Michigan
NCAA Individual Championships
Wolverines Continue Action at NCAA Championships
5/23/2023 10:08:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Lake Nona, Fla. (USTA National Campus)
Event: NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships (Day 2 of 6)
Score: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Wednesday, May 24 -- at NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships (Lake Nona, Fla.), TBA
LAKE NONA, Fla. -- Kari Miller earned All-America honors and teamed up with Jaedan Brown to advance to the second round of the doubles draw during the second day of action at the NCAA Individual Championships on Tuesday (May 23) at the USTA National Campus.
Miller got a 7-5, 7-5 win over No. 62-ranked Georgia Drummy of Duke, avenging a second-round loss from the NCAA Singles Championship in 2021.
Miller jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first set, but Drummy countered with three straight games of her own to go up a break on Miller. Miller quickly answered with a break back at 3-3, as the set stayed on serve over the next five games. Drummy took a 40-15 lead on her serve at 6-5 before Miller won the final three points to get the break and seal the 7-5 win.
In the second set, Miller had a break point after taking a 1-0 lead but could not convert, keeping the second set on serve at 1-1 in the early going. Miller double faulted on deuce point in the ensuing game, giving Drummy a break at 2-1. Much like the first set, Miller immediately got the break back at 2-2. Miller and Drummy each held serve over the next seven games, with Miller holding on the deuce point for a 6-5 lead when Miller's forehand found the net.
It was all Miller in the final game as Drummy went back to serve to stay in the match. After Drummy tied the game at 15-15 on a net cord winner, Miller buckled down and took the next three points to wrap up the straight-set win.
Brown dropped a heartbreaker of a match to No. 6-ranked Chloe Beck of Duke, falling in three sets (6-3, 5-7, 6-3). Neither player could hold serve at the beginning of the match, as they exchanged three straight breaks. Beck consolidated the break in the fourth game, taking a 3-1 lead that stretched to a 5-2 lead. Brown got one break back at 5-3 but could not get closer as Beck wrapped up a 6-3 first-set win.
Brown got off to a slow start in the second set, facing 3-0 and 4-1 deficits. She won three straight games for a 4-4 tie, going up a break at 5-4 when Beck double faulted on game point. Brown had a chance to serve for the set and held a set point on the deuce point but her forehand went long to again tie the set at 5-5. Brown immediately broke back for a 6-5 lead, again getting the opportunity to serve for the set. She converted this time, wrapping up a 7-5 win to force a third set.
She found herself in a 3-0 hole in the third set before holding at 3-1. Brown was able to take advantage of a 0-40 start in the next game to break Beck, getting back on serve at 3-2. She had two game points in the ensuing game but could not convert as Beck kept the break at 4-2. Both players held in their next service games, allowing Beck to serve for the match at 5-3. Brown fought off two match points, but could not fight off the third when her return of a wide serve induced a Beck volley that was too close to call out. Brown finishes her junior season with 25 singles wins, giving her 72 victories for career.
Julia Fliegner's stellar sophomore season came to an end with a 6-2, 6-3 loss to No. 4-ranked Dasha Vidamanova of Georgia. Fliegner won the first two games of the first set before Vidamanova won six straight, taking advantage of several deuce-point games, to get the first-set win.
Vidamanova won four of the first five games in the second set for a 4-1 lead. Fliegner got within 5-3 and fought off one match point but not the second, dropping the 6-3 decision. Fliegner ended her sophomore season with 26 wins and All-Big Ten honors.
The start of doubles play was delayed due to weather, with U-M's match eventually played indoors.
Miller and Brown broke to start, getting a 2-0 lead in the next game on Miller's serve. A lob winner in the next game gave the Wolverines a deuce point, which they converted for a 3-0 lead. Michigan held for a 4-0 lead before Temple won on the deuce point in the next game for a 4-1 U-M lead at the changeover. U-M won the next two games to wrap up the 6-1 win.
Michigan held to start the second and took a 2-0 lead when Temple tried a lob in the second game, only to find the business end of a Brown overhead to covert the point for Michigan. U-M held in the next game for the 3-0 lead. Temple held at 3-1 but U-M ripped off four straight points on Miller's serve after dropping the first point for a 4-1 lead.
Brown and Miller won the next two games, wrapping up a clinical 6-1, 6-1 win in their first match as a duo since March 26.
Miller and U-M's doubles team will continue action tomorrow (Wednesday, May 24).
NCAA Singles Championship Second Round
No. 6 Chloe Beck (Duke) d. No. 22 Jaedan Brown (U-M), 6-3, 5-7, 6-3
No. 4 Dasha Vidmanova (Georgia) d. No. 51 Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-2, 6-3
No. 36 Kari Miller (U-M) d. No. 62 Georgia Drummy (Duke), 7-5, 7-5
NCAA Doubles Championship First Round
No. 3 Kari Miller/Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. No. 27 Jamie Wei/Maiko Uchijima (Temple), 6-1, 6-1
