Hurricanes Host USF and NC State to Close 2005 Home Slate
March 24, 2005
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The 11th ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team returns to action this weekend with a non-conference match against No. 58 USF Friday at 6:00 p.m. before hosting their final home match of the season against ACC foe NC State Sunday at 9:00 a.m. The match against USF will also serve as senior night, honoring seniors Megan Bradley and Staci Stevens. Both matches will be played at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The Hurricanes (13-2 Overall, 5-0 ACC) have won 24-straight home matches and are currently on an 11-match win streak. Miami was ranked 11th in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings that were released March 22nd.
Bradley remained the country’s No. 1 ranked player in the singles rankings, while she and doubles partner Audrey Banada remained the No. 4 ranked doubles team.
Sophomore Emily Mowery moved up to 69th in the singles rankings after being ranked 70th in the March 8th poll, while freshman Patricia Starzyk, who holds a 15-0 mark since joining the Hurricanes, made her debut in the rankings at No. 92.
A Look at the Bulls…USF enters Friday night’s match with a 4-4 record and a No. 58 ranking. The Bulls, who most recently dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 21 Tulane on Wednesday night, are led by their only ranked player No. 75 Courtney Vernon who is 6-1 in dual season play. The Bulls’ roster also boasts the No. 52 ranked doubles tandem of Gabriela Duch and Neyssa Etienne. The Hurricanes led the all-time series against USF, 38-3.
A Look at the Wolfpack…The NC State Wolfpack have lost five in a row heading into their Friday match against Florida State which they will play before driving down to Coral Gables for an early morning match on Easter Sunday. The Wolfpack, 7-6 overall, are 0-3 in ACC action having dropped matches against (21) Clemson, (17) Georgia Tech and (33) Wake Forest.The Wolfpack’s roster features five players with five or more wins in singles. Freshman Julia Roach leads the Pack with nine singles wins. Miami leads the all-time series against NC State, 2-0.
For the latest Miami women’s tennis news and results stay tuned to hurricanessports.com.
