Michigan
Texas A&M
Wolverines Push No. 2 Texas A&M Before Falling in Final Four
5/17/2025 6:21:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Waco, Texas (Hurd Tennis Center)
Event: NCAA Tournament (Semifinals)
Score: #2 Texas A&M 4, #3 Michigan 1
Records: U-M (27-5), TAMU (30-3)
Next U-M Event: Season Completed
WACO, Texas -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won four first sets in singles action after dropping the doubles point but could not complete the rally in a 4-1 loss to No. 2 Texas A&M in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday afternoon (May 17) at the Hurd Tennis Center.
Michigan's season ends with a 27-5 overall record after winning the 2025 Big Ten Championship and equaling the best seed in program history with a No. 3 seed for the NCAA Tournament. The 27 wins are the second-most in school history.
Michigan dropped the doubles point as Texas A&M won the final two matches off court at No. 2 and No. 3. U-M struck first, with Jessica Bernales and Lily Jones taking a 6-4 win at the top of the lineup. The Wolverines won the first two games, but A&M got it back on serve with two straight games. Jones and Bernales countered with three straight games, eventually holding three match points at 5-2. The Aggies fought all three off and held at 5-4. Jones closed it out on her serve in the next game.
Michigan was broken at 5-3 at No. 2, but Reese Miller and Julia Fliegner broke back in the next game to stay on court. In the next game, Michigan fought off one match point, but A&M converted on the second on the deuce point for the 6-4 win.
With attention turning to No. 3, Emily Sartz-Lunde and Piper Charney held serve at 5-4 after being up 4-1. U-M grabbed a match point on the deuce point in the next game, but a lob went long as Texas A&M tied the match at 5-5. The Aggies won the final two games, wrapping up a 7-5 win for the match's first point.
Michigan took four first sets in singles action as Fliegner won at No. 1, Charney at No. 2, Sartz-Lunde at No. 4 and Miller at No. 5.
The Aggies extended their lead to 2-0 with a straight-set win at No. 6, winning the final nine games of the match to put the second point on the board.
Sartz-Lunde halved the Texas A&M advantage behind a 6-2, 6-4 win over No. 51 Lucciana Perez at No. 4. It was all Sartz-Lunde in the first set, as she dropped just two games in securing one of Michigan's four first-set wins. In the second, she broke in the first game, but Perez returned the favor in the next game. The players exchanged breaks over the next several games until Sartz-Lunde broke for good at 4-3. She consolidated the break in the next game and, following an A&M service hold, she served it out at 6-4 for Michigan's first point of the afternoon.
The Aggies forced third sets at No. 1 and No. 2, while Jones was trying to do the same at No. 3. Miller had an opportunity to serve out her match at 6-5 in the second set but was broken, sending her second set to a breaker. At the same time, Jones rallied from down a break at 5-3 to force a breaker of her own on the adjacent court.
Miller took a 4-2 lead at the changeover, but Texas A&M converted five of the next six points to force a deciding set at No. 5. Jones went up 2-0 in her tiebreaker at No. 3 before No. 67 Mia Kupres won seven of the following eight points for a 3-1 Aggie lead in the team match.
Needing to win all three remaining matches on court, Fliegner, Charney and Miller were left. Both Fliegner and Charney were broken at 2-1, with Texas A&M consolidating the breaks on each court.
The Aggies won at No. 2, with No. 13 Nicole Khirin dropping just one game in a 6-1 final-set win to seal the 4-1 win.
Fliegner's illustrious career in maize and blue comes to an end with 113 singles victories, ranking fifth all-time in program history.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 6 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. No. 1 Mary Stoiana (Texas A&M), 6-4, 1-6, 1-5 abandoned
No. 2 -- No. 13 Nicole Khirin (Texas A&M) d. No. 21 Piper Charney (U-M), 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
No. 3 -- No. 67 Mia Kupres (Texas A&M) d. No. 46 Lily Jones (U-M), 6-4, 7-6 (3)
No. 4 -- No. 68 Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) d. No. 51 Lucciana Perez (Texas A&M), 6-2, 6-4
No. 5 -- Reese Miller (U-M) vs. No. 109 Daria Smetannikov (Texas A&M), 6-3, 6-7 (5), 1-2 abandoned
No. 6 -- Lexington Reed (Texas A&M) d. Jessica Bernales (U-M), 7-5, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 18 Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales (U-M) d. Mia Kupres/Mary Stoiana (Texas A&M), 6-4
No. 2 -- Lexington Reed/Daria Smetannikov (Texas A&M) d. No. 45 Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (U-M), 6-4
No. 3 -- Nicole Khirin/Lucciana Perez (Texas A&M) d. Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M), 7-5
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2-3, Singles 6-4-3-2
Players Mentioned
