Miami Duo Repeats as ACC Tennis Players of the Year
April 19, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. – For the second-straight year the University of Miami’s Audra Cohen (Plantation, Fla./Northwestern) and Luigi D’Agord (Freeport, Bahamas) swept the ACC’s highest tennis honor, as the duo earned ACC Player of the Year accolades in women’s and men’s tennis, respectively.
Senior Audrey Banada (North Miami Beach, Fla./North Miami Beach) and freshman Laura Vallverdu (Tenerife, Spain) also represent the Hurricanes on the All-ACC Women’s Tennis Team, while Laura’s older brother, Daniel Vallverdu (Valencia, Venezuela) earned his second-straight nod on the All-ACC Men’s Tennis Team.
Cohen, the nation’s top-ranked women’s player since June 2006, repeated as ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year after compiling a 32-1 overall record, with 21 consecutive wins at the No. 1 position. The junior leads the Hurricanes with a perfect 11-0 mark in ACC play in 2007, and has gone 19-1 against ranked opponents. In doubles action, Cohen and partner Vallverdu remain undefeated since opening the dual season in January. The doubles tandem is currently ranked No. 33 in the latest ITA rankings with an overall record of 8-0 primarily played at the No. 1 position. When paired with junior Caren Seenauth at the No. 2 spot, the duo is ranked 30th with a 13-1 mark overall and a 7-1 ACC record.
“To be recognized as ACC Player of the Year is another huge accomplishment for Audra”, commented head women’s tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “With multiple ACC players in the top-10 in the country, Audra’s up against real, solid competition each and every week. I find it to be exceptional that she has maintained and undefeated record in the dual match season and in the conference.”
On the men’s side, D’Agord was named the ACC’s top player once again after recording his second-straight undefeated season in ACC singles play at the No. 1 position. A two-year member of the Hurricanes squad after transferring from Alabama, the senior All-American has never lost an ACC singles match, going 22-0 over two seasons in one of the most challenging men’s tennis conferences in the nation. The 10th-ranked D’Agord compiled a 23-3 overall singles record this season, with a 13-3 mark versus ranked opponents, including a pair of straight-sets wins over top-10 opponents in the last two weeks. In doubles competition, D’Agord has teamed up with fellow senior Josh Cohen to earn a 20-5 overall record and a 9-2 mark in ACC play at No. 1, rising to a ranking of third in the nation.
“Luigi is an even better player than last year,” said head men’s tennis coach Mario Rincon. “It is has been incredibly rewarding to watch him improve throughout his time at Miami. With all the effort and hard work he puts in, this award certainly means a lot to him.”
Joining D’Agord on the All-ACC Men’s Tennis Team for the second-straight year is sophomore Daniel Vallverdu. With 22 wins this season, he is second on the team in singles victories behind D’Agord and has surpassed the total number of wins he accumulated as the ACC’s Freshman of the Year in 2006. Vallverdu, ranked 50th in the nation, is undefeated this season versus top-10 opponents, using straight sets to defeat the nation’s third and seventh-ranked players. In doubles competition, Vallverdu has compiled a 13-6 overall record and a 5-3 ACC mark with junior Vivek Subramanian at the No. 2 position.
No. 20 freshman Laura Vallverdu earned her first All-ACC honors after a season in which she has been continually ranked among the nation’s top 25. Ranked sixth in the nation entering the spring season, she is the NCAA’s highest-ranking freshman of 2007. With 29 wins and just two losses this season primarily in the No. 2 position, Vallverdu finished the regular season on an 18-match win streak and is currently undefeated in the dual matches with 10 singles victories, despite having to sit out eight-straight singles matches mid-season due to an injury.
Banada, ranked No. 50 by the ITA, is now tabbed as a three-time All-ACC Team member after finishing 27-8 overall and 17-4 on the dual season. The North Miami Beach, Fla. native moved up to the No. 2 spot in the line-up for 14 matches during the regular season, capturing 10 wins there – including six versus ACC opponents. Banada went on to become Miami’s all-time leader in career singles and doubles victories – just the second player in program history to lead in both categories simultaneously. To date, the senior has an overall career record of 105 wins and 23 losses in singles play, while she has a career mark of 132-32 in doubles action.
The ACC Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships continue through the weekend, with the both finals scheduled for Sunday, April 22. The tournament will be broadcast on the internet at www.ACCSelect.com.
2007 All-ACC Men’s Honors
Player of the Year: Luigi D’Agord (Miami)
Freshman of the Year: Chris Kearney (North Carolina)
Coach of the Year: Sam Paul (North Carolina)
All-ACC Men’s Team: Jermaine Jackson (Clemson), Clement Reix (Clemson), Ryan Young (Clemson), Joey Atas (Duke), Kiril Dimitrov (Duke), Peter Rodrigues (Duke), Ytai Abougzir (Florida State), Luigi D’Agord (Miami), Daniel Vallverdu (Miami), Ben Carlotti (North Carolina), Chris Kearney (North Carolina), Nick Cavaday (NC State; Doubles only), William Noblitt (NC State), Somdev Devvarman (Virginia), Treat Huey (Virginia), Arvid Puranen (Virginia Tech), Cory Parr (Wake Forest), Todd Paul (Wake Forest).
2007 All-ACC Women’s Honors
Player of the Year: Audra Cohen (Miami)
Freshman of the Year: Ani Mijacika (Clemson)
Coach of the Year: Bryan Shelton (Georgia Tech)
All-ACC Women’s Team: Lana Krasnopolsky (Boston College), Ani Mijacika (Clemson), Melissa Mang (Duke), Lauren Macfarlene (Florida State), Nicola Slater (Florida State), Amanda Craddock (Georgia Tech), Kristi Miller (Georgia Tech), Alison Silverio (Georgia Tech), Marianne Baker (Maryland), Audrey Banada (Miami), Audra Cohen (Miami), Laura Vallverdu (Miami), Jenna Long (North Carolina), Katrina Tsang (North Carolina), Daria Petrovic (NC State), Jennifer Stevens (Virginia), Inga Beerman (Virginia Tech), Alex Hirsch (Wake Forest).
