Feb. 24, 2005
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The 10th ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team will hit the road for a two-match road swing where they will face No. 34 Alabama and ACC rival Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes (5-2, 0-0 ACC) will first travel to Alabama for a 4:00 p.m. match-up on Friday, Feb. 25th before heading to Virginia Tech Sunday, Feb. 27th for their inaugural ACC season opener at 10:00 a.m.
The Hurricanes remained ranked 10th for the third-straight week in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) poll that was released Feb. 22nd. The singles and doubles rankings were also released for the first time since Jan.11th. Senior Megan Bradley remained the country’s No. 2 player while sophomore Emily Mowery made her Miami debut in the rankings at No. 98. UM’s No. 1 doubles pair of Bradley and sophomore Audrey Banada moved up four spots from their No. 8 ranking after defeating three ranked doubles teams including UCLA’s third ranked Daniela Bercek and Riza Zalameda this season.
A Look at the Crimson Tide…The 34th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (3-3) boasts a roster that includes two ranked players and two doubles teams. Alabama’s No. 1 player, Robin Stephenson, has climbed to sixth in singles after winning eight of her last nine matches. Stephenson is 4-1 against ranked opponents this season. Ashley Bentley is ranked No. 83 with a 6-0 record in singles play. Both players team up as the nation’s No. 17 doubles team. Alabama’s Mari Muller and Melissa Day are ranked 47th.
Alabama returns home after a four-match road swing where they posted a 1-3 record, with their only win coming against Rice University, 4-3. Two of Alabama’s losses have come at the hands of ACC opponents Georgia Tech and Florida State. Miami holds a 6-2 all-time series lead over the Crimson Tide.
A Look at the Hokies…The Hurricanes will face fellow ACC newcomer and former BIG EAST rival Virginia Tech for the first time since both teams made the move to their new conference. The Hokies are currently 3-3 and 0-2 in ACC play but will host Duke (Feb. 24) and Old Dominion (Feb. 25) before welcoming Miami on Sunday. Virginia Tech’s doubles team of Felice Lam and Jennifer Larson were ranked 43rd in the latest ITA doubles rankings. Miami holds an undefeated 6-0 record all-time against the Hokies.
For the latest Miami women’s tennis news and results, stay tuned to Hurricanesports.com.