The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Michigan
No. 14 Women’s Tennis falls just short to No. 3 Michigan in NCAA Sweet 16
05.10.2025 | Women's Tennis
The Longhorns took the match all the way to a third-set tiebreaker in the deciding singles match before falling in Ann Arbor.
Ann Arbor, Mich. – No. 14 Texas Women's Tennis came up just short in its NCAA Super Regional match at No. 3 Michigan, 4-3, on Saturday at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor. The Longhorns entered the match having reached their fifth-straight NCAA round of 16 and completed the season 18-11.
Texas claimed the doubles point with wins at Nos. 3 and 1 after Michigan had been first off the court at No. 2. The Wolverines evened it with a win at No. 2 singles, but the Longhorns regained the lead with a victory by freshman No. 78 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo at No. 6. Michigan tied it again with a win at No. 4, and although Texas moved back in front with a win by freshman Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz at No. 5, Michigan was able to emerge with three-set wins at Nos. 3 and 1 with the match at No. 1 going all the way to a tiebreaker.
To start doubles, the No. 73 pair of Kempenaers-Pocz and Salma Drugdova fell to No. 45 Reese Miller and Julia Fliegner, 6-3, at No. 2. The Wolverines broke first for a 2-1 lead and consolidated for 3-1. The next two games were both held at deuce, while the following two were also holds for a 5-3 Michigan lead until the Wolverines broke again on a deuce point for the match.
The combo of senior Sabina Zeynalova and freshman Carmen Herea then evened doubles with a 6-4 win over Piper Charney and Emily Sartz-Lunde at No. 3. Each team had one deuce-point hold, but the match stayed on serve almost the entire way until the Longhorns broke in the final game for the win. Texas had opened the match with its deuce-point hold, while Michigan's came later for 4-4.
The clinch came from the No. 26 duo of Anazagasty-Pursoo and freshman Ashton Bowers with a 7-5 victory over No. 18 Jessica Bernales and Lily Jones at No. 1. The teams exchanged breaks to begin the match starting with Michigan, and the next five games were on serve with the last two of those at deuce resulting in a 4-3 Texas lead. The Longhorns then broke on a another deuce point for 5-3, and although the Wolverines broke back and held to even it, Texas finished with a hold and a deuce-point break to clinch the point.
Following doubles, Michigan evened the overall match as Herea was downed by Charney, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 2. After Charney was able to sweep the first set, Herea held on a deuce point to begin the second. Charney then went on a 3-0 run, and although Herea cut it to 3-2, Charney finished on another 3-0 run that included deuce-point wins in the last two games.
Anazagasty-Pursoo quickly responded with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Bernales at No. 6. Anazagasty-Pursoo jumped out to a 4-0 lead, including a deuce-point hold in the third game. Bernales got one game back on a hold for 4-1, but Anazagasty-Pursoo put together another 4-0 run that included deuce-point holds for 6-1 in the first set and 2-0 in the second. Bernales held on a deuce point in the next game for 2-1, and the rest of the set was on serve until Anazagasty-Pursoo broke again for the match. Anazagasty-Pursoo had also held at deuce for a 4-2 lead in that stretch.
The Wolverines evened it again as No. 92 Bowers fell to No. 68 Sartz-Lunde, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 4. After Bowers held to open the match, Sartz-Lunde went on an 8-0 run to take the first set and go up 2-0 in the second. Bowers would end up breaking Sartz-Lunde twice in the second set to trail 2-1 and 3-2, but Sartz-Lunde closed on a 3-0 run to square the overall match, 2-2.
The last three matches all went to third sets with Kempenaers-Pocz regaining the lead for Texas with a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 win over Miller at No. 5. Kempenaers-Pocz broke to start the match and made that break stand up through the set, as despite five deuce points, the rest of the frame was on serve. Kempenaers-Pocz won three of those deuce points for leads of 2-0, 5-3 and 6-4, while Miller's were to trail, 3-2 and 4-3. Kempenaers-Pocz broke again in the first game of the second set, but Miller went on an 8-0 run for the set and to establish a 2-0 lead in the third. However, Kempenaers-Pocz countered with a 5-0 run of her own, including a deuce-point break in that span that had given her a 4-2 lead. Miller picked up one more game on a hold, but Kempenaers-Pocz served it out the match from there.
The Wolverines had won the first sets of both of the remaining matches before the Longhorns fought off match points to win their second sets by the same 7-5 score and force third sets.
The first to finish was No. 3 where freshman No. 73 Eszter Meri was downed by No. 46 Jones, 6-4, 5-7, 6-1. Meri won consecutive deuce points to break and hold at the beginning of the match, however Jones held on another deuce point and got the break back for 2-2. Meri then broke again at deuce, but Jones also broke to keep it even, 3-3. The next three games were all held for a 5-4 lead for Jones when she broke again at deuce for the set. In the second, the players exchanged breaks starting with Meri on a deuce point. Jones later held at deuce for a 2-1 lead, which would be the only hold in the first nine games, positioning her with a 5-4 lead. Meri's last break had kept the match going after being down 5-3. Meri finally snapped the streak of breaks with deuce-point hold for 5-5 after she fought off two match points for Miller. She then completed a 5-0 run to take the set, 7-5, and break in the opening game of the third for a 1-0 lead. However, Jones took it from there and Meri was later slowed by injury that prevented a chance to rally.
At that point, No. 45 Zeynalova was even, 2-2, in her third set with No. 6 Fliegner at No. 1. That match would end up going the distance with Fliegner prevailing in a tiebreaker, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (1). Zeynalova broke first for a 2-1 lead, which she consolidated for 3-1. However, Fliegner won the next three games and five of the last six for the set. In the second, it was Fliegner who broke first, doing so on a deuce point for 3-1, however Zeynalova answered it for 3-2 and held for 3-3. After Fliegner appeared to position herself well to take the match with a hold and a break for 5-3 and a 40-15 lead in the next game, Zeynalova flipped the script, deflecting three match points to break at deuce, and another match point at deuce in the following game for 5-5. She then completed a 4-0 run with a third-straight deuce-point victory for a break before serving out the set. In the third, the first six games were on serve despite three deuce points. In the seventh game, Zeynalova went up a break, 4-3, on a deuce point, but Fliegner broke back. Later at 5-5, Zeynalova had a chance for another break on a deuce point, but Fliegner held for a 6-5 lead before Zeynalova also held to send it to a tiebreaker. In the breaker, Fliegner won the first two, and although Zeynalova cut it to 2-1, Fliegner finished on a 5-0 run for the win.
#3 Michigan 4, #14 Texas 3
Singles – Order of Finish (2,6,4,5,3,1)
1. #6 Julia Fliegner (MICH) def. #45 Sabina Zeynalova (TEX) 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (1)
2. #21 Piper Charney (MICH) def. #38 Carmen Herea (TEX) 6-0, 6-2
3. #46 Lily Jones (MICH) def. #73 Eszter Meri (TEX) 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
4. #68 Emily Sartz-Lunde (MICH) def. #92 Ashton Bowers (TEX) 6-1, 6-2
5. Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEX) def. Reese Miller (MICH) 6-4, 1-6, 6-3
6. #78 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo (TEX) def. Jessica Bernales (MICH) 6-1, 6-3
Doubles – Order of Finish (2,3,1)
1. #26 Ariana Anazagasty-Pursoo/Ashton Bowers (TEX) def. #18 Jessica Bernales/Lily Jones (MICH) 7-5
2. #45 Julia Fliegner/Reese Miller (MICH) def. #73 Salma Drugdova/Charlotte Kempenaers-Pocz (TEX) 6-3
3. Carmen Herea/Sabina Zeynalova (TEX) def. Piper Charney/Emily Sartz-Lunde (MICH) 6-4
Players Mentioned
