Men's Tennis Cruises Past Boston College, 6-1
April 10, 2009
MIAMI, FLA… – Five Hurricanes won in straight sets as the No. 23 University of Miami men’s tennis team cruised past Boston College, 6-1, to claim its fourth-straight ACC match on Friday afternoon at the Ashe/Buchholz Tennis Center at Moore Park.
The teams held their match at Moore Park in a joint effort with the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department and the Greater Miami Tennis and Education Foundation (GMTEF) to demonstrate the importance of education and athletics to local children. Many children involved with Parks programs throughout Miami were in attendance.
With the victory, the Hurricanes (12-7, 8-2 ACC) remain in second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with just one regular-season match remaining, while the Eagles (14-11, 0-10) are still in search of their first conference win of the season. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye in next week’s ACC Men’s Tennis Championship in Cary, N.C.
The Hurricanes started strong, winning all three doubles matches to take the early 1-0 lead.
Junior David Simon extended the Miami lead to 2-0 with a dominating 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 to improve to 13-11 overall and even his ACC record at 4-4. Moving up to the No. 3 position for the first time this season, 120th-ranked sophomore Carl Sundberg won his fifth-straight singles match to push the UM lead to 3-0 with a 6-2, 6-3 decision, improving to 19-5 overall and a team-best 9-1 in conference play.
Freshman Ignacio Taboada clinched the match for the Hurricanes with the 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 6 to push the Miami advantage to an insurmountable 4-0. With the win, he moved to 19-11 for the season and 4-3 in the ACC – and is now just one win shy of becoming the first Miami freshman to reach 20 wins since Josh Cohen went 21-9 in 2003-04.
Fifteenth-ranked senior Daniel Vallverdu scored the fifth point for the Hurricanes, rolling to the 6-2, 6-0 win in the top flight to improve to 15-4 overall – including a team-high nine wins over ranked players – and 6-1 versus league competition. Sophomore Christian Blocker picked up Miami’s sixth point and his fourth ACC victory with the 6-3, 6-5 win at No. 4 to extend Miami’s lead to 6-0.
Friday marked the first NCAA tennis match held at a Miami city park, however it was not the first time the Hurricanes assisted in the GMTEF and City of Miami efforts to positively impact the lives of socially and economically challenged children and their families through the sport of tennis. The men’s tennis team initially formed a relationship with the GMTEF two years ago and has since held clinics for the children – both at UM and at Moore Park.
“We had a lot of kids and an overall great turnout today,” said Miami head coach Mario Rincon. “It was a great event for the community and we were really happy to play here. Add in the win against Boston College and we had a really good day.
“I still think we can still play better. But we’re on the right track, and with our last match of the season on Sunday and the upcoming ACC and NCAA Tournaments, I think we will peak at the right time.”
The Hurricanes return home to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center to close the regular season versus Maryland on Sunday, April 12, at 1 p.m. Admission is free. Fans can also catch the action online at www.ACCselect.com.
No. 23 Miami 6, Boston College 1
Singles
1. #15 Daniel Vallverdu (UM) def. Thomas Nolan (BC) 6-2, 6-0
2. Akash Muppidi (BC) def. David Rosenfeld (UM) 6-7, 6-2, 10-7
3. #120 Carl Sundberg (UM) def. Alex Skinner (BC) 6-2, 6-3
4. Christian Blocker (UM) def. Brendon Wong (BC) 6-3, 6-5
5. David Simon (UM) def. Alex Rastorgouev (BC) 6-1, 6-0
6. Ignacio Taboada (UM) def. Brian Locklear (BC) 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: 5, 3, 6*, 1, 4, 2
Doubles
1. #61 Daniel Vallverdu/David Rosenfeld (UM) def. Sam Wagner/Brian Garber (BC) 8-2
2. Keith Crowley/Carl Sundberg (UM) def. Thomas Nolan/Alex Skinner (BC) 8-7
3. David Simon/Christian Blocker (UM) def. Akash Muppidi/Adam Davison (BC) 8-2
Order of finish: 1, 3*, 2
