No. 22 Women's Tennis Overtakes No. 30 Alabama, 5-2
Feb. 8, 2004
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Teammates Sihem Bennacer (Algiers, Algeria) and Sara Robbins (Tucson, Ariz.) rebounded from behind by as much as five games to win at the No. 2 doubles spot against No. 30 Alabama’s tandem of Nathalie Koppelle and Melissa Minor to help lead the 22nd-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team to a 5-2 win over the Crimson Tide on Sunday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
Miami (3-0) and Alabama (1-2) split at the No. 1 and 3 doubles positions, with the Hurricanes’ duo of Mari Toro (Miami, Fla.) and Audrey Banada (North Miami Beach, Fla.) defeating UA’s Mari Muller and Natalie McElveen, 8-4 at No. 3 followed by the Crimson Tide’s combo of Robin Stephenson and Ashley Bentley overtaking UM’s Megan Bradley (Columbia, Mo.) and Melissa Applebaum (Coral Gables, Fla.), 8-6 at No. 1.
With the crucial doubles point on the line, Alabama’s Koppelle and Minor jumped out to a 7-2 lead over Bennacer and Robbins before the Hurricanes’ duo rallied to win 9-8, taking the tie-breaker to give UM a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
Miami would use the momentum to take a point in both the No. 6 and 5 spots with UM’s Bennacer winning, 7-5, 1-1 at No. 6 when Alabama’s McElveen was forced to retire and Banada taking Muller, 6-4, 6-1 at the No. 5 position.
With the Hurricanes leading 3-0, Bentley would strike for Alabama at No. 3, downing Toro, 6-3, 6-4 at followed by UA’s Koppelle upending No. 97 Applebaum, 2-6, 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 to bring the match to 3-2.
No. 99 Staci Stevens (Hammond, La.) then clinched the match for UM at the No. 4 slot, downing Minor in straight sets, 7-5, 6-2 while No. 11 Bradley defeated Stephenson, 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-4 to give the Hurricanes their third consecutive win of the season.
No. 22 Miami will return to action on Feb. 20, hosting No. 18 South Alabama at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center at 6 p.m. Admission is free.
No. 22 Miami 5, No. 30 Alabama 2
Singles1. No. 11 Megan Bradley (UM) def. Robin Stephenson (UA), 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-42. Nathalie Koppelle (UA) def. No. 97 Melissa Applebaum (UM), 2-6, 6-1, 6-13. Ashley Bentley (UA) def. Mari Toro (UM), 6-3, 6-44. No. 99 Staci Stevens (UM) def. Melissa Minor (UA), 7-5, 6-25. Audrey Banada (UM) def. Mari Muller (UA), 6-4, 6-16. Sihem Bennacer (UM) def. Natalie McElveen (UA), 7-5, 1-1 (ret.)Order of finish: 6, 5, 3, 2, 4, 1
Doubles1. Robin Stephenson/Ashley Bentley (UA) def. Megan Bradley/Melissa Applebaum (UM), 8-62. Sihem Bennacer/Sara Robbins (UM) def. Nathalie Koppelle/Melissa Minor (UA), 9-8 (3)3. Mari Toro/Audrey Banada (UM) def. Mari Muller/Natalie McElveen (UA), 8-4Order of finish: 3, 1, 2
