Wasilewski's Key Win Leads No. 14 UM Past No. 6 Duke, 4-3
March 29, 2008
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – With the score tied 3-3, sophomore Claudia Wasilewski picked up a close 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 win to lead the No. 14 University of Miami women’s tennis team past No. 6 Duke Friday night, 4-3, at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Wasilewski, after dropping the first set to Jessi Robinson in the No. 6 spot, was able to rally to take the second set before eventually prevailing late in the third to secure the win for the Hurricanes.<?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
“I am so proud of this team,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They came together so big tonight and pulled off their biggest win of the season.”
UM improves to 11-4 overall with the win and 4-2 in ACC play while Duke falls to 11-3 and 4-2 in league action. The `Canes, who have now won four of their last five, improved to 7-2 at home with the win over the Blue Devils.
“The game ball goes to Wasilewski,” Yaroshuk-Tews added. “She believed in herself to the bitter end and fought so hard for the fourth point. I couldn’t be happier for how far she has come.”
The Hurricanes earned their first three points with No. 21 Laura Vallverdu and No. 104 Bianca Eichkorn winning at No. 1 and No. 4 respectively in singles play after UM won the doubles point to open the match. Vallverdu won her 10th match in her last 11 tries in UM’s No. 1 spot with a 7-6, 6-0 win over Tara Iyer and Eichkorn beat Melissa Mang, 7-6, 6-1.
The `Canes took the doubles point with win wins at No. 1 and No. 2. The No. 19 team of Vallverdu and Romy Farah knocked off the nation’s third-ranked doubles team in Melissa Mang and Amanda Granson, 8-2, to put UM ahead early on. After Ella Nze and Reka Zsilinszka won the third position for Duke, Eichkorn and Caren Seenauth clinched the point with an 8-4 win at No. 2.
Miami will now face North Carolina Sunday at 12 p.m. UM’s three seniors – Farah, Seenauth and Gina Sabatino – will be honored prior to Sunday’s match against the Tar Heels as UM wraps up its regular season home schedule. All matches at the <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>NeilSchiffTennisCenter are free to the public.
No. 14 Miami 4, No. 6 Duke 3
Singles
1. No. 21 Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. Tara Iyer (Duke), 7-6, 6-0
2. No. 14 Ellah Nze (Duke) def. No. 49 Michaela Kissell (UM), 6-7, 6-2, 6-0
3. No. 17 Reka Zsilinszka (Duke) def. No. 73 Romy Farah (UM), 6-1, 6-0
4. No. 104 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Melissa Mang (Duke), 6-4, 6-3
5. Amanda Granson (Duke) def. Caren Seenauth (UM), 7-6, 6-1
6. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) def. Jessi Robinson (Duke), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 4, 1, 2, 6*
Doubles
1. No. 19 Laura Vallverdu/Romy Farah (UM) def. No. 3 Melissa Mang/Amanda Granson (Duke), 8-2
2. Bianca Eichkorn/Caren Seenauth (UM) def. Tory Zawacki/Jessi Robinson (Duke), 8-4
3. Ellah Nze/Reka Zsilinszka (Duke) def. Claudia Wasilewski/Jenna Osborne (UM), 8-1
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2*
