Michigan
Iowa
Wolverines Clinch Share of Big Ten Title, Blank Iowa
4/20/2024 4:13:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score:#2 Michigan 4, Iowa 0
Records: U-M (22-3, 10-0 B1G), Iowa (10-11, 5-5 B1G)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 21 -- vs. Nebraska (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team clinched at least a share of the 2024 Big Ten championship, shutting out Iowa 4-0 on Saturday afternoon (April 20) at the Varsity Tennis Center. U-M can win the championship outright with a victory tomorrow.
Michigan grabbed the early lead, winning the doubles point behind victories at No. 3 and No. 2.
It was all U-M at No. 3, as Bayley Sheinin and Kari Miller combined for a 6-1 win. The pair won the first two games to get the break early and never gave it back in the victory.
Iowa evened the doubles ledger behind a 6-4 win at the top spot. U-M was down 5-2 and got back on serve at 5-4 but was broken in the final game as Iowa got the win.
Lily Jones and Julia Fliegner clinched the match's first point, breaking in the final game for a 6-4 win at No. 2. Tied at 4-4 when it became the deciding match, Fliegner held on her serve for a 5-4 advantage. The Wolverines grabbed three match points in the ensuing game, converting on their second to wrap up the doubles point.
Michigan took five first sets in singles action, as Miller fought off two set points at 5-3 before winning the next four games for a 7-5 win.
Piper Charney pushed the Michigan lead to 2-0 behind a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 5. Tied at 2-2 in the second set, Charney won the next four games to put the second point on the board. The win moved her to 8-0 in Big Ten action and marked her 12th straight win.
Reese Miller put Michigan on the verge of victory with a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 6. She won four of the first five games in the first set before hanging on for the 6-4 win. The freshman raced out to a 3-1 lead in the second set and did not look back to get the win. She moved her dual-match record to 4-0 and is now 3-0 in Big Ten play.
It was a race to finish from there as Gala Mesochoritou and Jones held concurrent match points. Jones won the race, rebounding from a 6-4 first-set loss to post a 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 win for Michigan's fourth point.
The remaining matches were abandoned as Michigan posted the 4-0 shutout win.
Michigan will honor its senior class prior to Sunday's (April 21) match against Nebraska. The ceremony will begin around 11:50 a.m., with the match slated for a noon start. The match will likely be played outdoors.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 3 Kari Miller (U-M) vs. Daianne Hayashida (Iowa), 7-5, 3-0 abandoned
No. 2 -- No. 56 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) Marisa Schmidt (Iowa), 6-2, 5-4 abandoned
No. 3 -- No. 24 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Barbora Pokorna (Iowa), 6-1, 6-6 (5-3 in the breaker), abandoned
No. 4 -- No. 77 Lily Jones (U-M) d. Pia Kranholdt (Iowa), 4-6, 6-0, 6-0
No. 5 -- No. 110 Piper Charney (U-M) d. Vipasha Mehra (Iowa), 6-1, 6-2
No. 6 -- Reese Miller (U-M) d. Nikita Vishwase (Iowa), 6-4, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- Daianne Hayashida/Vipasha Mehra (Iowa) d. Piper Charney/Reese Miller (U-M), 6-4
No. 2 -- Julia Fliegner/Lily Jones (U-M) d. Barbora Pokorna/Pia Kranholdt (Iowa), 6-4
No. 3 -- Kari Miller/Bayley Sheinin (U-M) d. Marisa Schmidt/Nikita Vishwase (Iowa), 6-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-1-2, Singles 5-6-4
Players Mentioned
