After a thrilling upset over No. 12 Notre Dame last Thursday, the Michigan women's tennis team had plenty to be excited about when traveling to Miami Sunday.

That excitement, however, was short-lived, as the Wolverines lost 6-1 to the 10th ranked Hurricanes.

Although the score was lopsided, the Wolverines (1-2) had their chances.

Michigan failed to hold a 6-3 lead in its No. 2 and No. 3 doubles matches.

"If we would have gotten those points, the rest of the match may have gone differently," Michigan coach Ronnie Bernstein said.

The team's youth served as a double-edged sword. Three freshmen started for the Wolverines -Denise Muresan, Whitney Taney, and Kari Wig. Taney turned in one of the day's better performances but still lost in her singles match at No. 2. Bernstein said it's often difficult for the more inexperienced players to handle tough situations on the road.

Miami (2-0) competes outdoors, as opposed to the indoor facilities Michigan competes on this time of year.

"I'm not going to make excuses, but physically dealing with the heat and the wind of an outdoor court is definitely a factor," Bernstein said.

Junior captain Lindsey Howard recorded Michigan's only win of the day in her No. 6 singles match. According to Bernstein, experienced players like Howard will need to make their presence felt in future matches to compliment the team's youth.

Both the coaches and players have ample time to clear their minds of this loss before their next match at home against Tennessee Feb. 15. The Wolverines will need to harness the energy of their young talent like Taney to improve their record.

"We're going to be fine," Bernstein said. "This was just a difficult game against a really skilled team on the road."