Michigan
USC
Michigan to Return Home to Host No. 17 USC
2/15/2024 11:28:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Promotions
• Enter to win with Michigan women's tennis! All Fans can enter to win prizes. Winners will be selected and announced during intermission.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team (8-2) returns to the Varsity Tennis Center on the heels of a runner-up finish at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship to host No. 17-ranked USC (5-3) on Sunday afternoon (Feb. 18) at noon.
Admission is free to all matches at the VTC. It is "Enter-to-Win" day at the match, as all fans can enter to win various prizes. Winners will be announced at the conclusion of doubles play.
Notes
• Michigan vaulted up to No. 2 in this week's ITA team rankings, marking the highest ranking in program history. U-M had been ranked as high as No. 3 previously.
• The Wolverines are coming off a runner-up finish at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship, reaching the championship match before falling 4-3 to Oklahoma State. It was the first time in program history that Michigan advanced past the quarterfinal round.
• Through 10 matches, Michigan already has faced eight ranked opponents. U-M is 6-2 against top-25 teams this season, with No. 17 USC marking Michigan's ninth ranked foe of the season.
• Freshman Piper Charney was named the Big Ten Athlete of the Week on Wednesday (Feb. 14) after going 3-0 in singles and 2-1 in doubles action at the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. It marked the third time this season a Wolverine earned the weekly honor, with Kari Miller and Julia Fliegner also garnering the honor.
• Charney will see a familiar face as her sister, Emma, is a sophomore at USC. Emma is currently ranked No. 20 in singles and has been playing at No. 1 doubles and No. 2 singles.
• Michigan is 1-4 all-time against USC and is looking for its first win since a 5-2 win in Ann Arbor during the 2011 ITA Kickoff (Jan. 30). USC features five ranked singles players in No. 20 Emma Charney, No. 52 Snow Han, No. 90 Naomi Cheong, No. 95 Eryn Cayetano and No. 103 Grace Piper, along with a pair of ranked doubles teams.
• Michigan is 7-0 when winning the doubles point this season and 1-2 without securing the first point of the match. U-M rallied for a 4-2 win over Cal in the opening round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship (Feb. 9) after dropping the doubles point.
• U-M has four ranked singles players in No. 9 Miller, No. 18 Fliegner, No. 57 Lily Jones and No. 124 Gala Mesochoritou. Miller and Jaedan Brown combine to form the No. 5-ranked doubles pair and are 5-3 at No. 1 to start dual-match action.
• The Wolverines are 4-0 at the Varsity Tennis Center this season, yielding just three points to its opponents during the stretch. Michigan has won 21 straight matches at the VTC. This match kicks off a three-match homestand before heading to Hawai'i for a spring break training trip and a match.
• Miller won the race to 20 singles wins on the season, boasting a 20-7 overall record. All six of Michigan's lineup regulars have reached double-figure wins for the season, with Miller leading the way in total wins and Mesochoritou pacing the team in winning percentage at .882 (15-2).
• The freshman duo of Charney and Reese Miller has stood out in the early going of the dual-match season. The pair played together four times during tournament play, finishing with a 2-2 record. Since being paired together on the doubles court after the first weekend of dual-match play, the freshmen are 6-1 as a duo.
• Head coach Ronni Bernstein recently picked up the 500th win of her illustrious coaching career, reaching the milestone in Michigan's 4-1 win over No. 8 Florida. She is 503-166 in her career, good for a .750 winning percentage. She is one of two active Big Ten coaches to have reached the milestone.
Players Mentioned
