Miami Advances to NCAA Round of 16 with a 4-0 Defeat over Wichita
May 13, 2007
Coral Gables, Fla. -Ninth-seeded Miami cruised to a 4-0 victory over Wichita State at the 2007 NCAA Women’s Tennis Coral Gables Regional at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Hurricanes (21-6) advance to the NCAA Championship Round of 16 that will be held May 18-22 in Athens, G.A. The season comes to a close for the thirty-fifth-ranked Shockers as they finish 27-3 overall.
Miami will play the winner of today’s Southern California/Texas match, May 18 at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
The Hurricanes are making their 22nd NCAA Championship appearance and third Round of 16 appearance in six years. Last season, the Hurricanes advanced to the NCAA Finals for the first time since 1985.
“It’s amazing to advance in the regionals”, commented head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “But when you take that next step to the Sweet 16, the excitement and the prestige around the tournament just continues to get better and better, and we are looking forward to the next round.”
In doubles, Miami captured the win at the Nos. 3 and 1 positions respectively. Audrey Banada and Gina Sabatino downed Lenore Lazaroiu and Jackie Richey, 8-2, while the 17th-ranked tandem of Audra Cohen and Laura Vallverdu posted an 8-4 defeat over Madina Rakhim and Florentina Hanisch. This marks Miami’s 23rd doubles point of the season, out of 27 matches.
As singles got underway, all six courts saw true back and forth battles amongst the players of both teams. It was junior Caren Seenauth who got the ball rolling for the Hurricanes as she held her opponent, Anna Egorova (Voskresensk, Russia) to just two games in the first set, with a 6-2 finish. In what marked the final set for the Boca Raton native, Seenauth gained the 3-0 advantage in the beginning until Wichita’s sophomore posted two games of her own. Seenauth chimed in an additional two games, then finished the No. 5 singles match with a 6-2 win in the second set, to send Miami ahead, 2-0.
Junior Gina Sabatino faced a competitive Torrie Browning (Tucson, A.Z.) of Wichita. Both players posted an early 2-2 game in the first set in No. 6 singles. Sabatino broke away to add three games over Browning’s one, that led to an eventual 6-3 first set win for the junior Hurricane. Browning had no answers for Sabatino’s 5-0 run in the second set, as the Waltham, Mass. native finished with a 6-0 sweep, stretching Miami’s lead 3-0.
” I think Seenauth and Sabatino did an exceptional job of taking care of business, as they were the first singles matches off the courts today”, stated Yaroshuk-Tews. “For us to go far in the tournament, we are going to need their strength and leadership down low in our line-up.”
On court No. 3, forty-eighth-ranked senior Audrey Banada, who was playing in her final home match in front of Hurricane fans, took on a competitive Lenore Lazaroiu (Brasou, Romania). At No. 3 singles, the North Miami Beach, Fla. native went up 4-2 in the first set, until the match went back and forth, then finally the senior captured the first set win at 6-3. A 3-0 advantage was posted in the second set, until Lazaroiu registered one game. Banada was ahead 5-2, en route to a clinched match, and saw the opportunity as she finished her opponent with a 6-2 win that sent the Shockers packing and the match-victory for the Hurricanes.
“Wichita State was a very solid program, and for us to finish out the match 4-0, just shows how focused and how determined we are to get back into the Sweet 16 and do some damage”, said Yaroshuk-Tews. “I am very proud of the girls today, and we are very honored to continue on in such a prestigious event.”
As the all-time career leader in singles and doubles, Banada wrapped-up her farewell match in style for Hurricanes fans as she now has 108 career wins in singles, and an overall career record of 121 wins in doubles.
Log-on to www.hurricanesports.com for up-to-date women’s tennis news and recaps.
NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships – Second Round
Neil Schiff Tennis Center – Coral Gables, Fla.
May 13, 2007
#9 University of Miami 4, #35 Wichita State 0
Singles competition
1. #63 Madina Rakhim (WSU) vs. #1 Audra Cohen (UM) no result
2. Florentina Hanisch (WSU) vs. #21 Laura Vallverdu (UM) no result
3. #48 Audrey Banada (UM) def. Lenore Lazaroiu (WSU) 6-3, 6-2
4. Stephanie Dalmacio (WSU) vs. Romy Farah (UM) no result
5. Caren Seenauth (UM) def. Anna Egorova (WSU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Gina Sabatino (UM) def. Torrie Browning (WSU) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. #17 Audra Cohen/Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. Madina Rakhim/Florentina Hanisch (WSU) 8-4
2. Stephanie Dalmacio/Anna Egorova (WSU) def. Romy Farah/Caren Seenauth (UM) 8-4
3. Audrey Banada/Gina Sabatino (UM) def. Lenore Lazaroiu/Jackie Richey (WSU) 8-2
Match Notes:
Wichita State University 27-3, 11-0; National ranking #35
University of Miami 21-6, 8-3 ACC; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (5,6,3)
No. 48-ranked senior Audrey Banada clinched the match for Miami
