Miami Tops Fresno State to Reach NCAA Quarterfinals
May 18, 2006
STANFORD, Calif. – The seventh-ranked Miami women’s tennis team advanced the quarterfinal of the NCAA Championship for the second time in three years with a 4-1 victory over 23rd ranked Fresno State (20-7) Thursday afternoon at the Taube Tennis Center on the campus of Stanford University.
The Hurricanes (22-6) will face former Big East rival and second ranked Notre Dame (27-1) Friday at 6:00 p.m. (EST). The Fighting Irish defeated Kentucky, 4-0, earlier in the day to advance to the Quarterfinals. Miami last reached the NCAA Quarterfinals in 2004 where they fell to UCLA, 4-3.
Miami has not played Notre Dame since 2004, when the Hurricanes topped the Irish 4-3 in the BIG EAST Championship final. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 10-5.
“The girls came out today and played some amazing doubles and I think that really set the tone for our match going into singles,” said head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.
“We’ve been playing some pretty aggressive tennis the past couple times we’ve gone out on the court and I think that really helped us. If we continue to do that we are going to continue to do some damage.”
As has been the case for most of the season, Miami opened the match by taking the doubles point. UM’s sophomore duo of Patricia Starzyk and Caren Seenauth defeated Fresno State’s Melanie Gloria/Jacqueline Haskett pair, 8-3, at the No. 3 position. The Hurricanes clinched the point when second-ranked Melissa Applebaum and Audra Cohen topped seventh-ranked Lucia Sainz and Katharina Winterhalter, 8-4, at the No. 1 position.
The Hurricanes took a 2-0 match lead after Cohen, ranked second nationally, cruised to a 6-0, 6-1 victory over 23rd ranked Gloria at the No. 1 position. Cohen improves to 18-1 over ranked opponents this season.
Audrey Banada extended her win streak to five and put Miami up 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-0 straight-set win over Magdalena Tokarska at the No. 4 slot.
Fresno State got on the board, however, when Winterhalter, ranked 122nd, upended 76th ranked Applebaum 7-5, 6-4 at the No. 2 position.
Although courts No. 3 and No. 6 where still in action, it was Starzyk, playing at the No. 5 slot, who vaulted the Hurricanes to the Quarterfinals with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Haskett.
Thursday, May 18- Women’s Team Round of 16 Results
No. 11 Northwestern 4, No. 6 Georgia Tech 0
No. 3 USC 4, No. 14 VCU 1
No. 7 Miami 4, Fresno State 2
No. 2 Notre Dame 4, Kentucky 0
No. 5 Baylor 4, No. 12 Vanderbilt 2
No. 4 Florida 4, UCLA 3
No. 8 Duke 4, No. 9 UNC 1
No. 1 Stanford 4, No. 16 TCU 0
Friday, May 19 – Women’s Team Quarterfinals Schedule
(All times Pacific)
3 p.m. – Taube South No. 11 Northwestern vs. No. 3 USC
3 p.m. – Taube Stadium No. 7 Miami vs. No. 2 Notre Dame
6 p.m. – Taube South No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 4 Florida
6 p.m. – Taube Stadium No. 8 Duke vs. No. 1 Stanford
