Michigan
Oklahoma
Wolverines Drop Heartbreaker to No. 12 Oklahoma at ITA Indoor Championship
2/8/2025 5:03:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Champaign, Ill. (Atkins Tennis Center)
Event: ITA National Team Indoor Championship Quarterfinals
Score: #12 Oklahoma 4, #7 Michigan 3
Records: U-M (5-1), OU (7-0)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, Feb. 9 -- at ITA National Team Indoor Championship - Consolation (Champaign, Ill.), TBD
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The No. 7-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team dropped a heartbreaker in the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, falling to No. 12-ranked Oklahoma 4-3 on Saturday (Feb. 8) at the Atkins Tennis Center.
After Oklahoma tied the team match at 3-3, it came down to the match at No. 4 between U-M's Reese Miller and OU's Emma Staker. Miller had won the first two games, but Staker answered for a 2-2 tie. Both players held serve in their next service games for a 3-3 tie before Staker ripped off two straight for a 5-3 lead. Miller broke back and then fought off a match point on her serve, converting the deuce point to tie the final set at 5-5.
Miller broke Staker in the next game and grabbed a match point of her own on her serve, but she netted the running forehand to send the match to a breaker.
In the tiebreaker, Staker won four of the first five points for a 4-1 lead. Miller again had an answer, winning three straight of her own to pull even at 4-4. Staker won the next three, the final on a lob winner that Miller could not get to for Oklahoma's fourth point of the afternoon.
The Sooners struck first, winning the doubles point with victories at No. 2 and No. 3.
In singles action, the teams split the first sets as Michigan took the odd courts and Oklahoma won the even courts.
Lily Jones pulled Michigan even at 1-1 with a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 3. After winning the first set, Jones fell in a 3-1 hole in the second before ripping off five straight games for Michigan's first point of the afternoon.
Oklahoma countered with a straight-set win at No. 6, nudging ahead at 2-1. The Sooner lead was short-lived as Julia Fliegner recorded a 6-4, 6-2Â win at the top spot over No. 13-ranked Julia Garcia Ruiz. Fliegner broke for a 5-4Â lead in the first set and served it out in the ensuing game. She grabbed a break early in the second set and never gave it up, winning the 100th singles match of her career. Fliegner is the 11th Wolverine to reach the mark.
Emily Sartz-Lunde closed out her match in two sets at No. 5, knocking off No. 114-ranked Gloriana Nahum. After a 6-1 first-set win, Sartz-Lunde had the chance to serve out the match at 5-4 in the second, but Nahum came through with a break to tie the set at 5-5. Sartz-Lunde returned the favor in the following game and closed out the match on serve in the 12th game, converting on the deuce point for a 3-2 Michigan lead.
Oklahoma won at No. 2 to tie the team match at 3-3 and set up the final sequence at No. 4.
U-M will wrap up action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship with a consolation match on Sunday (Feb. 9).
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 4 Julia Fliegner (U-M) d. No. 13 Julia Garcia Ruiz (Oklahoma), 6-4, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 43 Alina Shcherbinina (Oklahoma) d. No. 30 Piper Charney (U-M), 7-5, 6-4
No. 3 -- No. 36 Lily Jones (U-M) d. No. 103 Salakthip Ounmang (Oklahoma), 6-2, 6-3
No. 4 -- Emma Staker (Oklahoma) d. No. 66 Reese Miller (U-M), 6-1, 3-6, 7-6 (4)
No. 5 -- Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) d. No. 114 Gloriana Nahum (Oklahoma), 6-1, 7-5
No. 6 -- No. 91 Ava Catanzarite (Oklahoma) d. Jessica Bernales (U-M), 6-3, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 27 Piper Charney/Jessica Bernales (U-M) d. Cara Mester/Alina Shcherbinina (Oklahoma), 6-2
No. 2 -- Chloe Noel/Julia Garcia Ruiz (Oklahoma) d. No. 45 Reese Miller/Julia Fliegner (U-M), 6-0
No. 3 -- Salakthip Ounmang/Gloriana Nahum (Oklahoma) d. Lily Jones/Ava Bruno (U-M), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3, Singles 3-6-1-5-2-4
Players Mentioned
