Wolverines Shut Out Ducks in NCAA First Round, Reach 20 Wins for 12th Time

Wolverines Shut Out Ducks in NCAA First Round, Reach 20 Wins for 12th Time

Site: Austin, Texas (Texas Tennis Center)

Event: NCAA Tournament (First Round)

Result: #18 Michigan 4, Oregon 0

Records: U-M (20-5), Oregon (15-9)

Next U-M Event: Saturday, May 7 — at #3 Texas – NCAA Second Round (Austin, Texas), 3 p.m. CDT

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AUSTIN, Texas — The No. 18-ranked University of Michigan women’s tennis team won a tightly contested doubles point and the first three singles matches off court to shut out Oregon, 4-0, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday afternoon (May 6) at the Texas Tennis Center. With the win, Michigan recorded its 12th 20-win season in program history.

U-M will now face host and No. 3-ranked Texas in tomorrow’s (Saturday, May 7) second round at 3 p.m. CDT.

Michigan wrested the early lead from the Ducks, grinding out the doubles point behind wins at No. 2 and No. 1. Oregon got the first doubles win, breaking Michigan at 5-4 at the No. 3 spot and serving out the match in the ensuing game for a 6-4 win.

At No. 2, Kari Miller and Andrea Cerdan were down 5-3 before ripping off four games to win a 7-5 match. The Wolverines held at love on Cerdan’s serve to stay in the match at 5-4. With the match on court No. 3 ending, the Wolverines jumped out to a 40-15 lead on Oregon’s serve en route to tying the match at 5-5. Miller went back to the service line, and the Wolverines only dropped one point in the game to take the lead at 6-5. U-M grabbed a 40-30 lead in the next game, and an Oregon double fault on the first match point sealed the Wolverine victory.

Much like the match at No. 2, Jaedan Brown and Julia Fliegner found themselves in a 5-3 hole. The Wolverines fought off match points on the deuce point in each of the next games before tying the match at 5 on an Oregon double fault. Both teams held over the next two games to send it to a tiebreaker.

Oregon erased a 3-1 Michigan advantage by winning three straight points for a 4-3 lead. U-M went to work from there, winning three straight points for a 6-4 lead. The rally was started by a Fliegner serve into a Brown volley winner at the net, followed by Oregon getting a racquet on a ball that was most likely heading out for a 5-4 lead….