No. 11 Miami Set To Host A Pair Of Ranked ACC Squads
March 6, 2008
CORAL GABLES, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Fla. –The 11th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team opens its Atlantic Coast Conference home schedule this weekend when it plays host to No. 42 Clemson Friday, March 7 at 12 p.m. and No. 2 Georgia Tech Sunday, March 9 at 12 p.m. at the NeilSchiffTennisCenter.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
“We are looking forward to coming out strong at home on our second conference weekend,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Playing such a difficult schedule this early in league play will only make us better as a team moving forward.”
The Hurricanes (7-3, 0-1 ACC), are coming off a tough, 5-2, loss at No. 20 Florida State this past weekend in their conference-opener. Clemson enters the weekend with a record of 4-7 overall while Georgia Tech comes in with a mark of 9-3. Last weekend in Atlanta, the Yellow Jackets took out the Tigers, 6-1, in the league-opener for both schools.
“Clemson is an exceptionally talented squad,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We are going to have to come out and out-compete them from beginning to end on Friday.”
Miami is currently one of five ACC teams ranked in the ITA’s Top 15. Georgia Tech leads the group at No. 2, followed by Duke at No. 10, the `Canes at No. 11, FloridaState at No. 12 and North Carolina in a tie at No. 13. Clemson, after facing a challenging early season schedule, dropped 18 spots from No. 24 to No. 42 in the latest ITA rankings.
UM has also faced one of the more difficult schedules in the country thus far, with eight of its 10 matches coming against opponents ranked in the ITA Top 50. The Hurricanes’ three losses on the season have all come against opponents in the ITA Top 20 (No. 1Stanford, No. 10 Baylor, No. 20 FSU).
The Hurricanes have played well at home this season. UM comes into the weekend with a record of 5-1 at the NeilSchiffTennisCenter, with wins over FAU, No. 31 FIU, No. 30 Michigan, UCF and No. 47 Wichita State.
“Our girls’ spirits are up right now,” Yaroshuk-Tews added. “I think they are ready to prove to themselves and to this conference really what they are made of.”
Hurricanes in the Rankings
In addition to its No. 11 ranking as a team, UM has three individuals ranked in the ITA’s Top 100 in singles play as well as two doubles teams in the ITA Top 60. Sophomore All-American Laura Vallverdu came in at No. 22 this week, freshman Michaela Kissell moved up to No. 60 and senior Romy Farah currently sits at No. 83. Farah also remains a part of UM’s two ranked doubles teams, pairing with Vallverdu to rank 24th and fellow senior Caren Seenauth to rank 56th.
Lau at No. 1
Laura Vallverdu continues to be the catalyst for the Hurricanes at the top of the lineup, having won her last six matches at No. 1 and 12 of 14 this spring in UM’s top spot. She currently has a team-high 19 wins overall and is 8-2 in the No. 1position during the dual match season, with three of those wins coming against opponents ranked in the nation’s Top 40.
Success at Three
Michaela Kissell, Romy Farah and Bianca Eichkorn have combined to go 8-1 in the No. 3 singles spot for UM in dual match play this spring. Kissell, who had her 11-match winning streak to open the spring snapped last weekend at FSU, owns a mark of 5-1 at No. 3 while Farah is 2-0 and Eichkorn is 1-0.
Underclassmen Thriving
In addition to sophomore Laura Vallverdu’s success at No. 1, a pair of freshman, Michaela Kissell and Bianca Eichkorn, have stepped up in their first spring at UM, boasting a combined record of 32-10 overall. Kissell, who has won 12 of her last 13 dating back to the fall season, remains a force towards the top for UM, with a record of 2-0 at No. 2, 5-1 at No.3 and 1-0 at No. 4. Eichkorn, who ranks second on the team with 18 wins overall, has spent the majority of her time at No. 4, where she has gone 5-2 in dual match play.
About Clemson
After opening their dual match season winning each of their first three contests, the Tigers have dropped seven of their last eight, with the lone win over that span coming against rival South Carolina. No. 3 Ani Mijacika owns a team-high 17 wins this season, including a 10-4 mark against ranked opponents, playing mostly in the Tigers’ No. 1 position. Estefania Balda plays No. 2 the majority of the time for Clemson, going 4-4 in that spot, while five different Tigers have split time at No. 3.
About Georgia Tech
The Yellow Jackets have split their last four contests, including a 4-3 loss at home to No. 20 Vanderbilt in its most recent match on Wednesday, after starting the season winning seven of their first eight matches. No. 2 Amanda McDowell and No. 5 Kristi Miller give Georgia Tech the most formidable 1-2 punch in the country at the top of its lineup. The duo has combined to go 45-10 overall, 8-1 in the No. 1 spot and 4-1 at No. 2. Miller was named the ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week on Tuesday after a pair of wins over ranked opponents, one of which was Clemson’s then-top ranked Mijacika, last week. Georgia Tech will play at FloridaState on Friday before coming to Coral Gables on Sunday.
All-Time Series
The Hurricanes own a mark of 18-5 all-time against Clemson, including a perfect 5-0 record over the Tigers since UM joined the ACC. Georgia Tech owns a 7-2 advantage over UM all-time, with the `Canes last win over the Yellow Jackets coming in 1999 when the teams met in as non-conference foes in Coral Gables.
Next Week
After this weekend, Miami will travel to Virginia to take on the University of Virginia Saturday, March 22 at 12 p.m. in Charlottesville before heading to Blacksburg the following day to battle Virginia Tech Sunday, March 23 at 12 p.m.
