UM Women Advancing to Fourth Sweet 16 in Five Seasons
May 10, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The top-seeded and 12th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team is advancing into the round of 16 of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship for the fourth time in the last five seasons after beating No. 22 Notre Dame, 4-0, in second round action Saturday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
Just a day after a 4-0 shutout of Quinnipiac in the first round of the Coral Gables Regional, Miami (17-5) responded with another 4-0 win against the second-seeded Irish (22-9). The victory for the Hurricanes – the ninth in their last 10 matches -propels UM into the round of 16 for the third straight season.
“I’m really proud of this team,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They believed in themselves, they’ve been committed all season long and that dedication was evident out there today.”
With Miami up 3-0, sophomore All-American Laura Vallverdu sealed the match for the Hurricanes with a 6-2, 6-3 win over No. 56 Kelcy Tefft in the top singles position. The win for Vallverdu – currently ranked No. 19 in singles play – was her 16th victory in her last 18 matches in UM’s top singles spot.
UM – along with 15 other regional champions – will now head to Tulsa, Okla. for the NCAA Round of 16, May 15-20 at the Michael D. Case Tennis Center. The Hurricanes will be taking on No. 5 Baylor — a team that defeated UM 4-1 earlier this season in Coral Gables — Thursday morning at 10 a.m. ET.
Miami took the doubles point after winning the top two positions for the second time this weekend. Notre Dame’s Kali Krisik and Kristen Rafael took out Michaela Kissell and Jenna Osborne, 8-1, to give the Irish the early advantage. At No. 2, Caren Seenauth and Bianca Eichkorn were knotted up at 6-6 with Cosmina Ciobanu and Collen Rielley, 6-6, before pulling winning three of the next four points to even the score. Moments later, the No. 20 team of Vallverdu and Romy Farah upended the No. 3 team of Brook Buck and Kelcy Tefft, 8-6, to give UM the 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Eichkorn put the `Canes up 2-0 when she made quick work of Rielley in the No. 4 singles position, 6-2, 6-2. For Eichkorn, it was her ninth straight-set win in a row and her 10th straight victory overall.
Up 2-0, Miami needed just two more wins in the final five singles matches to secure the win and a chance to compete in Tulsa. No. 100 Farah followed up Eichkorn’s straight-set win with one of her own, taking down No. 78 Buck, 6-3, 6-4, in the No. 2 spot before Valllverdu clinched UM’s third-straight regional title playing on its home court.
“Romy came up big for us at No. 2,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “I was impressed with the way she came out and competed today.”
For more information on the 2008 NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, visit www.ncaasports.com.
NCAA Coral Gables Regional Second Round Results
No. 12 Miami 4, No. 22 Notre Dame 0
Singles
1. No. 19 Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. No. 56 Kelcy Tefft (ND), 6-2; 6-3
2. No. 100 Romy Farah (UM) def. No. 78 Brook Buck (ND), 6-3; 6-4
3. No. 64 Michaela Kissell vs. (UM) No. 103 Cosmina Ciobanu (ND), DNF
4. Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Colleen Rielley (ND), 6-2; 6-2
5. Caren Seenauth (UM) vs. Kali Krisik (ND), DNF
6. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) vs. Katie Potts (ND), DNF
Order of Finish: 4, 2, 1*
Doubles
1. No. 20 Laura Vallverdu/Romy Farah (UM) def. No. 3 Brook Buck/Kelcy Tefft (ND), 8-6
2. Caren Seenauth/Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Cosmina Ciobanu/Colleen Rielley (ND), 9-7
3. Kali Krisik/Kristen Rafael (ND) def. Michaela Kissell/Jenna Osborne (UM), 8-1
Order of Finish: 3, 2, 1*
