The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/848029
AUGUST 2017 THE WOLVERINE 21 BY JOHN BORTON S ophomore Brienne Minor en- joyed a solid regular season in tennis, accompanied by some struggles in backhand tech- nique. But for six straight days, she backhanded everyone in sight. Minor served up a dose of perfec- tion May 24-29 at the NCAA Singles Tournament in Athens, Ga. She mowed down six straight opponents and recorded Michigan's — and the Big Ten's — first-ever national cham- pionship by a female singles player. Not bad, for someone who entered the tournament unseeded. Minor proceeded to dispatch half-a-dozen seeded performers, including No. 6 Belinda Woolcock of Florida in the championship match, 6-3, 6-3. "Honestly, I didn't really have any expectations for myself," Minor humbly observed. "Being unseeded going into the tournament really kind of helped me. I didn't have any pressure. I stayed relaxed and wasn't nervous at all, and I played some of my best tennis because of that. "I was just able to go out there and have fun, swing away. I didn't let it get to me, because I didn't expect to win. I didn't see that coming at all, for sure." Neither did her six opponents. Mi- nor drew No. 21 seed Sinead Lohan of Miami right out of the gate, and settled in for her toughest match of the tournament. Lohan ousted Minor from the tournament a year earlier and won the first set, 6-3. Backed against the wall, Minor MAJOR ACHIEVEMENT Brienne Minor Comes Up Aces At The NCAA Championships Despite entering the NCAA Tournament unseeded, Minor became the first female tennis player in school and Big Ten history to win the individual singles national title. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR BRIENNE MINOR