Top-Seed Miami Downs #9 Wake Forest, 4-0
April 17, 2009
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Cary, N.C. – The top-seeded Miami Hurricanes (22-3) blew past ninth-seed Wake Forest (13-12) Friday morning, registering a 4-0 decision in the quarterfinals of this year’s ACC Women’s Tennis Championships in Cary, N.C. The event is taking place at the Cary Tennis Park in the RDU Triangle.
For UM, the victory marked the fourth consecutive sweep of a conference opponent, and the second in as many tries against Wake Forest.
The Hurricanes, ranked No. 6 in this week’s Campbell’s/ITA national poll, used four All-ACC players at the top of the doubles and singles lineup against the 40th-ranked Demon Deacons. Miami collected the first and second flight doubles matches to jump out to an early 1-0 lead.
The No. 2 doubles pair and 52nd-ranked team of Julia Cohen and Bianca Eichkorn stepped off the court first with an 8-2 win over Wake’s Katarina Reveche and Christian Tara. That was followed by the top flight team of 13th-ranked Michaela Kissell and Laura Vallverdu taking an 8-4 decision over the Demon Deacons’ team of Aileen Davis and Emilee Malvehy.
With Kissell and Vallverdu leading 4-1 in the match, Davis and Malvehy battled back to make it 4-3. That’s when the Hurricanes’ duo collected the next three games before Wake Forest picked up the fourth at 7-4. UM closed out the match on a Game-15 advantage.
In singles play, junior Laura Vallverdu (No. 25) advanced the UM lead to 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-0 defeat of Emilee Malvehy at the second slot. Vallverdu was able to improve her record to 23-7 for the year, and pick up her seventh consecutive win at the No. 2 position–the fifth consecutive in straight-set fashion.
Freshman Gabriela Mejia was next off the court as she triumphed over the Deacs’ Ryann Cutillo in straight sets (6-1, 6-1) at the fifth spot. Mejia has won five-straight matches, and improved her season record to 20-12. Head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews, awarded yesterday as the ACC Coach of the Year, now has her entire normal No. 1-6 singles lineup at or above the 20-win plateau on the year.
UM concluded the shutout victory over Wake Forest at the No. 4 spot where Michaela Kissell (No. 50) downed Katarina Reveche in straight sets (6-2, 6-1). Kissell posted her 11th consecutive singles win, and upped her record to 33-7 for the year.
Miami now awaits the winner of this afternoon’s Georgia Tech vs. Florida State match to see which opponent they’ll face tomorrow in the semifinals. The match for the Hurricanes will begin Saturday, Apr. 18 at 10 a.m.
UM defeated Florida State, 7-0, on Mar. 11 in Coral Gables. The Hurricanes’ only defeat in ACC play this year came at the hands of Georgia Tech, falling 5-2 in Atlanta on Mar. 7. That loss was also Miami’s last defeat overall. Since that time, UM has rolled off 11 straight victories, including six shutouts.
The ACC Championships continue tomorrow with the semifinal rounds streamed live over the internet at www.ACCselect.com. For more information on the event and the ACC Select schedule, please log on to www.TheACC.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.
