantage. Miller finished out the match in the next game, accounting for Michigan's fourth point.
Michigan will be back home on Friday (April 15) for the first time since March 20, hosting Nebraska at 3 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 13 Kari Miller (U-M) d. Mary Lewis (MSU), 4-6, 6-1, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 73 Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. Maja Pietrowicz (MSU), 7-5, 6-1
No. 3 -- No. 119 Nicole Hammond (U-M) vs. Ayshe Can (MSU), 6-7 (3), 6-0, 3-3 abandoned
No. 4 -- No. 12 Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. Nicole Stephens (MSU), 6-1, 6-3
No. 5 -- Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Lauren Lemonds (MSU), 6-7 (0), 5-4 abandoned
No. 6 -- Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) vs. Charlotte Gisclon (MSU), 6-1, 5-7, 1-1 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 -- Jaedan Brown/Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Mary Lewis/Maja Pietrowicz (MSU), 5-2 abandoned
No. 2 -- Kari Miller/Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. Ayshe Can/Charlotte Gisclon (MSU), 6-0
No. 3 -- Merri Kelly/Nicole Hammond (U-M) d. Nicole Stephens/Lauren Lemonds (MSU), 6-2
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3, Singles 4-2-1
Players Mentioned
