Michigan
California
Wolverines Rally for Win over Cal to Advance to ITA Quarterfinals
2/9/2024 4:19:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Seattle, Wash. (Nordstrom Tennis Center)
Event: ITA National Team Indoor Championship
Score: #5 Michigan 4, #15 Cal 2
Records: U-M (6-1, Cal (2-1)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 10 -- vs. Virginia - at ITA National Team Indoor Championship (Seattle, Wash.), 9 a.m. PST
SEATTLE, Wash. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team won the final three singles matches off court to erase a 2-1 deficit en route to a 4-2 win over No. 15-ranked California in the opening round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Friday (Feb. 9) at the Nordstrom Tennis Center.
After Cal took the early lead by virtue of the doubles point, Lily Jones quickly pulled Michigan even at 1-1 in the team match behind a 6-1, 6-1 win in just over an hour at No. 5.
The Golden Bears regained a 2-1 lead behind a straight-set win at No. 3. Cal's lead was short-lived as Kari Miller won a 7-5, 6-1 match over No. 21-ranked Hannah Viller Moeller at the top spot a mere two minutes later. Miller fell behind early in the first set, staring down a 4-1 deficit. The Wolverine fought off three set points at 4-5, winning the final three points of the game to knot the set at 5-5. She held in the ensuing game and broke Viller Moeller to wrap up the first set. It was all Miller in the second as she breezed to the 6-1 win for Michigan's second point.
Following that flurry of action, there was not another team point scored for nearly an hour. With Michigan needing to win two of the remaining matches, the Wolverines were going to have win at least one third set.
It appeared that Gala Mesochoritou was on her way to a third set, taking a 5-1 lead in the second after dropping her first set at No. 4. No. 19 Katja Wiersholm had other ideas, winning five straight games and heading back to serve for the match. Mesochoritou got the break she needed to force a tiebreaker, where she won 7-2 to force the deciding third set.
Julia Fliegner, who dropped a 6-4 first set to No. 22 Jessica Alsola, found herself down 4-1 in the second. Fliegner buckled down from there, ripping off five straight games for a third set at No. 2.
Freshman Piper Charney, with a set in hand, was down 5-3 in her second set before winning three straight games for an opportunity to serve for the match. She could not convert, setting up a tiebreaker at the bottom of the lineup. The breaker featured swings in momentum throughout, with Charney holding four match points during it. She could not come through on any of them, as No. 71 Lan Mi won the final three points for an 11-9 win.
Mesochoritou wrested early control of her third set at No. 4, breaking at 2-1 and consolidating the break in the ensuing game. Fliegner recovered from an early break and a 2-0 hole by winning four straight for a 4-2 lead. Charney was down 3-1 in the early going of her third set at No. 6 as all three matches were played on adjacent courts.
Mesochoritou withstood a lengthy medical timeout by her opponent at 4-1, winning the next two games to wrap up a 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 win at No. 4 for a 3-2 Michigan lead.
At the same time, Fliegner's match was back on serve at 4-4. Charney erased her early 3-1 deficit for a 3-3 tie as Mesochoritou nudged the Wolverines back on top.
Charney did the honors, winning the final five games at No. 6 in a 6-1, 6-7 (9), 6-3 win for Michigan's fourth point.
With the win, U-M has advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the second straight season. The Wolverines will face either Virginia tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 10) at 9 a.m. PST. It marks the fourth time these teams have faced each other since last season's ITA National Team Indoor Championship.Â
Following are match-by-match results
 Singles
No. 1 -- No. 9 Kari Miller (U-M) d. No. 21 Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal), 7-5, 6-1
No. 2 -- No. 18 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. No. 22 Jessica Alsola (Cal), 4-6, 6-4, 5-5 abandoned
No. 3 -- No. 51 Valentina Ivanov (Cal) d. Jaedan Brown (U-M), 7-6 (1), 6-0
No. 4 -- No. 124 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) d. No. 19 Katja Wiersholm (Cal), 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1
No. 5 -- No. 57 Lily Jones (U-M) d. Mao Mushika (Cal), 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 -- Piper Charney (U-M) d. No. 71 Lan Mi (Cal), 6-1, 6-7 (9), 6-4
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Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 5 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (U-M) vs. Hannah Viller Moeller/Mao Mushika (Cal), 6-6 abandoned
No. 2 -- Jessica Alsola/Valentina Ivanov (Cal) d. Anna Ross/Lily Jones (U-M), 7-6 (5)
No. 3 -- Berta Passola Folch/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) d. Reese Miller/Piper Charney (U-M), 7-5
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Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2; Singles 5-3-1-4-6
Players Mentioned
