Michigan
USC
Wolverines Knock off USC, Go 2-0 in LA
3/23/2025 8:25:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Los Angeles, Calif. (David X. Marks Tennis Stadium)
Score: #5 Michigan 4, #16 USC 2
Records: U-M (13-3, 6-0 Big Ten), USC (9-3, 3-1 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, March 29 -- vs. Illinois (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon
LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- The No. 5-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team remained unbeaten in Big Ten play, winning the doubles point and getting singles wins from Piper Charney, Emily Sartz-Lunde and Reese Miller in a 4-2 victory over No. 16-ranked USC on Sunday (March 23) at the David X. Marks Tennis Stadium.
Michigan secured the doubles point with wins at the top two spots. The Wolverines' top duo of Lily Jones and Jessica Bernales were on serve at 5-5 with USC serving. The Trojans won the first three points, but Michigan countered with four straight and converted on the deuce point for a 6-5 lead. Following the changeover, Bernales served out the match for a 7-5 win.
At the same time, the second and third doubles matches were heading to tiebreakers. Charney and Sartz-Lunde got their match back on serve at 4-4 but were broken in the next game. U-M then won two of the next three games to force a tiebreaker. It was all U-M in the breaker as the Wolverines won the first four points and never looked back in a 7-2 win to secure the doubles point.
Singles were evenly split in the early going, with Michigan taking first sets at No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6. USC briefly tied the team score at 1-1 with a straight-set win at No. 5 before Charney put the Wolverines back in front with a 6-0, 6-3 win at No. 3. Charney won the first nine games of the match to cruise to the victory.
The Trojans tied it again at 2-2 after a win at No. 2 singles. With three matches left on court, Michigan had won first sets on two of them.
Sartz-Lunde delivered a key point at No. 4, rallying from a late deficit to close out her match in straight sets. After a 6-2 first set, she trailed 5-3 in the second before winning three of the final four games to force a tiebreaker. Sartz-Lunde then controlled the breaker from the start, winning 7-3 for Michigan's third point.
Meanwhile, Julia Fliegner had forced a third set at No. 1, and Miller led early in her second set at No. 6. Though her match got back on serve at 4-3, Miller broke for a 5-3 lead. She earned three match points on her serve but could not convert, allowing USC to get back on serve. Miller came through on her fourth match point, breaking Maia Sung on the deuce point to clinch the match. She also secured the match-clinching point in Michigan's win over UCLA earlier in the weekend.
Michigan returns home to the Varsity Tennis Center next weekend, hosting Illinois on Saturday (March 29) at noon.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 3 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. No. 46 Grace Piper (USC), 3-6, 6-2, 4-4, abandoned
No. 2 -- No. 69 Emma Charney (USC) def. No. 34 Lily Jones (U-M), 6-4, 6-2
No. 3 -- No. 22 Piper Charney (U-M) def. Lily Fairclough (USC), 6-0, 6-3
No. 4 -- No. 86 Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) def. No. 82 Immi Haddad (USC), 6-2, 7-6 (3)
No. 5 -- Jana Hossam (USC) def. Jessica Bernales (U-M), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 -- No. 123 Reese Miller (U-M) def. Maia Sung (USC), 6-4, 6-4
Doubles
No. 1 -- Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales (U-M) def. Lily Fairclough/Grace Piper (USC), 7-5
No. 2 -- Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) def. Jana Hossam/Sloane Morra (USC), 7-6 (2)
No. 3 -- Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (U-M) vs. Parker Fry/Emma Charney (USC), 6-6, abandoned
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2; Singles 5-3-2-4-6
Players Mentioned
