EVANSTON, Ill. -- Freshman Ronit Yurovsky (New Kensington, Pa./Plum) rallied for a three-set singles win at No. 2 to provide the deciding point as the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan women's tennis team defeated No. 14 Northwestern, 4-3, Sunday afternoon (April 7) at the Vandy Christie Tennis Center.
Site: Evanston, Ill. (Vandy Christie Tennis Center)
Score: #8 Michigan 4, #14 Northwestern 3
Records: U-M (15-4, 6-1 Big Ten), NU (11-8, 5-2 Big Ten)
Next U-M Event: Saturday, April 13 -- vs. Nebraska (Varsity Tennis Center), 11 a.m.
Michigan won the doubles point for the second straight match, once again taking at the top two spots for the match's first point. Northwestern started off doubles action with a quick 8-1 win at No. 3, and action shifted to the remaining two courts for the first point.
Needing two wins for the doubles point, Michigan's top two duos responded with victories. At No. 2, U-M's duo of Yurovsky and sophomore Sarah Lee (Los Angeles, Calif./Campbell Hall) jumped out to a 4-1 lead and eventually recorded an 8-3 win. At the top spot, Michigan sophomore Emina Bektas (Indianapolis, Ind./New Braunfels) and junior Brooke Bolender (Delray Beach, Fla./Kaplan) went up a break at 6-4. The teams stayed on serve for the remaining four games as Michigan wrapped up the initial point with an 8-6 victory.
Northwestern evened the score with a straight-set win at No. 3 to kick off singles action. Bektas, ranked No. 29, was next off court, recording a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 1 position over No. 96 Veronica Corning to allow Michigan to regain its lead, 2-1.
Almost simultaneously, Michigan and Northwestern traded wins at No. 4 and No. 5 as Michigan took a 3-2 lead. Bolender defeated Alicia Barnett, 6-4, 6-3, at No. 4 before NU's Linda Abu Mushrefova got the point back for the Wildcats with a 6-3, 6-2 win over freshman Amy Zhu (Newark, Del./Laurel Springs) at No. 5.
With the Wolverines needing just one more win for the team victory, the matches left on court at No. 2 featuring Yurovsky and at No. 6 with sophomore Kristen Dodge (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) went to third sets. Both Wolverines dropped first sets before rebounding for wins in the second to force a deciding frame.
With the No. 6 match tied at 3-3 in the deciding set, NU's Brittany Wowchuk won the remaining three games to tie the team match at 3-3.
Yurovsky fell into an early 2-0 hole to Belinda Niu in the third set, but the Wolverine freshman rallied to win three of the next four games to tie the set at 3-3. The two stayed on serve before Yurovsky broke Niu late and took the match with a 7-5 win in the third set to seal the Maize and Blue win.
Michigan will return to the Varsity Tennis Center next weekend, hosting Nebraska on Saturday (April 13) at 11 a.m.
Following are match-by-match results
Singles
No. 1 -- No. 29 Emina Bektas (U-M) d. No. 96 Veronica Corning (NU), 6-2, 6-4
No. 2 -- No. 39 Ronit Yurovsky (U-M) d. Belinda Niu (NU), 6-7 (4), 6-2, 7-5
No. 3 -- No. 63 Kate Turvy (NU) d. No. 76 Sarah Lee (U-M), 6-2, 6-1
No. 4 -- Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. Alicia Barnett (U-M), 6-4, 6-3
No. 5 -- Linda Abu Mushrefova (NU) d. Amy Zhu (U-M), 6-3, 6-2
No. 6 -- Brittany Wowchuk (NU) d. Kristen Dodge (U-M), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
Doubles
No. 1 -- No. 2 Emina Bektas/Brooke Bolender (U-M) d. No. 9 Linda Abu Mushrefova/Nida Hamilton (NU), 8-6
No. 2 -- No. 49 Sarah Lee/Ronit Yurovsky (U-M) d. Belinda Niu/Kate Turvy (NU), 8-3
No. 3 -- Veronica Corning/Alicia Barnett (NU) d. Kristen Dodge/Amy Zhu (U-M), 8-1
Order of Completion: Doubles 1-3-2, Singles 3-1-4-5-6-2
