The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Michigan
Women's Tennis upsets No. 4 Michigan, 4-3
03.05.2016 | Women's Tennis
Longhorns notch first top-five win since 2012.
Here's Dani Wagland's match point! pic.twitter.com/2q6YIGmiTm
— Texas Women's Tennis (@LonghornsTennis) March 5, 2016
AUSTIN, Texas – Texas won the doubles point and preserved three hard-fought singles wins as the Longhorns (5-4) toppled No. 4 Michigan (7-3) by a 4-3 count Saturday afternoon at UT's Whitaker Tennis Courts. Saturday's win marked the first top-five win for the Longhorns since Jan. 21, 2012, when Texas knocked off No. 4 North Carolina.
"Michigan was without one of its top players today, so that shouldn't get lost in the equation," said first-year UT head coach Howard Joffe. "They took everything we had and played down to the wire. They are unbelievably well coached and just a real class act. I certainly feel delighted for our group, but you can actually feel for Michigan. They are really a class act."
Texas put up a fight right away in the doubles session, and the Longhorns ultimately delivered wins at the first and third positions to seize the doubles point.
Texas two-time All-America senior Breaunna Addison teamed with sophomore Dani Wagland to defeat Michigan's Ronit Yurovsky and Kate Fahey at first doubles, 6-3. Michigan responded with a win at second doubles, leaving the outcome of the doubles point on the match at third doubles.
UT senior Lana Groenvynck and freshman Katie Poluta went to a tiebreaker with the Wolverines' Teona Velehorschi and Sara Remynse at third doubles and prevailed by a 7-2 count to give Texas the doubles point and a 1-0 lead.
Texas stretched its lead to 2-0 behind freshman Daniella Roldan's 6-2, 6-4 win over Remynse at fifth singles, and the Longhorns assumed a 3-0 lead after Addison's 6-2, 6-3 win over the 15th-ranked Yurovsky at first singles.
Michigan sliced the Texas lead to 3-2 with wins at the sixth and fourth singles positions. However, UT's Wagland turned her match around at third singles and positioned the Longhorns toward an upset win.
Wagland led UM's Mira Ruder-Hook 4-1 in the third set before Ruder-Hook pulled within 4-3. Wagland held serve at-love for a 5-3 lead, and on match point in the next service game, the Australian smacked a half volley for a winner to close out her match and give Texas the victory.
Michigan's Fahey finished off a second-set tiebreak win over UT's Neda Koprcina at second singles just moments after Wagland's win for the final 4-3 margin.
Texas resumes dual-match play on March 10 when it hosts Pennsylvania.
ADDITIONAL POST-MATCH COMMENTS
Texas head coach Howard Joffe
We have a group that's just giving everything they've got. They keep improving, and they're trying their hardest. We've actually lost a bunch of very, very close matches to some good teams. We lost to Duke very close, we lost to Alabama very close, and we won the doubles point against Pepperdine.
So, it's one of those things that, no matter how much I tell the group what a great job it is doing, it's always nice to be rewarded with an outcome. That is, to me, the biggest thing. Some of the folks who haven't had the taste of a win and being in these competitive of situations are now in them and actually getting over that hurdle instead of coming up a little short. I'm just delighted for the seven ladies because they are improving and getting tougher by the day.
Texas 4, No. 4 Michigan 3
Doubles: Order of finish: 1, 2, 3
1 No. 26 Breaunna Addison/Dani Wagland (UT) def. Ronit Yurovsky/Kate Fahey (UM), 6-3
2 Mira Ruder-Hook/Alex Najarian (UM) def. Neda Koprcina/Daniella Roldan (UT), 6-4
3 Lana Groenvynck/Katie Poluta (UT) def. Teona Velehorschi/Sara Remynse (UM), 7-6 (2)
Singles: Order of finish: 5, 1, 6, 4, 3, 2
1 No. 9 Breaunna Addison (UT) def. No. 15 Ronit Yurovsky (UM), 6-2, 6-3
2 No. 75 Kate Fahey (UM) def. Neda Koprcina (UT), 6-3, 7-6 (2)
3 Dani Wagland (UT) def. Mira Ruder-Hook (UM), 2-6, 6-3, 6-3
4 Alex Najarian (UM) def. Katie Poluta (UT), 6-2, 7-6 (7)
5 Daniella Roldan (UT) def. Sara Remynse (UM), 6-2, 6-4
6 Teona Velehorschi (UM) def. Chelsea Crovetti (UT), 6-4, 6-2
Players Mentioned
