No. 6 Miami Outlasted in NCAA Quarterfinals by No. 3 Duke, 4-1
May 17, 2009
Box Score | Box Score [PDF] 
| Post-Match Quotes [PDF]
College Station, Texas – No. 6 Miami (26-5) was unable to claim the doubles point and it proved costly as the Hurricanes season ended with a 4-1 loss to No. 3 Duke (27-3) in the Quarterfinals of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center in College Station, Texas.
In a rematch from this year’s Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships just under a month ago in North Carolina, the heavily anticipated matchup between the ACC’s regular season champs (Miami) and tournament champs (Duke) was watched by more than 1,000 spectators–with most of them being patrons from other teams supporting both teams. However, for the second time in as many matches, third-seeded Duke came up with the doubles point in a big way, and it proved to be costly for sixth-seeded Miami.
“We had our looks on some courts, but hats off to Duke,” closed Yaroshuk-Tews. “They played a great match.”
The No. 51 doubles team of Julia Cohen and Bianca Eichkorn started off hot for the `Canes as they combined to claim an impressive 8-1 win over the 53rd-ranked team from Duke (Jessi Robinson and Mallory Cecil) at the second slot. Duke followed that up with an 8-4 win at the top doubles spot, as the Blue Devils’ Amanda Granson and Melissa Mang–ranked No. 22 as a team, downed UM’s 19th-ranked team of Michaela Kissell and Laura Vallverdu.
The deciding point went back-and-forth at the third slot with the `Canes team of Gabriela Mejia and Claudia Wasilewski leading 5-4, but allowed the Blue Devils’ Reka Zsilinszka and Ellah Nze to come back for the 8-6 win–giving Duke the all- important 1-0 lead heading into singles play.
However, for Miami and Duke, the winner of the doubles point had won both earlier meetings this season between the two teams.
“I was very confident going into the singles,” stated UM head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “I don’t believe that there are too many teams that still can beat us in singles, but like I told the girls, as this tournament progresses, the doubles point is going to become more important.”
The Hurricanes and Blue Devils were appeared to be in another possible 5-hour marathon affair with all sets looking even right from the start in singles. However, it would soon change as No. 6 Mallory Cecil of Duke looked determined for a win at the top spot.
Cecil opened up the Duke lead as she took down Miami’s Julia Cohen, ranked No. 3 in the Campbell’s/ITA singles poll, with a straight-set upset (6-2, 6-1). Cohen (29-7), an All-ACC member this season, fell in her second-straight match for the first time all season, remaining a win shy of becoming the third Miami player with 30 wins this season.
That win would stretch the Duke lead out to 2-0.
Three-time All-ACC member and two-time All-American junior Laura Vallverdu (No. 24) got the Hurricanes right back into the match at the second spot with her 6-3, 6-3 win over Ellah Nze (No. 37). For Vallverdu (28-7), it would be her third win over Nze this year in the three meetings between the two ACC storied rivals, while upping her win streak to 12 matches.
Vallverdu’s win helped to bring the Hurricanes, seeking their second Final Four under eighth-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews, to within striking distance at 2-1.
UM All-ACC sophomore Michaela Kissell (No. 49) took the opening set against Duke’s Amanda Granson (No. 91) only to see Granson come right back for a 6-1 win of her own in the second. Granson ran out to a quick 3-0 advantage in third set before Kissell (36-8) came roaring back to bring the match to within 5-3. She would not be able to rally as she fell, 6-3, giving Granson the 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 win–the first loss for Kissell against Granson this year.
“There is not a whole lot to say, other than they just simply out played us today,” stated Yaroshuk-Tews. “We didn’t play our best tennis, but Duke had a lot to do with that. They did not give us anything; they definitely played a clean match.”
Gabriela Mejia was staging a comeback at the No. 5 spot for UM, falling in the first set, 6-2, and claiming a 6-3 win in the second against Melissa Mang (No. 122); as well as Claudia Wasilewski leading in the third set, 3-0, against Jessi Robinson. Wasilewski took the opener, 6-4, but fell in the second, 6-3.
With those matches being stretched out, the match was eventually clinched at the No. 3 singles spot for the Blue Devils as Miami’s Bianca Eichkorn (No. 31) and Duke’s Reka Zsilinszka (No. 30) once again had all eyes focused on them for what would end up being the final point.
Zsilinszka and Eichkorn (38-8) had a three-hour match in the ACC Tournament deciding match in Cary, N.C., but this time Eichkorn was unable to keep her momentum against Zsilinszka, falling in a straight-set match (6-4, 6-2).
“I was impressed,” expressed Yaroshuk-Tews. “(Reka) Zsilinszka came out today and seemed like she didn’t want to have a long match; she didn’t want to have a close match. She had a different mentality. Especially at three and five, they were just playing the big points well, the duce points, our ads, never kind of giving us a window.”
Miami’s season as a team comes to an end, but the Hurricanes still have four singles players and a doubles team in the upcoming NCAA Singles & Doubles Championships beginning Wednesday, May 20 at the George P. Mitchell Tennis Center. Julia Cohen, Bianca Eichkorn, Michaela Kissell and Laura Vallverdu comprise four of this year’s singles field of 64, while the doubles pair of KIssell and Vallverdu venture into the doubles field.
For more information on the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championships, please log on to www.ncaa.com. For information on the official site of the championships, please visit www.aggieathletics.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.
