Hurricanes Advance to the ACC Finals after Upending Top-Seeded Clemson
April 21, 2007
Cary, N.C. – The fourth-seeded Miami women’s tennis team claimed a 4-3 victory over the No. 1-seeded and No. 6-ranked Clemson in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship Saturday morning at the Cary Tennis Center. The Hurricanes (19-5, 10-3 ACC) advance to the finals where they will face second-seeded Georgia Tech (22-4,12-1 ACC), who is ranked fourth in the nation, for the third consecutive season, at 11 a.m. Sunday, April 22.
The early 10 a.m. match got underway as the Tigers posted the first point on the board in doubles play. Clemson captured the win at the Nos. 2 and 3 spots before heading into singles.
No. 1-ranked Audra Cohen repeated yesterday’s performance as she came out with a solid win at the No. slot to claim the first singles point for the Hurricanes. The junior downed Ani Mijacika 6-1 in the first set, followed by a 6-0 sweep in the second.
Senior Audrey Banada, ranked No. 50, put Miami ahead in the lead at 2-1 as she defeated Estefania Balda 6-1, 6-2 at the No. 3 spot.
Clemson came back to take the lead over Miami claiming back-to-back wins at the Nos. 4 and 6 positions to put the match score at 3-2.
No. 20-ranked rookie Laura Vallverdu faced junior Carol Salge at the No. 2 slot in a three-set battle. Salge came up with the first set win that was a close finish at 6-4. Vallverdu battled back to capture the last two sets, as she finished with a score of 6-3, 6-3, to tie the match.
Miami was faced with yet another tied match similar to yesterday’s finish, with the final singles match coming down to a clutch situation. The hurricanes were ready to bring to the surface their intensity and drive to advance to the next round.
It all came down to junior Caren Seenauth. At the No. 5 spot, the Boca Raton, Fla. native faced Clemson’s Marie Brito. The senior Tiger came out on top to hold Seenauth to three games in the first set. Seenauth battled back to post a score of 6-4, heading into a third-set tie-breaker. The match was finally clinched, as the nail-bitter match ended with a 7-6 (4) score in favor of Seenauth’s hard fought competition.
“This win was huge for our program on all levels”, state head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “I see it as a way of putting us in a good position into the NCAA tournament.”
“I’m proud of the way our team fought to the end and never gave up”, stated Yaroshuk-Tews, “All we need to do is continue what we do best, which is put forth a solid effort that will surely play in our favor during the NCAA’s”.
The Hurricanes will look to head home with their first conference championship crown as they meet the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech for their third consecutive ACC Championship final appearance.
