Michigan Sets Sights on Stillwater for Remainder of NCAA Tournament

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 3-ranked and seeded University of Michigan women's tennis team (29-3) has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the second straight season and will face No. 6 seed Pepperdine (20-6) on Friday (May 17) at 1:30 p.m. CDT. The remainder of the tournament, including the NCAA Singles and Doubles Championships, will be held at Oklahoma State's Greenwood Tennis Center in Stillwater.

Notes:

• The No. 3-ranked Wolverines (29-3) are making their third overall and second consecutive trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament (2016, 2023). U-M is in search of its first Final Four appearance after falling to Stanford, 4-3, in 2016 and 4-0 to Georgia last season in its previous quarterfinal appearances. Michigan will face No. 5-ranked and sixth-seeded Pepperdine (20-6) on Friday (May 17) at 1:30 p.m. CDT.

• Joining Michigan and Pepperdine in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament are No. 2 Stanford, No. 5 Virginia, No. 7 Georgia, No. 8 UCLA, No. 13 Texas A&M and No. 16 Tennessee.

• The winner of the Michigan/Pepperdine match will face the winner of the Georgia/Stanford match on Saturday (May 18) at 4 p.m. CDT. The national championship match is set for Sunday (May 19) at 6:30 p.m. CDT.

• Michigan and Pepperdine are meeting for the second time this season, with the Waves marking the seventh team U-M has faced multiple times. Michigan rallied after dropping the doubles point to Pepperdine at the VTC on March 10, winning four of the first five singles matches to finish in a 4-2 win. U-M also faced Oklahoma State (0-2), Virginia (2-0), Ohio State (2-0), NC State (2-0), Wisconsin (2-0) and Purdue (2-0) each twice this season.

• U-M and Pepperdine are meeting in the NCAA Tournament for the second time, with the Waves winning a 4-0 match in the 2021 third round at the USTA National Campus. Michigan has three wins all-time against Pepperdine.

• This is Michigan's second trip to the Greenwood Tennis Center this season after opening the dual-match season at Oklahoma State. Michigan also played in Stillwater during the 2023 season, winning the ITA Kickoff to advance to the ITA National Team Indoor Championship.

• Michigan has won 21 consecutive matches, setting a new program record and beating the previous mark of 20 (2015). Dating back to a 4-1 win over NC State on Feb. 22 to kick off the streak, Michigan has six wins over ranked teams and surrendered just 13 points to its opponents.

• U-M has won a school-record 29 matches, topping the previous record of 26 set during the 2015 season.

• Piper Charney holds a 19-match winning streak, compiling a 36-8 overall singles record and a 25-3 record in dual matches. Her 36 wins put her in a tie for second all-time on Michigan's single-season list with the illustrious duo of Brienne Minor (2016) and Kate Fahey (2017). She and Minor are tied for the most wins by a freshman.

• Kari Miller is 30-7 overall in singles and 15-4 at No. 1. She is up to 95 career wins, becoming just the 13th Wolverine in program history to reach 90 wins. She is now tied for 10th on Michigan's career wins list after getting wins in both of Michigan's first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

• In the latest ITA rankings, Michigan has six ranked singles players in Miller (No. 5), Julia Fliegner (No. 28), No. 57 Gala Mesochoritou, Lily Jones (No. 78), Charney (No. 113) and Bayley Sheinin (No. 118). Miller and Jaedan Brown are ranked No. 9 in doubles.

• Singles play has been strong for the Wolverines in dual-match action. U-M is 105-26 in singles play, good for a .802 winning percentage. Charney (25), Mesochoritou (18), Jones (19), Miller (15), Fliegner (13) and Brown (10) have each reached double-digit wins in dual matches. All eight Wolverines have picked up at least one singles win in dual-match play.

• Michigan is 23-0 when winning the doubles point this season and 6-3 without securing the match's first point, getting wins over No. 15 Cal, No. 5 NC State, No. 8 Pepperdine, Maryland, Purdue and most recently against Notre Dame after falling in doubles play. Michigan has won the doubles point in nine of the last 10 matches.

• After this weekend of action, Miller, Mesochoritou and Fliegner will each participate in the 2024 NCAA Singles Championship (May 20-25). Miller and Brown will team up in the doubles tournament for the second straight season after making the quarterfinals last year.