The Michigan women's tennis team saw its season end before it had hoped, but don't call it a disappointment.

The fourth-ranked Wolverines saw their successful year come to a close on Thursday in Athens, Georgia when juniors Rika Tatsuno and Whitney Taney lost their first round match in the NCAA Individual Doubles Tournament. The No. 19 doubles team was upended by the Florida pair of Marrit Boonstra and Allie Will (6-3, 6-4).

Thursday’s doubles loss came a day after junior Denise Muresan lost her first round match in the singles competition. Michigan’s top singles player — and the No. 19 player in the country — lost 6-0, 7-6 (7-1) to Kartrina Tsang from North Carolina.

The team portion ended the previous week when the Wolverines lost in the Sweet 16 to No. 14 Tennessee. It was then up to the three remaining Michigan competitors to prepare for NCAAs alone, something they were not accustomed to, according to Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein.

But even with two first round exits, Bernstein did not hesitate to acknowledge the brilliant season that her team enjoyed.

“The individual tournament is all about the draw,” Bernstein said. “The top kids in the country are playing in the individual events, so we were ready to go, and we did the best that we could. We just didn’t come through. I’m not looking at the individuals and saying we took a step back, by any means.”

Muresan — the Big Ten Player of the Year — won 33 singles matches this season, putting her in second place on the program's all-time single-season win list.

And Tatsuno and Taney were the backbone of one of the top doubles teams in the country, as the Wolverines went through the entire Big Ten regular season without losing a doubles point.

Michigan had its best season in over a decade, winning its second-ever Big Ten Championship, and was rewarded with hosting the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time in program history.

“We had a singles participant and a doubles team, which hasn’t been done for a long time within the program,” Bernstein said. “The program has definitely taken a huge step up, and we’re going to continue to do so.”

After losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament her first two years at Michigan, Bernstein led her squad to a Michigan-record 24 wins and a Sweet 16 appearance — also a first for the school.

The Wolverines will welcome one of the top recruiting classes in the country in the fall, and with only one senior graduating, the future looks extremely bright.

“The girls are excited about next year,” Bernstein said. “After the disappointment, we look at the big picture, and that is that we had a great year and we’re looking forward to next year.”