At first glance, it would seem like freshman Ronit Yurovsky had regressed in the Michigan women’s tennis match against Iowa.

In her high-school career, Yurovsky became accustomed to being her team’s top player. She was the 2012 National High School Senior Athlete of the Year and a two-time Pennsylvania state tennis champion. But despite the success, she hasn’t played at the top spots for the Michigan women’s tennis team.

Despite solid tennis, Yurovsky has been stuck behind sophomore standout Emina Bektas in singles and behind the nation’s second-ranked pair of Bektas and junior Brooke Bolender in doubles. But Yurovsky has still been solid at the second spot in both and uses that as motivation.

“It pushes me because you have someone who is so good like Emina at the top,” Yurovsky said. “She motivates me.”

But on Sunday against Iowa, Yurovsky took on a new role. She was paired with sophomore Kristen Dodge at the third doubles spot — the lowest Yurovsky has played in Michigan’s lineup thus far.

But the move didn’t faze her. Yurovsky made the most of Dodge’s feistiness and energy — a change of pace from her old partner, sophomore Sarah Lee, who is calmer.

Yurovsky and Dodge dominated their opponents en route to an 8-3 victory. The duo looked seasoned, despite not playing together since the fall season.

“(Playing with Dodge) wasn’t that different,” Yurovsky said. “I think we needed to do that because we were struggling at three with Kristy and (senior) Mimi (Nguyen) and the way we switched it really helped us. We won at three today, and I thought it was a good move.”

Added Michigan coach Ronni Bernstein: “(Yurovsky and Dodge) have really good energy, and if you see, they both kind of feed off each other, and they’ve played together before. I had them play together in the fall, and I thought they were really successful.”

The doubles success worked in Yurovsky’s favor. Playing a tough opponent in Iowa’s Shelby Talcott, the freshman had it going early. With powerful serving and huge returns, Yurovsky cruised to a 6-0 first-set win.

Yurovsky plays a key role in the singles lineup. Often, Michigan looks to Bektas to earn a quick point for the Wolverines. But matches don’t always go Bektas’s way, and when that happens, Yurovsky is next in line.

Sunday was no different. Bektas was locked into a tough match, and Yurovsky stepped up. After winning her first set, she grinded through the second set, winning the match, 6-0, 6-4.

“I had a really good start winning the first set 6-0, and it gave me a confidence boost,” Yurovsky said. “She started playing better in the second (set), but it helped a lot getting a good start.”

Her win gave the Wolverines a 2-0 lead and greatly reduced the pressure for Michigan.