Michigan
Pepperdine
Singles Play Pushes Michigan Past Pepperdine for Top-10 Win
3/10/2024 3:56:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: #2 Michigan 4, #8 Pepperdine 2
Records: U-M (12-3), Pepperdine (8-3)
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 15 -- at Ohio State (Columbus, Ohio), 6 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 2-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team stormed back after dropping the doubles point, winning five first sets in singles and four of the first five matches to finish, rallying for a 4-2 win over No. 8 Pepperdine on Sunday afternoon (March 10) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
After Pepperdine took the doubles point behind wins at No. 3 and No. 2, Michigan quickly seized control in singles action by taking five first sets.
Julia Fliegner quickly erased the Pepperdine lead, pulling Michigan level at 1-1 behind a straight-set win over No. 6-ranked Savannah Broadus at No. 2. After the first six games of the first set stayed on serve, Fliegner got the break she needed at 4-3. She closed by winning the next two games to get the 6-3 win. Much like the first set, Fliegner broke in the middle stages of the second set for a 4-2 lead en route to another 6-3 win for Michigan's first point of the afternoon.
The Waves countered by winning in straight sets at No. 3, nudging back ahead at 2-1.
Kari Miller grinded out a 6-3, 7-5 win over No. 13-ranked Lisa Zaar at the top spot to pull the Wolverines level at 2-2. Miller won the first two games of the first set, but Zaar answered with three straight to erase Miller's early advantage. She got back on serve in the next game and did not look back in the 6-3 win. Miller fell in an early hole in the second set at 3-1 but slowly chipped away to get back in the set. She ripped a backhand down the line on a deuce point to get back on serve at 3-4. After Zaar broke back, Miller ripped off four straight games to win in straight sets to tie the team match.
Lily Jones gave Michigan the lead for good, winning a 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 match at No. 6. She weathered an early break in the first set, eventually getting back on serve at 4-4 and breaking in the next game to eventually serve out the first. After Pepperdine split with a win in the second set, Jones went up a break at 3-2 and consolidated it in the next game. That was all the space she needed as she converted on her second of three match points when Pepperdine sent a forehand long, pushing the Wolverines ahead at 3-2.
With Michigan needing just one more point, the matches at No. 4 and No. 5 were in third sets.
Piper Charney did the honors for the Maize and Blue, coming away with a 6-0 third-set win at No. 5. In the final set, Charney broke in the first game and rode the momentum the rest of the way to put the fourth point on the board. The remaining match at No. 4 was abandoned.
Michigan begins Big Ten play later this week, traveling to Ohio State to face the No. 9-ranked Buckeyes on Friday (March 15) at 6 p.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 5 Kari Miller (U-M) d. No. 13 Lisa Zaar (Pepperdine), 6-3, 7-5
No. 2 -- No. 18 Julia Fliegner (U-M) d. No. 6 Savannah Broadus (Pepperdine), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 100 Janice Tjen (Pepperdine) d. No. 111 Jaedan Brown (U-M), 6-3, 6-4
No. 4 -- No. 81 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) vs. No. 117 Anna Campana (Pepperdine), 7-6 (2), 5-7, 4-2 abandoned
No. 5 -- Piper Charney (U-M) d. No. 9 Nikki Redjelijk (Pepperdine), 7-5, 3-6, 6-0
No. 6 -- No. 61 Lily Jones (U-M) d. Jasmine Conway (Pepperdine), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 4 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (U-M) vs. No. 2 Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen (Pepperdine), 2-4 abandoned
No. 2 -- Nikki Redjelijk/Vivian Yang (Pepperdine) d. Julia Fliegner/Lily Jones (U-M), 6-0
No. 3 -- Lisa Zaar/Jasmine Conway (Pepperdine) d. Reese Miller/Piper Charney (U-M), 6-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 3-2, Singles 2-3-1-6-5
Players Mentioned
