Michigan Advances to Quarterfinals at ITA Indoors

Michigan Advances to Quarterfinals at ITA Indoors

Site: Seattle, Wash. (Seattle Tennis Club)

Event: ITA National Team Indoor Championship

Score: #12 Michigan 4, #7 Virginia 2

Records: U-M (5-0), UVA (5-1)

Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 11 — vs. North Carolina or Pepperdine – ITA National Team Indoor Championship quarterfinals (Seattle, Wash.), 6:30 p.m. PST

SEATTLE, Wash. — Julia Fliegner put the deciding point on the board behind a three-set win at No. 3, pushing the No. 12-ranked University of Michigan women’s tennis team past No. 7 Virginia 4-2 in the opening round of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship on Friday (Feb. 10) at the Seattle Tennis Club.

Michigan won the race to four points over the Cavaliers behind the doubles point, along with singles wins from Jaedan Brown, Kari Miller and Fliegner.

The Wolverines grabbed the early lead by taking the doubles point behind wins at Nos. 1 and 3.

The first two doubles matches to finish featured little drama, as Virginia took a 6-0 win at No. 2 and Michigan quickly followed with a 6-1 win at No. 1 to set up No. 3 as the deciding court.

Michigan’s No. 3 duo of Andrea Cerdan and Nicole Hammond were playing together for the first time in dual-match action and found themselves in a 3-1 hole. The pair went to work after that, winning four straight games for a 5-3 lead. After Virginia held in its ensuing service game, Cerdan served out the match for the Wolverines to secure a 6-4 win.

Michigan and Virginia split all six first sets, with U-M winning at the top of the lineup and the Hoos winning at the bottom.

Brown came through with a surgical 6-2, 6-2 win over No. 101-ranked Natasha Subhash, a three-time All-American. Brown raced out to early leads in both sets to account for Michigan’s second point of the evening.

Miller was right behind her doubles partner for Michigan’s third point, getting a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 2 over No. 79-ranked Elaine Chervinsky. Much like Brown, Miller took advantage of fast starts in each set for the win.

After that, Fliegner dropped her second set at No. 3, meaning Michigan’s path to four points had to include a three-set win.

Virginia won the next two matches off court to trim Michigan’s lead to 3-2 as matches entered third sets…