Wolverines Shut Out Kansas to Start ITA Kick-Off

Wolverines Shut Out Kansas to Start ITA Kick-Off

Site: Stillwater, Okla. (Greenwood Tennis Center)

Event: ITA Kick-Off (Day 1 of 2)

Results: #16 Michigan 4, Kansas 0

Records: U-M (2-0), KU (1-1)

Next U-M Event: Sunday, Jan. 29 — at Oklahoma State/vs. Oregon – ITA Kick-Off (Stillwater, Okla.), 1 p.m. CST

STILLWATER, Okla. — The No. 16-ranked University of Michigan women’s tennis team won the doubles point and the first three singles matches off court in a 4-0 shutout of Kansas in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off on Saturday (Jan. 28) at Oklahoma State’s Greenwood Tennis Center.

U-M got on the board first, winning the doubles point behind victories at No. 1 and No. 2.

At the top spot, Michigan’s No. 2-ranked duo of Kari Miller and Jaedan Brown won the first two games for a 2-0 lead. Kansas answered back with two straight games to keep the match on serve at 2-2, with Miller holding on her serve for a 3-2 lead. U-M broke again for a 4-2 lead, cashing in on the deuce point and consolidating the break in the ensuing game for a 5-2 lead. After KU held on its next service game, Michigan closed it out on its first match point behind a Brown winner at the net for a 6-3 win.

At the same time, Michigan’s No. 2 pair of Julia Fliegner and Lily Jones were up a break, with the No. 3 duo of Andrea Cerdan and Merri Kelly down 5-2.

Cerdan and Kelly fought off a match point on a deuce point, eventually getting back on serve at 5-4. Down 0-30 on Cerdan’s serve, Michigan ripped off four straight points to tie the match at 5-5 and stay on court long enough for Jones and Fliegner to close it out.

Jones and Fliegner clinched the doubles point for the Wolverines behind a 6-4 victory at No. 2. The Wolverine duo got the break they needed at 3-2 and backed it up in the next game for a 4-2 lead. That was all the space needed as both teams held on their serve the rest of the way as Fliegner’s ace up the middle on match point sealed the 6-4 victory.

Michigan grabbed control quickly in singles, winning five first sets after Brown came through with a 7-2 win in the tiebreaker.

Cerdan jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first set and never looked back in a 6-2 win. She followed a similar script in the second set, winning the first two games en…