Hurricanes Set to Host the 2007 NCAA Women's Tennis Regional
May 1, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team earned a bid to host an NCAA Regional, marking their third consecutive season, as a field of 64 teams was selected for the NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships today by the NCAA Selection Committee. The ninth-seeded Hurricanes will host Alabama A&M, South Carolina, and Wichita State in the first and second rounds, May 12-13 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
Miami will kick off the first round action against Alabama A&M. The two teams will face each other for the first time Saturday, May 12 at 1 p.m. after Wichita State and South Carolina square-off at 10 a.m. The winner of each first round match advances to Sunday’s second round at 12 p.m., and will advance to the Round of 16 in Athens, G.A.
“Getting the opportunity to host this prestigious tournament three years in a row is very exciting for not only for our program, but for this university”, stated head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.
The ninth-ranked Hurricanes (19-6, 10-4 ACC) will make their 12th consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Last season, Miami captured an impressive run all the way to the NCAA Final, that marked their second-ever final appearance and first since the 1985 season. In all, Miami has made 21 showings at the NCAA Tournament with a 24-21 all-time record.
The Hurricanes boast three players in the ITA rankings with No. 1-ranked and ACC Player of the Year Audra Cohen, No. 21-ranked rookie Laura Vallverdu, and forty-eighth-ranked senior Audrey Banada, who captured the South Regional ITA/Arthur Ashe Award last season. Miami also fields three doubles tandems, including seventeenth-ranked Cohen and Vallverdu, followed by No. 23 Banada and junior Romy Farah. Cohen is also ranked No. 33 alongside junior Caren Seenauth.
Nine teams represent the Atlantic Coast Conference in the field of 64, with four teams drawing an overall seed. Third-seeded Georgia Tech, who garnered the league’s automatic bid after winning the ACC Championship, is the highest seeded ACC team followed by No. 7 Clemson, No. 9 Miami, and No. 11 North Carolina. Also earning at-large bids were Florida State, Duke, NC State, Virginia, and Wake Forest.
Earning this season’s top-seed is the defending NCAA Champion, Stanford. The University of Georgia, who will host the team championships, enters as the second seed, followed by third-seeded Georgia Tech. Rounding out the top-16 are: Florida, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Clemson, USC, Miami, California, North Carolina, UCLA, Baylor, Fresno State, William & Mary, and Vanderbilt.
First- and second-round competition will be conducted May 11-13 in 16 campus sites around the country. The winner of each site will advance to the round of 16, May 18 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia. The team championship will be held May 19-22.
Tickets to the first and second round matches are $5 dollars for adults and $3 dollars for students, children and senior citizens. To purchase tickets or for additional information, please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES or visit online at hurricanesports.com.
Coral Gables Regional – Coral Gables Fla.
Saturday, May 12:
Match 1: Wichita State vs. South Carolina – 10:00 a.m.
Match 2: Alabama A&M vs. Miami – 1:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 13:
Match 3: Winner of Match 1 vs. Winner of Match 2 – 12:00 p.m.
