Hurricanes Men's Tennis Battles the Buckeyes on Saturday
March 8, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. – After over a month on the road, the University of Miami’s men’s tennis team returns home to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center to take on second-ranked Ohio State on Saturday, March 10 at 2 p.m.
Admission to all regular-season matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center is free, and complementary pizza will be provided to fans on Saturday. In addition, there will be a tennis clinic for children following the match.
The No. 67 Hurricanes (4-5) look to snap their four-match skid versus ranked opponents and hand the No. 2 Buckeyes (12-1) their first loss since falling to top-ranked Georgia in the finals of the USTA/ITA National Men’s Team Indoor Championships on Feb. 19.
“It is such a great opportunity for us to play a high-caliber opponent like Ohio State at home,” said third year head coach Mario Rincon. “After six consecutive matches on the road, we are excited to play at Miami and to have the support of our fans.”
Miami is led by the 15th-ranked doubles pair of seniors Luigi D’Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) and Josh Cohen (Weston, Fla./Laurel Springs), who enter Saturday’s match with a 10-2 overall record. D’Agord is also ranked individually at No. 44 in the nation with an 11-2 mark in the No. 1 position, while sophomore Daniel Vallverdu (Valencia, Venezuela) is ranked 65th with a 16-5 mark, playing in both the No. 2 and 3 spots.
“I know our freshmen will play better,” said Rincon. “That is essential for us in order to win matches against the top teams in the country.”
Ohio State comes off last Saturday’s 6-1 Big Ten win over Indiana, and features four ranked players – including a pair of sophomores in No. 7 Steven Moneke and No. 26 Bryan Koniecko.
Saturday marks the 16th meeting between the programs, with the Hurricanes leading the all-time series 13-2.
Following Saturday’s match, Miami will hit the road once again to take on No. 26 Florida on Tuesday, March 13, before returning to Coral Gables for a five-match home stand – beginning with a March 16 match versus ACC rival Clemson.
