Michigan
Pepperdine
Michigan Falls at No. 9 Pepperdine
3/4/2023 6:54:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Malibu, Calif. (Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center)
Score: #9 Pepperdine 4, #5 Michigan 0
Records: U-M (8-2), Pepperdine (6-2)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 11 -- vs. Michigan State (Varsity Tennis Center), 1 p.m.
MALIBU, Calif. -- In a top-10 matchup, the No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team dropped just its second match of the season, falling 4-0 to No. 9 Pepperdine on Saturday afternoon (March 4) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center.
Pepperdine took the doubles point, winning the first two matches to finish. All three matches hit the midway point on serve as the Waves took advantage of late breaks to wrap up the first point.
The match at No. 1 featured the top two doubles teams in the country, with Pepperdine's No. 1-ranked pair of Savannah Broadus and Janice Tjen coming away with a 7-5 win over Michigan's No. 2-ranked duo of Jaedan Brown and Kari Miller. It looked like Pepperdine was going to take control midway through the match as Michigan was down 15-40 on its serve at 3-4. Michigan ripped off three straight points to hold and keep the match on serve at 4-4. It stayed on serve over the next three games until the Waves broke Michigan in the final game for a 7-5 win.
Michigan's No. 3 duo of Andrea Cerdan and Gala Mesochoritou fought off multiple match points to stay on court and pull within 5-4. The Wolverines could not do it again in the ensuing game as the Waves converted on their third match point for a 6-4 win. Cerdan and Mesochoritou rallied from a 2-0 deficit to start and climbed back in the match before falling at the end.
In singles action, U-M won first sets at No. 1 and No. 4 as Pepperdine took the other four.
Pepperdine took straight-set wins at No. 6 and No. 3 to push its lead to 3-0.
With Michigan needing to win the remaining four matches on court, the Wolverines hung and were close to putting a point on the board.
Miller had a chance to serve out her match in the second set at 6-5 after a late break, but was broken by No. 29 Tjen. Tjen carried that momentum into the breaker, winning 7-1 to split and head to a third.
Mesochoritou rallied from a first-set loss to record a 7-5 second-set win at No. 5, getting the break in the final game of the set to keep Pepperdine from putting the team match away. At the same time, Julia Fliegner was at 6-5 in her second set as she was looking to force a third at No. 2.
Pepperdine completed the shutout moments later, taking a three-set match at No. 4 for its fourth point of the day.
U-M kicks off Big Ten play next weekend, hosting Michigan State at the Varsity Tennis Center on Saturday, March 11 at 1 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 45 Kari Miller (U-M) vs. No. 29 Janice Tjen (Pepperdine), 6-3, 6-7 (1), 2-5 abandoned
No. 2 -- No. 32 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. No. 35 Lisa Zaar (Pepperdine), 6-7 (6), 6-5 abandoned
No. 3 -- No. 16 Savannah Broadus (Pepperdine) d. No. 55 Lily Jones (U-M), 6-0, 6-4
No. 4 -- Bunyawi Thamchaiwat (Pepperdine) d. Andrea Cerdan (U-M), 2-6, 6-2, 6-3
No. 5 -- No. 113 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) vs. Nikki Redelijk (Pepperdine), 4-6, 7-5, 0-2 abandoned
No. 6 -- Anna Campana (Pepperdine) d. Merri Kelly (U-M), 6-2, 6-2
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 1 Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen (Pepperdine) d. No. 2 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (U-M), 7-5
No. 2 -- Lily Jones/Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. No. 27 Bunyawi Thamchaiwat/Lisa Zaar (Pepperdine), 5-4 abandoned
No. 3 -- Anna Campana/Nikki Redelijk (Pepperdine) d. Andrea Cerdan/Gala Mesochoritou (U-M), 6-4
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3, Singles 6-3-4
Players Mentioned
