Michigan Returns Home to Host Michigan State, Texas

» Michigan plays at home for the first time during dual-match action, hosting Michigan State (Feb. 2) and No. 6 Texas (Feb. 3) this weekend.
» Michigan is kicking off Big Ten action against Michigan State but will not face another Big Ten team until the conference season starts in earnest on March 16.
» No. 6-ranked Texas is already Michigan's third ranked opponent of the early season after facing No. 24 Syracuse and No. 12 Mississippi last weekend.

THIS WEEK
Saturday, Feb. 2 -- vs. Michigan State (Varsity Tennis Center), 1 p.m. | Live scoring/video
Sunday, Feb. 3 -- vs. No. 6 Texas (Varsity Tennis Center), noon | Live scoring/video

• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

The No. 9-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team (1-1) competes at the Varsity Tennis Center for the first time in dual-match action, hosting Michigan State (2-2) on Saturday (Feb. 2) at 1 p.m. and No. 6 Texas (2-0) on Sunday (Feb. 3) at noon. The team will be available for post-match autographs on Sunday. Admission to the Varsity Tennis Center is free.

Wolverine Bites

• No. 9-ranked Michigan returns to the Varsity Tennis Center to host Michigan State (2-2) and No. 6 Texas (2-0) after starting the season on the road. It was the first time U-M started on the road since the 2008 season.

• The Wolverines shut out the Spartans twice last season, moving their all-time record against MSU to 50-16. U-M has won the last 18 matches between the two rivals. Michigan State comes to Ann Arbor with a 2-2 record, getting wins over Montana and VCU while falling to Princeton and Washington State. The Spartans will host Xavier on Friday (Feb. 1) before coming to the VTC to face Michigan.

• Michigan and Texas are squaring off for the eighth straight season and ninth time in program history. U-M is 5-3 all-time against the Longhorns after dropping a 4-0 decision at Texas last season. Michigan has won all three previous meetings between the two at the Varsity Tennis Center. The Longhorns feature four ranked singles players in No. 49 Anna Turati, No. 53 Petra Granic, No. 63 Tijana Spasojevic and No. 77 Fernanda Labrana.

• The Maize and Blue is kicking off a five-match homestand this weekend, with a stretch that includes Michigan State, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Pepperdine, No. 3 North Carolina and Baylor. Michigan was 7-2 at the VTC last season and is 122-12 at home under 12th-year head coach Ronni Bernstein.

• U-M is playing one Big Ten match before returning to non-conference action. After Michigan and Michigan State square off on Saturday (Feb. 2), the Wolverines will not resume Big Ten play until hosting Nebraska on March 16. The conference schedule will consist of 11 matches as U-M will not face Indiana or Wisconsin.

• The Wolverines finished with a 1-1 record at last weekend's ITA Kick-Off at Ole Miss, falling 4-2 to No. 24 Syracuse before bouncing back for a 4-0 win over No. 12 Mississippi. Junior Giulia Pairone led the Maize and Blue at the event, going 2-0 in singles at the No. 3 and No. 4 positions.

• With a singles win last weekend against Syracuse, senior Brienne Minor moved her career record to 90-25 (.783). Minor is the 12th Wolverine to reach the 90-win mark during a career, ranking 12th all-time in singles victories.

• Michigan features four players ranked in the top 65 in singles in No. 3 Kate Fahey, No. 27 Brienne Minor, No. 36 Chiara Lommer and No. 65 Giulia Pairone. Fahey and Minor team up to form the No. 15-ranked doubles team. U-M is one of seven teams with at least four ranked singles players (Georgia, Vanderbilt, Texas, North Carolina, Stanford, Duke).

• Senior Kate Fahey heads into the weekend with an 18-5 singles record after tournament action. Fahey swept the titles at the ITA Midwest Regional Championship and finished as the singles runner-up at the ITA Fall National Championships. Fahey is 112-28 in singles during her illustrious career, tying her for fourth all-time in wins with Brooke Bolender. Fahey is closing in on volunteer assistant Ronit Yurovsky's third-place total of 117. Fahey's .800 winning percentage is tops in Michigan history.

• Michigan has put together quite the non-conference schedule, with the slate featuring No. 24 Syracuse, No. 12 Ole Miss, No. 6 Texas, No. 7 Pepperdine, No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Duke, No. 23 Virginia and No. 11 Florida. U-M will face Texas, Pepperdine, North Carolina and Virginia at the Varsity Tennis Center this season. Schedule

• The Wolverines will not return to action until hosting Pepperdine on Feb. 22 at the Varsity Tennis Center.