Second-Ranked Ohio State Defeats Miami Men's Tennis
March 10, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami men’s tennis team battled, but came up short versus No. 2 Ohio State, falling 5-2, on Saturday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The 67th-ranked Hurricanes (4-6) returned to Coral Gables for their first home match in over a month, and were unable to upset the Buckeyes in their sixth-straight match versus a ranked opponent, including their fourth versus a top-15 team.
The Hurricanes were aided in their effort by a strong outpouring of support, with fans spilling into the upper decks and surrounding all of the courts. The youngest fans were rewarded with a complementary post-match tennis clinic.
“The guys really enjoyed having a big crowd,” said third year head coach Mario Rincon.
“It was a well played match from the beginning through the end versus a national title contender. We are making enormous strides as a team, and our ranking certainly doesn’t reflect the high level of our play. Our guys competed extremely well, as they always do, and sooner or later we’ll break through and pull out a big win.”
It was Ohio State’s (13-1) third-straight win, but just its third win over Miami in 16 meetings. The Hurricanes top-flight doubles pair of seniors Luigi D’Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) and Josh Cohen (Weston, Fla./Laurel Springs), ranked No. 15 in the nation in the latest FILA/ITA Doubles Poll, won their second straight match and improved to 11-2 on the season with a 8-6 victory over Ohio State’s Drew Eberly and Justin Kronauge.
But the Buckeyes managed to earn the doubles point, with wins at the No. 2 and 3 positions. In the deciding match at the No. 2 slot, Ohio State’s 18th-ranked doubles duo of Devin Mullings and Chris Klingemann overcame a late Miami rally by Daniel Vallverdu (Valencia, Venezuela) and Vivek Subramanian (East Brunswick, N.J.), to edge the `Canes, 8-6.
In the tightly contested singles competition, the Buckeyes grabbed wins at the No. 3, 4 and 5 positions to seal the team victory, however the Hurricanes weren’t giving in – and picked up a pair of singles points.
Vallverdu, ranked 65th in the nation in the latest singles poll, used straight sets to upset seventh-ranked Steven Moneke, 6-3, 6-4 at the No. 2 spot to improve to 17-5 on the season and 7-2 in dual competition. The victory moved Vallverdu to 2-0 versus top-10 opponents this season.
Miami’s 44th-ranked D’Agord battled for his team-best ninth singles win in dual competition, defeating No. 26 Bryan Koniecko, 7-6, 3-6, 12-10, to improve to 12-2 overall and 9-1 in dual matches.
Miami returns to the road 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 at 2 p.m. Admission to all regular-season matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center is free.
Ohio State 5, Miami 2
Singles
1. No. 44 Luigi D’Agord (UM) def. No. 26 Bryan Koniecko (OSU), 7-6, 3-6, 12-10
2. No. 65 Daniel Vallverdu (UM) def. No. 7 Steven Moneke (OSU), 6-3, 6-4
3. No. 53 Devin Mullings (OSU) def. Josh Cohen (UM), 6-4, 6-1
4. No. 49 Chris Klingemann (OSU) def. Vivek Subramanian (UM), 6-4, 6-1
5. Justin Kronauge (OSU) def. J.C. Whitner (UM), 6-2, 6-2
6. Drew Eberly (OSU) def. Hector Nieto (UM), 2-6, 6-2, 10-5
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 5*, 2, 6, 1
Doubles
1. No. 15 Cohen/D’Agord (UM) def. Eberly/Kronauge (OSU), 8-6
2. No. 18 Mullings/Klingemann (OSU) def. Vallverdu/Subramanian (UM), 8-6
3. Moneke/Koniecko (OSU) def. Nieto/Carrega (UM), 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*
