Tennis Set for USTA/ITA National Team Indoor Championship
Feb. 16, 2007
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Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 26 University of Miami men’s tennis team takes on No. 6 UCLA in the opening round of the USTA/ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championship presented by DLA Piper on Friday at 7:30 p.m. (EST) at the Midtown Tennis Club in Chicago.
This marks Miami’s first appearance at the premier tournament since a 15th-place finish in 1992, when the Hurricanes faced tough competition from Georgia, Harvard and North Carolina. The National Indoor Championship is the ITA’s longest running tournament and features the top-ranked men’s tennis teams in the nation, with representatives from every region.
“It is a privilege to participate in the National Indoor Championships, as we continue to reestablish Miami as one of the preeminent tennis programs in the country,” said third-year head coach Mario Rincon, the 2006 ACC Coach of the Year.
The championship appears to have been a stepping stone on the way to national dominance, as 14 of the teams to have competed in the title match over the 32-year history of the tournament have gone on to win the NCAA title four times in the last nine years.
Miami, the 14th-seeded team in a field of 16, opens National Indoor play on Friday evening versus third-seeded UCLA – winners of seven National Indoors titles, which ranks second-most behind Stanford’s 12. The Hurricanes and Bruins have met 11 previous times, with UCLA getting the better of Miami in nine of those matches to own the 9-1-1 all-time series lead.
“UCLA presents a good challenge for us, as well as a tremendous opportunity to compete against one of the most successful programs in National Indoors history,” added Coach Rincon.
The Hurricanes are 4-1 in dual match play this season, while the Bruins bring a 5-1 mark to Chicago. The winner will take on either sixth-seeded host Illinois or 11th-seeded Oklahoma State in Saturday’s quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. (EST), while the losing teams will meet in the consolation bracket at the same time.
The remainder of the talented field includes top-seeded and defending champion Georgia, two-seed Ohio State, four-seed Virginia, five-seed Mississippi, seven-seed Baylor, eight-seed Notre Dame, nine-seed Pepperdine, 10-seed Duke, 12-seed Boise State, 13-seed Texas, 15-seed Stanford and 16-seed Penn.
Live scoring for the matches will be available online at the tournament’s official website www.nationalteamindoors.com by clicking on the “Draws and Results” link on the right side of the page. The tournament’s live scoring will be updated approximately every five minutes and is free of charge.
#14 Miami Hurricanes Lineup vs. #3 UCLA
Singles (2006-07 overall record)
1. Luigi D’Agord (8-1); 2. Daniel Vallverdu (15-3); 3. Josh Cohen (9-4); 4. Vivek Subramanian (10-2); 5. Hector Nieto (7-13); 6. J.C. Whitner (6-12)
Doubles (2006-07 overall record)
1. D’Agord/Cohen (8-0); 2. Vallverdu/Subramanian (4-2); 3. Nieto/Carrega (4-2)
