Michigan
Northwestern
Wolverines Win Ninth Straight, Knock Off Northwestern
3/30/2025 7:41:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Varsity Tennis Center)
Score: No. 3 Michigan 4, Northwestern 2
Records: U-M (15-3, 8-0 Big Ten), NU (10-10, 3-5 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 5 -- at Indiana (Bloomington, Ind.), Noon
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 3-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team battled windy conditions, winning the doubles point and getting singles victories from Reese Miller, Piper Charney and Emily Sartz-Lunde to knock off Northwestern, 4-2, on Sunday afternoon (March 30) at the Varsity Tennis Center.
Michigan struck first, taking the doubles point behind wins at No. 1 and No. 3. Michigan's top duo of Lily Jones and Jessica Bernales recovered from an early break, getting the match back on serve at 2-2. Each team held serve over the next several games until Michigan came through with a break at love for a 5-3 lead. Jones closed it on her serve in the next game, giving Michigan the early advantage.
U-M's No. 2 pair of Julia Fliegner and Miller stayed on court after falling behind 3-1. They got back on serve and remained there for most of the match before going down a break again at 5-4.
Sartz-Lunde and Charney clinched the match's first point with a 6-3 win at No. 3. The U-M pair jumped out to a 4-1 lead and never looked back, cashing in on their third match point with a perfectly placed lob from Sartz-Lunde.
Michigan took four first sets in singles action.
U-M extended its lead to 3-0 behind straight-set wins from Miller at No. 5 and Charney at No. 2. Miller got the break she needed at 3-2 in the second and consolidated in the next game. She dropped just one game the rest of the way, winning the match on a double fault.
Charney avoided a third set by winning the final three games of her second set. She was broken at 5-4 but immediately broke back and then held and broke again to push Michigan's lead to 3-0.
Sartz-Lunde and Fliegner each dropped their second sets, forcing third sets, while Bernales won her second set to force a third at No. 6.
Northwestern got on the board with a straight-set win at No. 3 and added another win at No. 1 to pull within 3-2.
With the match still in the balance, it came down to Michigan's freshmen at No. 4 and No. 6.
Sartz-Lunde delivered the clinching point with a 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 win at No. 4. After letting match points slip away in the second, she responded by winning the first three games of the third set and never gave the break back. She sealed the match on her second match point, earning Michigan's ninth consecutive victory.
U-M hits the road next weekend for a pair in the Hoosier State. First up is a Saturday (April 5) match at Indiana, set for a noon start.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- Erica Jessel (NU) d. No. 3 Julia Fliegner (U-M), 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
No. 2 -- No. 22 Piper Charney (U-M) d. Britany Lau (NU), 6-3, 7-5
No. 3 -- Sydney Pratt (NU) d. No. 34 Lily Jones (U-M), 6-4, 6-4
No. 4 -- No. 86 Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) d. Neena Feldman (NU), 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
No. 5 -- No. 123 Reese Miller (U-M) d. Kiley Rabjohns (NU), 6-3, 6-3
No. 6 -- Jessica Bernales (U-M) vs. Autumn Rabjohns (NU), 5-7, 6-2, 4-5 abandoned
Doubles
No. 1 -- Lily Jones/Jessica Bernales (U-M) d. Erica Jessel/Mika Dagan Fruchtman (NU), 6-3
No. 2 -- Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (U-M) vs. Sydney Pratt/Neena Feldman (NU), 4-5 abandoned
No. 3 -- Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) d. Kiley Rabjohns/Britany Lau (NU), 6-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3; Singles 5-2-3-1-4
Players Mentioned
