UM Edges Clemson 4-3 to Reach ACC Championship Final
April 23, 2005
<?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>CARY, N.C. – Sophomore Audrey Banada defeated Clemson’s Daniela Alvarez in straight sets to lift the 12th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team to a 4-3 victory over 11th ranked Clemson in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships Saturday afternoon at the CaryTennisCenter in Cary, N.C. The Hurricanes, seeded second, advance to face first seeded and sixth ranked Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship final Sunday at 11:00 a.m. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
With the win, the Hurricanes improved to 20-3 giving them their second consecutive 20-win season, while Clemson falls to 18-8 overall.
The match opened with doubles competition where both teams exchanged victories at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions, respectively. Miami’s senior duo of Megan Bradley and Staci Stevens downed Daniella Alvarez and Maria Brito 8-4 at No. 2 before Clemson’s Romy Farah and Carol Salge upended UM’s freshman tandem of Patricia Starzyk and Caren Seenauth 8-1 at the No. 3 slot. Tied one-all, the point came down to court one where sophomore Audrey Banada and junior Melissa Applebaum clinched the doubles point for the Hurricanes with an 8-6 victory over Clemson’s Alix Lacelarie/Julie Coin pair.
Bradley, ranked No. 1, squared off with Julie Coin, the nation’s No. 2 ranked player, for the second time in two weeks at the No. 1 singles slot. The Columbia, Mo. native claimed a 6-1, 6-4 straight set victory to win her 36th-consecutive match and 41st overall (41-1).
Farah, ranked 77th, downed Stevens 6-3, 6-0 at the No. 2 slot to put Clemson on the board before Applebaum gave up only two games en route to a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Lacelarie at the No. 3 position to give the Hurricanes a 3-1 match lead.
The Tigers claimed straight set victories at the No. 4 and No. 6 positions, respectively, to tie the score at 3-all.
With the match down to the No. 5 position, Banada came through once again advancing the Hurricanes into Sunday’s final in just their first season in the ACC. The North Miami Beach, Fla. native collected a 6-4, 6-3 win over Alvarez, to give Miami the 4-3 victory.
The Hurricanes will face Georgia Tech for the second time this season. Both teams finished the regular season atop the ACC standings with identical, 9-1 records in ACC play. Georgia Tech claimed the top seed in the tournament after defeating Miami, 4-3, in Atlanta April 10th.