With the No. 5 Michigan women’s tennis team’s win over No. 17 Washington, the Wolverines clinched at least a share of the Big Ten title. This feat is a reflection of the team’s dominance throughout the entire season, which was on full display against the Huskies.
Michigan (19-3 overall, 12-0 Big Ten) dominated Washington (17-3, 9-2), 4-1, with two matches abandoned. The Wolverines completely controlled the match against a talented Huskies team, succeeding in challenging matches to smoothly advance to a monstrous 13-game winning streak.
“I think (the team) knew what Washington was going to be in the record (books),” Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein said of the team’s confidence. “And (I’m) just proud of them.”
The Wolverines started strong, winning the doubles point for the seventh-straight match. First, freshman Emily Sartz-Lunde and sophomore Piper Charney won their No. 3 doubles match, 6-3, sealing it with a Charney line drive on a deuce point.
“I think they just were waiting for us to either miss or attack,” Charney said. “So we just had to take advantage.”
Next, No. 23 duo freshman Jessica Bernales and junior Lily Jones clinched their No. 1 doubles match. After jumping out to a 5-1 lead, their opponents won two straight games. In response to this pressure, they secured the doubles point for Michigan in the next game. Meanwhile, No. 3 senior Julia Fliegner and sophomore Reese Miller abandoned their No. 2 doubles match while tied at five.
Building on this momentum, the Wolverines won five of six first sets in singles play. The first to get off the court was Jones in the No. 3 singles match. After trading games and falling behind, 5-4, she broke serve to eventually win the first set. She then cruised through the second set, winning 6-1 off a double fault for match point.
Fliegner followed with a win of her own in the No. 1 singles match. In the first set, she played calmly and confidently, capitalizing on her opponent’s frustration to win 6-0. In the second set, although her opponent refused to fall easily when down 5-1, Fliegner sealed the 6-3 win.
The Huskies got on the board with a win in the No. 6 singles match, defeating Bernales 6-2, 6-1. Just seconds later, though, Miller clinched her No. 5 singles match with a commanding 6-1, 6-2 victory to secure the match win. For Miller, this blowout performance wasn’t anything too special, exemplifying how Michigan treats success as the standard.
Although Charney’s No. 2 singles match and Sartz-Lunde’s No. 4 singles match were abandoned with the Wolverines leading, they showcase just how high of a level Michigan competes at just by simply playing its game. Sartz-Lunde commanded her first set, winning 6-3 and sweeping three games. When her match was abandoned, she held a strong, 4-2, lead.
In her first set, Charney found herself in a deep hole after winning the first game, losing the next four. At this point, she could have easily begun to doubt herself, but she remained confident.
“I actually thought that I was doing all the right things,” Charney said. “I was just missing, so I was like, ‘I’ll find it if I just stay positive and keep working at it.’ ”
Charney then rattled off the next five straight games to take back the lead. After losing the next game, she swept the 11th game and won the 12th off a long forehand rally for the set. A big part of this first-set comeback was Bernstein’s repeated advice both during and between games.
“(It) was more like her energy and to get herself going,” Bernstein said of her message to Charney. “Once she gets that sort of mojo, when she’s in that zone, she’s unstoppable.”
Facing a highly skilled, ranked opponent, the Wolverines proved why they’re the fifth-ranked team in the country. It didn’t take a special, momentous effort — just confidence and sticking to their standard — to turn a potentially dangerous matchup into a routine victory.
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