Michigan
Maryland
Singles Lineup Pushes Michigan Past Maryland, Into B1G Finals
4/25/2026 5:55:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Site: Columbus, Ohio (Auer Tennis Complex)
Event: Big Ten Tournament (Semifinals)
Score: #18 Michigan 4, Maryland 1
Records: U-M (18-6), UMD (18-7)
Next U-M Event: Sunday, April 26 -- at Ohio State -- Big Ten Tournament Championship (Columbus, Ohio), Noon
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team bounced back after dropping the doubles point, winning four singles matches in straight sets in a 4-1 victory over Maryland in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Saturday afternoon (April 25) at the Auer Tennis Complex. With the win, Michigan advanced to the championship match for the 21st straight season, dating back to 2004-05.
Michigan struck first in doubles, with Reese Miller and Laura Rahnel cruising to a 6-1 win at No. 2. Maryland countered with wins at No. 1 and No. 3 to take the early 1-0 lead in the team match.
U-M started fast in singles, taking five first sets to swing control of the match back to the Wolverines.
Miller pulled Michigan even at 1-1, winning the final eight games of her match in a 6-4, 6-0 win at No. 3. She raced out to a 3-0 lead in the first set before Maryland got back on serve, with the set eventually tied at 4-4. Miller took over from there, not dropping another game to secure her 12th straight singles victory.
Rahnel moved to 2-0 at No. 6 singles in the Big Ten Tournament, winning her first nine games in a 6-0, 6-3 win. She had an opportunity to serve for the match at 5-2 but was broken, before responding with a break in the next game to push Michigan ahead for the first time.
It was a race to the finish from there as Piper Charney, Lily Jones and Emily Sartz-Lunde were each one game away from winning their respective matches.
Jones was first among the trio to finish, earning a 6-3, 6-3 win at No. 2 over No. 111 Oliwia Orlinska. She held at 3-1 in the first set after three straight breaks, eventually taking the opener 6-3. In the second, she broke at 5-3 and served out the match in the next game for her second win of the tournament.
Charney rebounded from a loss at No. 1 the previous day, putting the deciding point on the board with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Emma Ghirardato. She broke at 3-2 in the first set and maintained the advantage the rest of the way. In the second, she jumped out to a 2-0 lead before Maryland evened the set, but Charney broke again at 5-3 and served out the match to secure the 4-1 win.
U-M and Ohio State will meet in the championship match for the sixth straight season, with first serve set for noon.
Following are match-by-match results:
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 13 Piper Charney (U-M) d. Emma Ghirardato (UMD), 6-3, 6-3
No. 2 -- No. 36 Lily Jones (U-M) d. No. 111 Oliwia Orlinska (UMD), 6-3, 6-3
No. 3 -- No. 90 Reese Miller (U-M) d. Magdalena Baniak (UMD), 6-4, 6-0
No. 4 -- Jessica Bernales (U-M) vs. Diya Challa (UMD), 6-7 (4), 1-1 abandoned
No. 5 -- Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M) vs. Tamari Gagoshidze (UMD), 6-1, 5-2 abandoned
No. 6 -- Laura Rahnel (U-M) d. Lucia Donnelly (UMD), 6-0, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- Diya Challa/Emma Ghirardato (UMD) d. No. 26 Jessica Bernales/Lily Jones (U-M), 6-3
No. 2 -- Reese Miller/Laura Rahnel (U-M) d. Tamari Gagoshidze/Ema Kovacevic (UMD), 6-1
No. 3 -- Aida Eissa/Oliwia Orlinska (UMD) d. Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (U-M), 6-3
Order of Completion: Doubles 2-1-3; Singles 3-6-2-1
Players Mentioned
