Audra Cohen Ranked No. 1 in Final Fila/ITA Collegiate Tennis Rankings
June 2, 2006
2005-06 Miami Women’s Tennis Final Notes
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CORAL GABLES, Fla.-Sophomore All-American Audra Cohen was ranked No. 1 in singles in the final Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) it was announced Friday. In addition, three other Hurricanes were ranked in singles while Cohen and senior Melissa Applebaum were ranked No. 2 in doubles.
Also ranked in singles for the Hurricanes were No. 58 Applebaum, No. 82 Monika Dancevic and No. 98 Audrey Banada. The rankings are administered by a computer formula that calculates the entire season’s results.
Cohen, who opened the season unranked after sitting out the fall while recovering from back surgery, finished her impressive year with a 34-2 singles record and a 30-6 mark in doubles play. Cohen, who claimed victories over two No. 1 ranked players during the season, posted a 22-2 against ranked opponents.
In the spring, Cohen went on to win 27-straight matches before enduring her first loss of the season. The Plantation, Fla. native bounced back and won four straight matches to the help lead the Hurricanes to the NCAA Championship Team Final. In the NCAA Team Tournament Cohen went 4-0 and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team in the No. 1 singles position.
Cohen posted an 11-0 record during conference play en route to All-ACC honors and was likewise named ACC Player of the Year.
Applebaum was ranked No. 58 after finishing the season with a 19-13 singles record. Playing mostly at the No. 2 position, Applebaum claimed impressive upsets throughout the season. At the ITA Team Indoor Championships in February, Applebaum defeated eventual NCAA Singles Champion Suzi Babos, then ranked 14th, in straight sets. In Miami’s NCAA Semifinal win over USC, she upset seventh ranked and ITA Rookie Player of the Year Amanda Fink.
The Coral Gables, Fla. native was most impressive in doubles, positing a 38-6 mark. Applebaum earned her first All-American honor alongside Cohen. Together, the duo spent most of the season ranked second and earned the NCAA Doubles Championship’s No. 2 overall seed. They advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals and finished the season with a 24-3 overall record. At one point during the season, Applebaum and Cohen held a 15-match win streak. They posted a 17-2 mark against ranked opponents.
Applebaum concluded her career as Miami’s all-time leader in doubles with a 107-34 record, surpassing former great Lise Gregory (104-12).
Dancevic, Miami’s lone freshman, finished her first collegiate season ranked 82nd after positing a 25-11 overall record. Though she opened the season at the No. 2 singles position, Dancevic primarily played at the No. 3 slot and it is there where she was the most successful. Posting a 9-2 record from the No. 3 position, Dancevic clinched both of Miami’s upsets against No. 2 Notre Dame and No. 3 USC in the NCAA Team Championships. Her most impressive victory came against USC’s 47th ranked Luana Magnani. After falling in the first set, Dancevic came back to win two straight sets to vault Miami into its first NCAA Final appearance in 21 years.
Banada, a junior, concluded the season ranked 98th. The North Miami Beach, Fla. native added another impressive season to her resume after posting a 29-9 overall singles record. Banada ended the season on a seven-match win streak and had won 15 of her last 22 matches–play was suspended in six of those matches after the team match was decided.
Last Friday, Miami was ranked fourth in the final Fila Collegiate Tennis Rankings administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). The Hurricanes have not been ranked as high as fourth since the 1987 season. Stanford, the three-time defending national champion, ended its season as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Rounding out the top three were No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Southern California.
The Hurricanes enjoyed one of its most successful seasons in school history after advancing to the NCAA Championship Final for the first time since 1985. The seventh-seeded Hurricanes fell to top-seeded Stanford, 4-1, on Monday, May 23.
Miami was the surprise team of the 2006 NCAA Tournament. After winning the Coral Gables Regional with 4-0 wins against Boston University and Florida International, Miami reached the NCAA Quarterfinals for the first time since 2004 with a 4-1 victory over 23rd ranked Fresno State in the Round of 16. Miami garnered its first upset of the weekend by defeating No. 2 seed Notre Dame, 4-0 in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinal for the first time since 1986. The Hurricanes then topped third-seeded USC, 4-1, to advance to the NCAA final.
