“She’s a dawg.”
Those were the words said by freshman Reese Miller when speaking about fellow freshman Piper Charney following the final match to secure the Big Ten Tournament win for Michigan. And while that phrase may be true, there’s just one thing she forgot to mention:
She’s a dawg as well.
The pair combined for two doubles wins on the weekend — with one abandon while leading — and looked unstoppable.
Friday’s doubles match saw the pair against Purdue, a team looking to play spoiler early in the tournament. This was the most back-and-forth match the duo would see all weekend, with the game being abandoned while the Wolverines were up 4-3 since the other two doubles matchups were already completed.
While Miller didn’t play singles, Charney did, and she certainly made her mark. Just as quickly as she arrived on the court, it seemed as if she was stepping off, winning her match in dominant fashion, 6-1, 6-0.
While some players have strengths either at the net or at the backline, Charney has both, alongside a serve game that keeps opponents constantly on their toes.
She seemed more than comfortable to hit a well-placed shot to cause her opponent to run back and forth across the court, before ultimately putting the point away. And then the very next point she would volley for a little bit, before hitting a drop shot that gave the opponent no time to return.
The pair combined again for their match on Saturday and hoped to be able to finish with a win.
“We just had to believe in ourselves and go out swinging,” Miller said. “(We) needed to be more aggressive.”
That aggressiveness certainly showed on the No. 2 doubles when Charney began by serving, keeping the ball in play for Miller to clean up at the net. There was nothing that could be done by their opponents from Wisconsin, their opponent, as Charney and Miller quickly went up, 5-2. And just as the game began, it ended with a Miller volley to win the set, and match, 6-2.
While Charney’s singles match resulted in more points for the opponent than the day before, it wasn’t by much, ultimately winning the match 6-3, 6-4.
The third day was much of the same for doubles, with the pair taking turns making shot after shot to quickly drive the score up 5-1. Then, in a reversal from the day before, it ended with a Miller serve and a Charney volley to win the set, along with the match, 6-1.
Charney began her singles play in much of the same vein, winning the first sets 6-1. Yet disaster momentarily struck for her, making uncharacteristic errors. A slice going straight into the net, a return gone astray and placing shots more than easy to return for a point all culminated in a racket thrown at the ground, something uncommon for the freshman on a 16-match win streak.
“I was playing at such a high level at the beginning, and then I started to panic a little bit,” Charney said. “Once I figured that out and calmed down a little bit, it was all good for the third sets.”
That calm settled in at just the right time, with many of the other Wolverines struggling against their opponents. With her familiar self back, Charney settled back into cruise control, leading the game back into her favor. An electrifying finish brought a much needed first point in the championship, ultimately leading to a win for Michigan.
“She’s done it all year for us,” Wolverines coach Ronni Bernstein said.
It cannot be understated how much Miller and Charney brought to the table not just for this tournament, but the whole year. While the Friday and Saturday games both resulted in a 4-0 finish, it was not as close as the scores suggested for Saturday. And on Sunday, that win could have resulted in the difference between a win and loss, with the last game being abandoned while neck-and-neck in the second sets.
A smooth and connected doubles team is a vital piece for the team and provides a strong example for the rest of the team. And on the biggest stage of their collegiate career so far — they shined the brightest.