Michigan
NCAA Individual Championships
Major Champion: Minor Captures NCAA Singles Crown
5/29/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
» Sophomore Brienne Minor earned Michigan's first national championship in program history, defeating Florida's Belinda Woolcock, 6-3, 6-3, in Monday's final.
» The Mundelein, Illinois, native ends the season with a 33-6 overall record and concludes the campaign on a nine-match winning streak.
» Minor, who entered the tournament unseeded, reeled off three wins over top-16 seeds, including No. 6 seed Woolcock in the final.
Site: Athens, Ga. (Dan Magill Tennis Complex)
Event: NCAA Singles Tournament (Championship Match)
Score: No Team Scoring
Next U-M Event: Season completed
ATHENS, Ga. -- Sophomore Brienne Minor of the University of Michigan women's tennis team became the program's first national champion, defeating Florida's Belinda Woolcock, 6-3, 6-3, to win the NCAA singles championship Monday (May 29) at Dan Magill Tennis Complex. Minor, who was unseeded in the tournament, reeled off six wins for the title and defeated a trio of top-16 opponents, including No. 6-seeded Woolcock.
Minor won the match's first four games in breezing to a 6-3 set-one win. The sophomore won a deuce point in the first game, then broke Woolcock's serve to take a 2-0 lead. Minor won a pair of points at 40-15 to take the 4-0 lead. After dropping a game on her serve, Minor responded by breaking Woolcock for the third time in the match. Woolcock won the next two games, but Minor closed out the set, winning on serve at 40-all.
The Mundelein, Illinois, native claimed the first game of the second set, winning a long rally at 40-30. Minor went up 3-1, rallying to win four straight points after being down 30-0. Woolcock got as close at 4-3 in the second set before Minor won the final two games, earning a break and a winner on championship point.
Minor defeated Texas Tech's Gabriela Talaba and Vanderbilt's Sydney Campbell in the tournament, both of whom were 9-16 seeds. Minor ends her sophomore season with All-America honors and a 33-6 record. She is one of six Wolverines to have multiple 30-win seasons in a career.
Following are match-by-match results for Minor, ranked No. 24 by the ITA:
Championship Match (May 29) -- d. #6 Belinda Woolcock (Florida), 6-3, 6-3
Semifinals (May 28) -- d. #15 Sydney Campbell (Vandy), 6-7 (5), 7-5, 6-0
Quarterfinals (May 27) -- d. #18 Sara Daavettila (North Carolina), 6-2, 6-4
Round of 16 (May 26) -- d. #37 Mayar Sherif Ahmed (Pepperdine), 6-3, 7-5
Second Round (May 25) -- d. #9 Gabriela Talaba (Texas Tech), 6-4, 6-2
First Round (May 24) -- d. #21 Sinead Lohan (Miami), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3
Brienne Minor Quotes
On being a national champion ... "It feels amazing, I'm still soaking it all in. When I threw my racket at the end of the match I just felt this wave of relief because I was just so happy I could get that win. I was super tired, so I was excited to let that racket go and just be done with the match."
On her mindset during individual competition ... "My mindset changed during individuals because my nerves went away. During team competition, I just want to get that point on the board for my team, but once I got to individuals I just tried to have fun and play for myself. I never thought I would make it this far, but I took it one match at a time and here we are."
On making history for Michigan ... "I just feel so honored to represent such a great school. I love Michigan and I'm so glad I committed here. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."
Players Mentioned
