Women's Tennis Cruises Past FGCU, 7-0
Jan. 23, 2009
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Coral Gables, Fla. – The 13th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team collected straight-set wins across the board on Friday en route to a 7-0 victory over in-state foe Florida Gulf Coast University in the season-opener for both squads at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
Since taking over the coaching duties in Coral Gables prior to the 2002 season, eighth-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews has never lost an opening match with the Hurricanes. That trend would stay healthy today, as she ran her season-opening record to a perfect 8-0 with the victory over FGCU and first-year head coach Jennifer Gabou.
UM (1-0) opened up the match with a quick doubles point victory led by the 14th-ranked combination of Hurricane sophomores Bianca Eichkorn and Michaela Kissell. The duo swept through the FGCU team of Maggie Caulk and Joanne Power, 8-0 at the No. 2 position. That was immediately followed up by UM’s Claudia Wasilewski and Alessa Waibel, who took a similar 8-0 decision over Leah Johnson and Brittany Wadsworth at the No. 3 spot.
In the No. 1 doubles position, the Miami duo of Julia Cohen and Laura Vallverdu hooked up for the first time this season, looking every-bit as dominant as expected, defeating FGCU’s Priscillia Villemond and Eva Sambrano, 8-1.
After taking the doubles point and moving ahead 1-0 in the match, the Orange and Green immediately went to work in singles play. Florida Gulf Coast (0-1) collected just six games through the six singles matches.
Bianca Eichkorn, ranked No. 20 in the nation, swept through Joanne Power, 6-0, 6-0 stretching her winning streak to four matches dating back to the fall campaign. Eichkorn collected three wins in the UM Women’s Tennis Fall Invitational in November on her way to being named MVP of the weekend affair.
The debut of sophomore transfer Julia Cohen, ranked No. 8 in the nation, was equally as impressive as the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania native took a 6-0, 6-1 win over the Eagles’ Priscillia Villemond at the No. 1 spot. Cohen never let Villemond get settled in the match, driving her away from the net and scooping shots low to keep the Eagles’ No. 1 player off-balance the entire match.
At the No. 2 spot, Miami’s two-time All-American Laura Vallverdu (No. 114) took a 6-1, 6-1 straight-set win against Eva Sambrano to snap a three-match losing skid from the fall. Vallverdu was sidelined for most of the fall with a nagging injury, but looked to be in top shape Friday. However, on Friday she used a steady serve and dominating return to cruise to the victory.
Michaela Kissell collected a 6-0, 6-0 win over FGCU’s Leah Johnson at the No. 4 spot for the `Canes, as she defended her No. 50 national ranking en route to collecting a fourth-straight victory dating back to the fall.
UM junior Claudia Wasilewski started her 2009 campaign with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Maggie Caulk at the No. 5 position, while freshman Lauren Greco debuted in the spring with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Brittany Wadsworth at the No. 6 spot.
Miami returns to the court tomorrow for the second-leg of a weekend homestand, hosting south Florida foe Florida Atlantic at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center at noon.
