No. 6 Miami Hosts No. 24 Florida State on Wednesday
March 10, 2009
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Wednesday’s match against FSU can be seen live via ACC Select.
Coral Gables, Fla. – The sixth-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team plays host to in-state rival No. 24 Florida State on Wednesday in an Atlantic Coast Conference women’s tennis matchup held at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla. Match time is slated for a 2 p.m. start, and admission is free.
The Hurricanes (12-3, 2-1 ACC) enter the match having collected a 2-1 record last week with wins against ACC foes Boston College and No. 9 Clemson. UM had their only loss at the hands of No. 8 Georgia Tech on the road in Atlanta.
Miami stayed put at No. 6 this week in the Campbell’s/ITA national poll, while opponent Florida State (7-3, 0-1 ACC) dropped down to No. 24 from their previous 17th-ranked position. FSU dropped their ACC-opener to Georgia Tech.
UM will look towards the play of ACC Player of the Week Julia Cohen (No. 13) to help lead them to victory, while junior Laura Vallverdu will certainly be a spark for the `Canes as well. Cohen collected a pair of Top 5 wins last weekend, including a 6-4, 6-1 straight-set win over the nation’s top-ranked player from Clemson, Ani Mijacika. Prior to that, she defeated Georgia Tech’s Irina Falconi (No. 5) in three sets, 5-7, 6-3, 6-1 a day earlier.
Vallverdu, ranked No. 39, had an impressive showing against Clemson as well, claiming a 6-2, 6-2 straight-set victory over the fourth-ranked Josipa Bek at the second singles slot.
The match for the `Canes kicks-off a stretch of four consecutive home matches, a slate that includes No. 24 Florida State, No. 29 Arkansas, No. 17 North Carolina and No. 3 Duke. Undoubtedly, Miami continues one of the hardest schedules in the nation, with the FSU match serving as the Hurricanes’ eighth Top 25 opponent in their last 10 matches.
Live stats for the match will be available, with a complete recap and post-match box score following the conclusion of the last singles match, by visiting www.hurricanesports.com.
For more information on University of Miami Women’s Tennis, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. After browsing to the women’s tennis home page, you will find the latest news, stats and match notes pertaining to the Hurricanes Women’s Tennis program.
About Florida State…
Florida State comes into this week’s ACC face-off after suffering a loss to Georgia Tech this past weekend. They currently hold a record of 7-3 and ranked No. 24 in the Campbell’s/ITA poll. FSU comes into this week’s match-up having key wins over rival No. 12 Florida and No. 23 LSU earlier in the season. The Seminoles will be relying heavily on their play from No. 41 Katie Rybakova and No. 93 Federica Suess.
Series vs. Florida State…
The Hurricanes of Miami hold a commanding 22-4 edge in the series that dates back to the 1980 season. Miami took that first-ever meeting between the “Sunshine State” rivals by a count of 8-1 in Tallahassee. In the Paige Yaroshuk-Tews era, Miami has owned a 5-2 record, though the Seminoles swept the series last year for the first time ever. They took the last meeting, 4-2, in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championships in Altamonte Springs, Fla. on Apr. 18, 2008.
Julia Cohen Gets Huge Victories…
Sophomore Julia Cohen collected a pair of Top 5 wins last weekend against Georgia Tech’s fifth-ranked Irina Falconi, as well as No. 1 ranked Ani Mijacika from Clemson. The two Top 5 opponents were the highest ranked players defeated by Cohen this year, both coming on the road in a span of 24 hours. For that feat, she was honored as this week’s ACC Player of the Week, as well as Miami’s Muscle Milk Student-Athlete of the Week.
Singles Will Do Just Fine…
Miami is 69-19 in their singles matches this year, including a 25-6 mark in their last five matches–all against nationally ranked opponents. The Hurricanes may not be collecting the doubles point, but in singles they’re doing just fine.
Hurricanes Stay at No. 6 in ITA Poll…
After collecting a 2-1 week with wins coming against Boston College and No. 9 Clemson, Miami stayed put at No. 6 this week in the Campbell’s/ITA national team poll. The Hurricanes’ only loss was at the hands of No. 8 Georgia Tech, who jumped to No. 7 this week with their victory. Miami has been in the Top 10 poll since Feb. 17, including the last two at the No. 6 position.
Up Next for the `Canes…
The University of Miami hosts No. 29 Arkansas on Mar. 18 at noon inside the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. That begins three-straight home contests in six days for the Hurricanes as they host North Carolina (Mar. 20) and Duke (Mar. 22) following the Arkansas match.
