University of Michigan will meet University of Virginia at the ITA National quarters



by LORENZO CIOTTI

University of Michigan will meet University of Virginia at the ITA National quarters
© Piper Charney (ITA)

No.5 University of Michigan women's tennis team won 4-2 against California, at the Nordstrom Tennis Center, qualifying for the quarterfinals of the ITA National Indoor Team Championship, where it will face the No.11 University of Virginia today. UVA women's tennis team defeated No. 6 Pepperdine at the Nordstrom Tennis Center in Seattle, Wash.

With the win, Michigan advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the second consecutive season. This is the fourth time Michigan and Virginia have faced each other since the ITA National Team Indoor Championship. This will be the second meeting in seven days between Virginia and Michigan. The Wolverines won 5-2 last Saturday (Feb. 3) in Ann Arbor.

Lily Jones also quickly got Michigan to 1-1 in team play behind a 6-1, 6-1 victory in just over an hour at No. 5. Cal's lead was short-lived as Kari Miller won a 7-5, 6-1 match against Hannah Viller Moeller. Miller fell behind early in the first set, posting a 4-1 deficit. The Wolverine fought off three set points at 4-5, winning the final three points of the match to close out the set at 5-5. She held on in the next game and broke Viller Moeller to clinch the first set. It was all Miller in the second as she cruised to a 6-1 victory for Michigan's second point.

With Michigan needing to win two of their remaining matches, the Wolverines would win at least a third set.

Gala Mesochoritou was on her way to the third set, taking a 5-1 lead in the second after losing her first set. Katja Wiersholm, winning five consecutive games and returning to serve for the match, reversed the challenge. Mesochoritou got the break she needed to force the tiebreak, winning 7-2 and setting up the decisive third set.

Julia Fliegner, who lost 6-4 in the first set to Jessica Alsola, found herself down 4-1 in the second. From there on Fliegner was busy, breaking five consecutive games for a third set.

Freshman Piper Charney, with a set in hand, was down 5-3 in her second set before winning three straight games for the opportunity to serve for the match. She failed to convert, setting up a tiebreaker at the bottom of the lineup. The switch featured momentum swings throughout, with Charney holding four match points during it. She couldn't overcome any of them, as Lan Mi won the final three points for an 11-9 victory.

Mesochoritou took early control of her third set at No. 4, breaking at 2-1 and consolidating the break in the next game. Fliegner recovered from an early break and a 2-0 deficit to win four straight for a 4-2 lead. Charney was down 3-1 entering his third set at No. 6 as all three matches were played on adjacent courts.

Mesochoritou withstood a long medical timeout from his opponent at 4-1, winning the next two games to wrap up a 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 victory at No. 4 for a 3-2 lead in Michigan. At the same time, Fliegner's match returned to serve at 4-4. Charney erased its early 3-1 deficit for a 3-3 tie as Mesochoritou put the Wolverines back on top. Charney has won the last five matches at No. 6 by scores of 6-1, 6-7 (9), 6-3 for Michigan's fourth point.

With the win, UM advanced to the quarterfinals of the ITA National Team Indoor Championship for the second consecutive season. 

Women's singles:

No. 9 Kari Miller (UM) d. No. 21 Hannah Viller Moeller (Cal), 7-5, 6-1
No. 18 Julia Fliegner (UM) vs. No. 22 Jessica Alsola (Cal), 4-6, 6-4, 5-5 abandoned
No. 51 Valentina Ivanov (Cal) d. Jaedan Brown (UM), 7-6 (1), 6-0
No. 124 Gala Mesochoritou (UM) d. No. 19 Katja Wiersholm (Cal), 2-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1
No. 57 Lily Jones (UM) d. Mao Mushika (Cal), 6-1, 6-1
No. 6 Piper Charney (UM) d. No. 71 Lan Mi (Cal), 6-1, 6-7 (9), 6-4
 
Women's doubles:

No. 5 Jaedan Brown/Kari Miller (UM) vs. Hannah Viller Moeller/Mao Mushika (Cal), 6-6 abandoned
Jessica Alsola/Valentina Ivanov (Cal) d. Anna Ross/Lily Jones (UM), 7-6 (5)
Berta Passola Folch/Katja Wiersholm (Cal) d. Reese Miller/Piper Charney (UM), 7-5

Virginia earned a 5-2 win against Pepperdine. Virginia and Pepperdine split the first two doubles courts, leaving the matter to be decided on court three. Sophomore Annabelle Xu and senior Sara Ziodato won 7-5 on court three to clinch the point.

Sophomore Mélodie Collard gave UVA a 2-0 lead by winning 6-2, 6-4 on court six in singles. The Waves won in straight sets on courts one and three to tie the match 2-2.

Ziodato and junior Elaine Chervinsky both started tiebreakers to decide their second set at the same time. Chervinsky won 7-3 followed immediately by Ziodato with a 7-5. Senior Hibah Shaikh finished her third set on the court two moments later to give UVA its fifth point.

Shaikh's win over No. 6 Savannah Broadus was the highest-ranked player she defeated in her collegiate career.

Women's singles:

#15 Lisa Zaar (PEPP) def. #101 Annabelle Xu (VA) 6-1, 6-3
#41 Hibah Shaikh (VA) def. #6 Savannah Broadus (PEPP) 3-6, 6-2, 6-1
Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. Natasha Subhash (VA) 6-2, 6-4
#72 Sara Ziodato (VA) def. #106 Nikki Redelijk (PEPP) 6-3, 7-6 (7-5)
Elaine Chervinsky (VA) def. #89 Anna Campana (PEPP) 6-4, 7-6 (7-3)
#93 Melodie Collard (VA) def. Jasmine Conway (PEPP) 6-2, 6-4

Women's doubles:

#4 Savannah Broadus/Janice Tjen (PEPP) def. #44 Elaine Chervinsky/Melodie Collard (VA) 6-1
#60 Hibah Shaikh/Natasha Subhash (VA) def. Anna Campana/Nikki Redelijk (PEPP) 6-1
Annabelle Xu/Sara Ziodato (VA) def. Lisa Zaar/Jasmine Conway (PEPP) 7-5

University Of Virginia