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 route to a 6-1 second-set win in just 22 minutes for Michigan’s second point of the afternoon.

Jones followed moments later with a 6-0, 6-4 win at No. 5. After breezing to a first-set win, Jones took advantage of a late break in the second set to put Michigan’s third point on the board.

It was a race to the finish from there as both Brown and Miller jumped out to big leads in their respective second sets and held concurrent match points.

Brown finished first, putting Michigan’s fourth point on the board behind a 7-6 (2), 6-1 win over No. 26 Malkia Ngounoue at the top of the lineup. The first set featured multiple breaks as neither player was able to hold serve throughout, heading to a breaker. Brown won four of the first five points and the final three in a 7-2 win. It was all Brown in the second set as she cruised to the 6-1 win.

The remaining matches on court were abandoned as Michigan recorded the 4-0.

U-M will face either No. 14 Oklahoma State or Oregon tomorrow (Jan. 29) in the second round of the ITA Kick-Off at 1 p.m. CST.

Following are match-by-match results

Singles

No. 1 — No. 40 Jaedan Brown (U-M) d. No. 26 Malkia Ngounoue (KU), 7-6 (2), 6-1

No. 2 — No. 81 Kari Miller (U-M) vs. Maria Titova (KU), 6-3, 5-2 abandoned

No. 3 — No. 39 Julia Fliegner (U-M) vs. Carmen Roxana Manu (KU), 6-4, 3-5 abandoned

No. 4 — No. 103 Gala Mesochoritou (U-M) vs. Tamari Gagoshidze (KU), 2-6, 5-3 abandoned

No. 5 — No. 65 Lily Jones (U-M) d. Silvia Costache (KU), 6-0, 6-4

No. 6 — No. 101 Andrea Cerdan (U-M) d. Heike Van Vuuren (KU), 6-2, 6-1

Doubles

No. 1 — No. 2 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (U-M) d. Malkia Ngounoue/Heike Van Vuuren (KU), 6-3

No. 2 — Julia Fliegner/Lily Jones (U-M) d. Maria Titova/Tamari Gagoshidze (KU), 6-4

No. 3 — Andrea Cerdan/Merri Kelly (U-M) vs. Carmen Roxana Manu/Jocelyn Massey (KU), 5-5 abandoned

Order of Completion: Doubles 1-2, Singles 6-5-1