Miami Men's Tennis Outlasts Maryland to Win Fourth Straight
March 25, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. – Despite a forecast predicting sunny, clear skies throughout the weekend, the No. 37 University of Miami men’s tennis team found itself waiting for the end of a rain delay that lingered on for more than five hours on Saturday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
And finally 10 hours after the match began, freshman J.C. Whitner (Bradenton, Fla./Pendleton) edged his opponent, 6-4, 7-6 (5), at the No. 5 position to push the host Hurricanes past No. 45 University of Maryland, 4-2.
“J.C. played with so much heart today,” said Miami assistant coach C.J. Weber. “He has played really well in the last few matches and he’s turning into a champion of a player. I couldn’t be more proud of him.”
With their fourth-straight win over a ranked opponent, the Hurricanes improved to 8-7 overall and 3-1 in the ACC, while the Terrapins fell to 10-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
The Hurricanes had stormed out to the 3-1 lead over the Terrapins, before intermittent showers forced the rain delay with just three singles matches unfinished at the No. 4, 5 and 6 positions. Miami needed just one victory to claim the match.
The `Canes took the 1-0 lead over the Terps after winning all three doubles matches for the second time in as many matches and for the fifth time this season. At No. 1, the 12th-ranked duo of seniors Luigi D’Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) and Josh Cohen (Weston, Fla./Laurel Springs) dominated their opponents, scoring for the first six points of the match and going on to win 8-1 for their fourth-straight victory. At No. 2 doubles, sophomore Daniel Vallverdu (Valencia, Venezuela) and junior Vivek Subramanian (East Brunswick, N.J.) came back from a 6-4 deficit, scoring the final four points of the match to come out on top, 8-6, for their fifth-straight win. Winning their second-straight ACC doubles match was the freshman tandem of Hector Nieto (Key Biscayne, Fla./Coral Gables) and Whitner, cruising to the 8-4 win at No. 3.
Maryland evened the score to 1-all when 37th-ranked Vallverdu was forced to retire due to injury in the No. 2 singles match, despite leading 3-2 in the first set.
After a pair of rain delays that lasted approximately an hour, the Hurricanes claimed the No. 1 and 3 singles matches, to take the 3-1 advantage before the showers returned. D’Agord, ranked No. 26 in singles competition, improved to 4-0 in ACC play with a 6-4, 6-3 victory at the top spot, while Cohen inched closer to the program’s singles record with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 3. Cohen, now 15-8 for the year, has amassed 86 wins as a `Cane and is nine wins out of second place. In doubles, the fourth-year player has 76 wins – including 15 this year with D’Agord – and is just five wins shy of that program record.
Miami faces a quick turnaround, as the Hurricanes return to their home court on Sunday to take on ACC-foe Boston College (4-11, 0-4 ACC). Due to Saturday’s late finish, the match has been pushed back an hour and will begin at noon. Admission to Sunday’s match, as well as all regular season matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, is free.
Miami 4, Maryland 2
Singles
1. No. 26 Luigi D’Agord (UM) def. Nicolas Frayssinoux (MD) 6-4, 6-3
2. David Kwon (MD) def. No. 37 Daniel Vallverdu (UM) 2-3, retired
3. Josh Cohen (UM) def. Andrew Orban (MD) 6-1, 6-3
4. Boris Fetbroyt (MD) def. Vivek Subramanian (UM) 6-4, 3-6, 6-2
5. J.C. Whitner (UM) def. Trey Taylor (MD) 6-4, 7-6 (5)
6. Louis-Xavier Lavalle (MD) vs. Hector Nieto (UM) 6-2, 0-3 (unfinished, MD leading)
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 3, 4, 5*
Doubles
1. No. 12 Luigi D’Agord/Josh Cohen (UM) def. David Kwon/Boris Fetbroyt (MD) 8-1
2. Vivek Subramanian/Daniel Vallverdu (UM) def. Andrew Orban/Trey Taylor (MD) 8-6
3. Hector Nieto/J.C. Whitner (UM) def. Nicolas Frayssinoux/Nickolai Nielsen (MD) 8-4
Order of Finish: 1, 2*, 3
