Wolverines Punch Ticket to ITA Indoor Championship

Wolverines Punch Ticket to ITA Indoor Championship

Site: Stillwater, Okla. (Greenwood Tennis Center)

Event: ITA Kickoff (Day 2 of 2)

Score: #16 Michigan 4, #14 Oklahoma State 2

Records: U-M (3-0), OSU (2-1)

Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 4 — vs. Oklahoma State (Varsity Tennis Center), Noon

STILLWATER, Okla. — The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women’s tennis team won the doubles point and Kari Miller came through with a 10-8 second-set tiebreak win to put the deciding point on the board in a 4-2 win over No. 14 Oklahoma State at the ITA Kick-Off on Sunday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center. With the win, Michigan has punched its ticket to the ITA National Indoor Team Championship.

Michigan struck first, winning the doubles point behind wins at No. 1 and No. 2 after being down early on all three courts.

Oklahoma State took a 6-4 win at No. 3 in the first doubles match off court.

U-M’s top pair of Jaedan Brown and Kari Miller were broken at 5-4 but ripped off three straight games to take the match at No. 1. Miller ripped a forehand on the deuce point with the match tied at 5-5, giving Michigan a 6-5 lead. U-M closed it out in the next game, turning attention to court No. 2.

At No. 2, Julia Fliegner and Lily Jones came back from a 2-0 deficit to get back on serve. The Wolverine duo got back on serve in the next game, but it was shortlived as Oklahoma State eventually grabbed a 4-1 lead. U-M rallied yet again, eventually forcing a breaker for the doubles point. Much like the match itself, Michigan fell behind early at 4-1 in the tiebreaker, but it was all U-M from there as Fliegner and Jones won six of the next seven points to clinch the point for the Maize and Blue with a 7-5 tiebreak win.

Singles was tightly contested throughout, with the teams splitting the first sets.

Oklahoma State quickly erased the Michigan lead, winning the first two singles matches for a 2-1 lead.

Michigan countered, getting straight-set wins at No. 3 from Fliegner and No. 6 from Andrea Cerdan. Both players jumped out to early leads and used the momentum to wrap up the wins.

With U-M holding a 3-2 lead and needing just one more match victory to take the team match, Miller was up a set and serve in the second at the top…