Michigan
Wisconsin
Michigan Picks Up 20th Win in Shutout at No. 25 Wisconsin
4/12/2024 7:46:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Madison, Wis. (Nielsen Tennis Stadium)
Score: #2 Michigan 4, #25 Wisconsin 0
Records: U-M (20-3, 8-0 B1G), UW (15-4, 6-2 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 14 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn.), 11 a.m. CDT
MADISON, Wis. -- The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team ran its winning streak to 12 and recorded its third-straight 20-win season in a 4-0 shutout win over No. 25-ranked Wisconsin on Friday afternoon (April 12) at Nielsen Tennis Stadium.
Michigan struck first, taking the doubles point behind victories at No. 3 and No. 1.
For the second straight match, the duo of Julia Fliegner and Lily Jones came through with a 6-0 win at No. 3. The U-M duo broke at love for a 2-0 lead, consolidating the break in the next game. That was all the space they needed en route to the 6-0 win.
U-M's No. 1 pair of Kari Miller and Jaedan Brown clinched the first point of the match behind a 6-1 win. Michigan broke on a deuce point for a 2-0 lead but could not keep the break as the teams combined for three straight breaks of serve. The final break went Michigan's way, with Miller's service return put in the net by Wisconsin for a 3-1 lead. Much like Fliegner and Jones at No. 3, that was all the room Michigan needed to get the 6-1 victory.
Michigan took five first sets in singles action as both teams battled the windy conditions.
Gala Mesochoritou pushed the Michigan lead to 2-0 behind a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2. She converted a well-timed break in the first set, going up 5-3 and cashing it on her serve in the next game for the 6-3 win. She started fast with a 3-1 lead in the second set before Wisconsin won two straight to knot the set at 3-3. Mesochoritou did not drop another game after that, winning the final three games for the straight-set win.
Piper Charney gave Michigan a 3-0 lead, winning a straight-set match at No. 6. Charney grabbed a 5-3 lead in the first set and had an opportunity to serve out the set but could not convert as it eventually headed to a breaker. Tied at 3-3 at the changeover, Charney ripped off four straight points for the 7-4 win. The second set stayed on serve throughout until a Charney drop shot on game point gave her a 5-3 lead. She served out the match in the ensuing game for Michigan's third point.Â
With a third set in process at No. 5 and heading to third sets at two more spots, Fliegner won the final four games of her second set at No. 4 to clinch the 4-0 shutout win for the Maize and Blue. After finding herself in a 2-0 hole to start the first set, she won five straight games en route to a 6-4 win by ripping a service return winner off a let serve to wrap up the win. With the second set on serve in the early going, Fliegner was broken at 5-3. She held on her serve and then converted the second of four break points to knot the second at 5-5. Fliegner rode the momentum from there, winning the next two games to account for Michigan's fourth point.
U-M will finish the road portion of its regular season on Sunday (April 14), playing at Minnesota at 11 a.m. CDT.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 3 Kari Miller (U-M) vs. No. 78 Maria Sholokhova (UW), 7-5, 2-6 abandoned
No. 2 -- No. 64 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. Alina Mukhortova (UW), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 108 Jaedan Brown (U-M) vs. Taylor Cataldi (UW), 6-7 (2), 6-3 abandoned
No. 4 -- No. 22 Julia Fliegner (U-M) d. Xinyu Cai (UW), 6-4, 7-5
No. 5 -- No. 77 Lily Jones (U-M) vs. Ariel Johnson (UW), 6-4, 2-6, 1-1 abandoned
No. 6 -- No. 110 Piper Charney (U-M) d. Ava Martin (UW), 7-6 (3), 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 6 Kari Miller/Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. Xinyu Cai/Alina Mukhortova (UW), 6-1
No. 2 -- Piper Charney/Reese Miller (U-M) vs. Maria Sholokhova/Taylor Cataldi (UW), 3-5 abandoned
No. 3 -- Julia Fliegner/Lily Jones (U-M) d. Ariel Johnson/Ellison Reynoldson (UW), 6-0
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1; Singles 2-6-4
Players Mentioned
