Michigan
Michigan State
Michigan Shuts Out Michigan State in Big Ten Opener
3/11/2023 4:02:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #6 Michigan 4, Michigan State 0
Records: U-M (9-2, 1-0 B1G), MSU (7-5, 0-1 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, March 15 -- vs. Iowa (Varsity Tennis Center), 6 p.m.
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ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won the doubles point and the bottom of the lineup came through with straight-set wins in a 4-0 shutout over Michigan State on Saturday afternoon (March 11) at the Varsity Tennis Center. It was Michigan's 23rd straight win over the Spartans.
Michigan grabbed the early advantage, taking the doubles point behind wins at No. 2 and No. 3.
Nicole Hammond and Kari Miller combined for a 6-2 victory at No. 2 as the first match off court. The Wolverines fell behind 0-40 in the first game of the match before coming back to win four straight points for the game. U-M got the break it needed at 4-2, with Hammond holding in the next service game to consolidate the break. Miller and Hammond grabbed four match points in the next MSU service game, converting on the fourth for the first win of the afternoon.
Michigan got concurrent breaks at both No. 1 and No. 2, heading back to serve for the win on both courts.
With Andrea Cerdan back to serve at No. 3, she and Merri Kelly fell in a 15-40 hole. The duo methodically worked out of it, tying the game at 40-40 for a match point on the deuce point. Cerdan's serve forced a Michigan State return long, wrapping up a 6-4 win for the pair.
U-M won five first sets in singles action.
Gala Mesochoritou made quick work of her opponent at No. 5, dropping just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win for Michigan's second point. After breezing to the first-set win, Mesochoritou won the first three games in the second to put any thought of a Spartan comeback to rest. The Wolverine cashed in our her first match point, breaking Nicole Conard on the deuce point to push Michigan's lead to 2-0.
Cerdan accounted for Michigan's third point of the match behind a 6-3, 6-0 victory at No. 4. She used a well-timed break in the first set to get the win, carrying the momentum over into the second set. Cerdan came through on the deuce point for a 4-0 lead, holding on her serve in the ensuing game. Much like Mesochoritou, Cerdan made good on her first and only match point to break Juliette Nask for the straight-set win.
From there, both Kelly and Miller held match points in their matches at Nos. 6 and 1, respectively, but Michigan State kept fighting them off.
Kelly was the deciding point at No. 6 after she prevailed in a second-set tiebreaker. She won the first three games of her first set, eventually taking the 6-2 win. Kelly grabbed a break at 4-3 in the second but could not keep it as MSU answered right back for a 4-4 tie. Neither of the two players could hold serve the rest of the way, sending the set to a breaker. Kelly raced out to a 4-1 lead before Issey Purser won three of the next four points for a 5-4 Kelly lead. The Wolverine won the final two points of the breaker to seal the Michigan win.
U-M continues Big Ten action on Wednesday (March 15), hosting Iowa at 6 p.m. at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 50 Kari Miller (U-M) vs. Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU), 6-2, 5-4 abandoned
No. 2 -- No. 34 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Ayshe Can (MSU), 3-6, 6-2, 2-1 abandoned
No. 3 -- No. 54 Lily Jones (U-M) vs. Marley Lambert (MSU), 6-3, 4-6, 0-1 abandoned
No. 4 -- Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. Juliette Nask (MSU), 6-3, 6-0
No. 5 -- No. 118 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. Nicole Conard (MSU), 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 -- Merri Kelly (U-M) d. Issey Purser (MSU), 6-2, 7-6 (4)
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 69 Lily Jones/Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Ayshe Can/Liisa Vehvilainen (MSU), 5-3 abandoned
No. 2 -- Kari Miller/Nicole Hammond (U-M) d. Marley Lambert/Dagmar Zdrubecka (MSU), 6-2
No. 3 -- Andrea Cerdan/Merri Kelly (U-M) d. Nicole Conard/Issey Purser (MSU), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-3, Singles 5-4-6
Players Mentioned
