No. 24 Men's Tennis Takes on No. 11 Florida
Feb. 21, 2009
Coral Gables, Fla... – After a nearly two-week hiatus, the No. 24 University of Miami men’s tennis team kicks off back-to-back road matches versus in-state rivals on Sunday at No. 11 Florida.
The Hurricanes (4-2, 1-0 ACC) lead the all-time series versus the Gators (7-3), 47-14-1, and split a pair of meetings last season. Miami earned the 4-3 victory in Coral Gables during the regular season, while Florida claimed the 4-1 win at home in Gainesville in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“We are looking forward to getting back on the court and playing a quality opponent like UF,” said Miami head men’s tennis coach Mario Rincon. “They’re perhaps the most talented team in the country, and our guys are fired up to play them.”
Senior All-American Daniel Vallverdu continues to recover from an injury sustained in the fall and will possibly see his first action of the spring on Sunday. The Hurricanes’ No. 1 player since last season, Vallverdu went 7-2 in the fall.
Even without the 24th-ranked Vallverdu, the Hurricanes have won three-straight matches entering Sunday’s competition. No. 78 Carl Sundberg and freshman Ignacio Taboada have each gone 5-0 during the spring for the Hurricanes, while sophomore Keith Crowley has put together a 5-1 singles mark.
Following Sunday’s sunshine state showdown, the Hurricanes return to ACC play at No. 16 Florida State on Sat., Feb. 28.
