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No. 11 Women’s Tennis downed by No. 7 Michigan, 4-1
02.09.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns won a dramatic doubles point, but fell to the Wolverines in their ITA Indoors consolation match on Sunday.
Champaign, Ill. – No. 11 Texas Women's Tennis was downed by No. 7 Michigan, 4-1, in the consolation round of the ITA National Indoor Championships on Sunday in Champaign, Ill.
The Longhorns won a dramatic doubles point with victories at Nos. 1 and 3 and was in position in both of the unfinished singles matches, but fell in contests at Nos. 2, 5, 3 and 1.
The match began with Michigan taking a 6-1 decision by the No. 45 pair of Julia Fliegner and Reese Miller over freshmen Carmen Herea and Salma Drugdova at No. 2. The Longhorns broke on a deuce point in the opening game, but the Wolverines won six-straight games, including two deuce points, to win.
That was followed by a top-30 win by the freshman duo of Ashton Bowers and Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo, as they defeated the No. 27 pair of Piper Charney and Jessica Bernales, 6-4. After both teams held their opening serve starting with Texas, both teams broke with Michigan's coming on a deuce point for a 2-1 lead before the Longhorns tied it. The next five games stayed on serve until Texas broke on a deuce point for the win, as the last three games of the match were decided at deuce.
That left it to the match at No. 3 where senior Sabina Zeynalova and freshman Eszter Meri emerged from a tiebreaker with a 7-6 (6) victory over Lily Jones and Ava Bruno. The first four games were on serve starting with Texas until Michigan broke for a 3-2 lead. The next four games were then on serve despite the Longhorns holding leads of 0-40 and 0-30 in the Wolverines' next two service games with both going to deuce. With Michgian leading, 5-4, Texas again built a 0-30 lead in UM's next service game, and it again went to deuce, but this time, the Longhorns captured the point to keep the match and the doubles point alive. Texas then moved ahead with a hold and had a match point in the next game at deuce but the Michigan managed to hold to send it to a tiebreaker. There, the Longhorns jumped out to a 4-0 lead that they maintained to 5-1, but the Wolverines rallied with their own 5-1 run to tie it. However, Texas put an end to the run with two straight points for the win and to clinch the point.
In singles, Michigan evened the overall score as No. 92 Eszter Meri was defeated by No. 30 Piper Charney, 6-2, 6-0, at No. 2. After each players broke the other's serve on a deuce point starting with Meri, she followed with a hold for a 2-1 lead. The next two games both went to deuce, but Charney claimed them both to begin an 11-0 run to her win.
The Wolverines then took the lead after No. 39 Anazagasty-Pursoo fell to No. 66 Reese Miller, 6-4, 6-1, at No. 5. It was Anazagasty-Pursoo who moved out to 4-0 lead following a deuce-point break in the opening game. However, Miller went on a 9-0 run to take the first set and establish a 3-0 lead in the second. Two of those games went to deuce, including the last one of the run for a hold. Anazagasty-Pursoo got one game back on serve but Miller finished with the last three games for the win.
The next match to finish at No. 3 where No. 105 Bowers was defeated by No. 36 Lily Jones, 6-4, 6-2. Jones began the match with a break and a hold for a 2-0 lead. Bowers then held at deuce for 2-1 and later got the break back for 3-3. However, Jones broke again for a 4-3 lead and the last three games were on serve to her win. Jones opened the second set with break and a deuce-point hold for a 2-0 lead and the next four games were also serve until Jones broke again and held for the win.
The clinch came at No. 1 where No. 71 Zeynalova came up just short in a first set tiebreaker and then fell to top-five opponent No. 4 Julia Fliegner, 7-6 (7), 6-1. Zeynalova took the first two games on deuce points for a break and a hold. Fliegner got the break back two games later and the rest of the set stayed on serve to the tiebreaker. In a similar progression as Zeynalova's doubles tiebreaker, she pushed out to a 5-2 lead before Fliegner rallied to tie it, 6-6, and then move ahead, 7-6. Again like doubles, Zeynalova responded with three-straight points to win. In the second set, Fliegner took the first three and last three games around a deuce-point break from Zeynalova.
That left two matches on the court that went unfinished starting with No. 25 Herea leading Emily Sartz-Lunde, 6-1, 4-6, 3-2 at No. 4. Herea opened on a 3-0 run with the first two coming at deuce for a hold and a break. Sartz-Lunde got one game back on serve, but Herea also closed the set on a 3-0 run, capped by a deuce-point hold. Both players held their opening serve of the second set starting with Sartz-Lunde. The next six games all went to deuce with the first four being holds and the last two being breaks for 4-4. Sartz-Lunde then held and broke to send it to a third. In that frame, Herea broke and held for a 2-0 lead. She also held her next serve at deuce for 3-1, and Sartz-Lunde held, as well, before play stopped.
In the final match, junior No. 78 Vivian Ovrootsky was trailing but on serve in the third set against Jessica Bernales, 3-6, 6-1, 3-4, at No. 6. In the first set, Bernales won the first four games, followed by Ovrootsky taking the next three, before Bernales closed with the last two. Ovrootsky began the second set with a deuce-point hold, and after Bernales also held, Ovrootsky set out on a 7-0 run to take the first set and establish a 2-0 lead in the third. Bernales then held on a deuce point and broke to even it, and the set finished with two breaks and a hold.
Texas next travels to Fort Worth for a match at TCU on Thursday, Feb. 20.
#7 Michigan 4, #11 Texas 1
Singles – Order of Finish (2,5,3,1)
1. #4 Julia Fliegner (UM) def. #71 Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) 7-6 (7), 6-1
2. #30 Piper Charney (UM) def. #92 Eszter Meri (TEXAS) 6-2, 6-0
3. #36 Lily Jones (UM) def. #105 Ashton Bowers (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-2
4. Emily Sartz-Lunde (UM) vs. #25 Carmen Herea (TEXAS) 1-6, 6-4, 2-3, unf.
5. #66 Reese Miller (UM) def. #39 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEXAS) 6-4, 6-1
6. Jessica Bernales (UM) vs. #78 Vivian Ovrootsky (TEXAS) 6-3, 1-6, 4-3, unf.
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,1,3)
1. Ashton Bowers/Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEXAS) def. #27 Piper Charney/Jessica Bernales (UM) 6-4
2. #45 Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (UM) def. Salma Drugdova/Carmen Herea (TEXAS) 6-1
3. Eszter Meri/Sabina Zeynalova (TEXAS) def. Lily Jones/Ava Bruno (UM) 7-6 (6)
Players Mentioned
