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Women’s Tennis Opens NCAA Tournament Against Army

Women's Tennis

May 7, 2009

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Coral Gables, Fla. – The sixth-ranked University of Miami Hurricanes are set to open their 2009 NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament run against the Army Black Knights as part of the Coral Gables Regional taking place at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center Friday, May 8 at 1 p.m. Admission the event is just $5 at the gate.

Miami (23-4) is making its 21st NCAA Tournament appearance and the eighth consecutive under eighth-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. The Hurricanes are the No. 6 overall seed for this year’s field of 64, and own a record of 29-20 lifetime record in the tournament–including a runner-up appearance in 2006.

The `Canes are hosting a Regional Tournament for the fifth consecutive year, and are just one of eight participating teams this year to have served as a Regional host site five consecutive seasons.

UM also boasts four ranked players in this week’s Campbell’s/ITA singles poll, including Julia Cohen (No. 3) and Laura Vallverdu (No. 24) in the Top 25. Joining them are sophomores Bianca Eichkorn (No. 31) and Michaela Kissell (No. 49). All four players were selected to the NCAA Singles/Doubles Tournament taking place immediately following the NCAA Team Tournament Championship in College Station, Texas.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Army and Miami, and the first against a military academy in school history for UM as well. Meanwhile, UM is a perfect 14-0 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on the year, and carries a 17-match winning streak into Friday’s contest dating back to last season. All-time in the Coral Gables Regional, UM sports a record of 7-1, with their lone loss coming as a 4-3 setback to No. 24 California in 2005.

Sophomore All-ACC performer Michaela Kissell (35-7) is riding an impressive 13-match winning streak for the Hurricanes, and was one of just two players to collect victories in all three of her matches during the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Championships. The other, three-time All-ACC junior Laura Vallverdu (25-7), who enters Friday working on a nine-match winning streak.

All six of UM’s frontline players have 20-or more wins, with Kissell and Bianca Eichkorn (36-7) both owning 30-plus win totals–becoming the first duo of Hurricanes since Audra Cohen and Megan Bradley to carry 30-plus wins together in a single season. In fact, Eichkorn is now

UM’s top flight doubles pair of Vallverdu and Kissell are ranked No. 19 in this week’s Campbell’s/ITA doubles poll. Together, they have helped to gather wins in eight of their last 10 matches. They hold a record of 15-6 on the season, and a 12-3 record for the spring.

Miami and Yaroshuk-Tews are seeking redemption from the Hurricanes last match, an exciting 4-3 setback at the hands of No. 3 Duke in the ACC title match in Cary, N.C. This past season, Yaroshuk-Tews completed the best regular season slate of her career with the 21 victories. For that honor, she was awarded as the 2009 ACC Coach of the Year award. It was the first of its kind for Yaroshuk-Tews, the all-time winningest coach in UM women’s tennis history with 158 career wins.

For more information on the Coral Gables Regional, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com – the official home for all University of Miami athletics news. To gather information on the NCAA Women’s Tennis Tournament, please locate your internet browser to www.NCAAsports.com.

UM Welcomes NCAA Regional Again…
Miami is hosting its fifth consecutive NCAA Regional this weekend, welcoming teams from FIU, Army and Princeton. As a host, UM has advanced to the Round of 16 in every tournament except 2005–falling to California, 4-3. Miami enters this year’s NCAA field of 64 as the No. 6 overall seed, playing host to two fellow ranked opponents with No. 29 FIU and No. 42 Princeton. All participants in the Coral Gables Regional, except UM, are conference tournament champions.

About the Army Black Knights…
The Army women’s tennis team punched its ticket to a ninth NCAA Regional appearance as the Black Knights captured a fifth-straight Patriot League title and 10th overall in program history at Bucknell. Boasting a 24-8 overall record, Army enjoyed its third 20-plus-win season since 2005 this spring. Army continued to reign as the perennial powerhouse within the Patriot League this year, putting together a seventh-straight undefeated regular season (5-0) and stretching its regular-season dual match win total against conference opponents to 37.

After a slow 1-6 start to the year, Army rebounded to win 22 of its final 23 matches, a stretch that included the program’s longest win streak of 18 matches. The Black Knights’ lineup will likely remain unchanged from the team’s run to the 2009 Patriot League Championship, featuring sophomore Annie Houghton (1), senior Niki Flach (2), senior Sarah Giles-Madden (3), junior Kristin Beehler (4), sophomore Michael Tollerton (5) and sophomore Robie Verano (6) in singles action. The Black Knights’ doubles lineup will shape up with Flach/Tollerton at the top, followed by Beehler/Houghton (2) and Giles-Madden/Verano (3).

About the FIU Golden Panthers…
No stranger to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, or the UM program, former UM student-athlete and FIU first-year head coach Melissa Applebaum returns to the place she once called home. The Golden Panthers are located across town from UM in Miami, and make a short trip to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center for their second consecutive Coral Gables Regional. The Golden Panthers, champions out of the Sun Belt Conference, enter the Coral Gables Regional with a record of 18-5 on the year, and are currently ranked No. 29 in this week’s ITA/Campbell’s national poll. They are led by Liset Brito at the top spot, holding a record of 19-4, while Priscilla Castillo is just behind her at 15-6. Castillo plays at the No. 5 position for FIU, while Brito is at the top spot. The third slot is secured by Mariana Muci (17-4), while a trio of players has played at the second spot, including Maria Spenceley (7-12) and Muci. The doubles team of Muci and Maria Pazo has combined for a team-leading 15-4 record together–including a 9-4 mark at the flight one doubles position.

About the Princeton Tigers…
Princeton won its first Ivy League title since 2000 with a 6-1 Ivy record in 2009, also capturing its first NCAA tournament bid since that year and third overall. The Tigers field a young lineup with Ivy League Rookie of the Year Lauren McHale at first singles, followed by fellow rookie and first-team All-Ivy Hilary Bartlett. Florida natives and sisters Melissa and Rachel Saiontz, a junior and freshman respectively, fill out the third and fourth positions on Princeton’s ladder and were both second-team All-Ivy selections. Honorable mention sophomore Taylor Marable and fellow sophomore Blakely Ashley fill out the lineup. The doubles team of Bartlett and Marable are headed to the NCAA doubles tournament later this month, and are ranked No. 50 nationally.

Feeling Right at Home…
Miami comes into the Coral Gables Regional with a perfect 14-0 record on the year at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center That streak actually stands at 17 matches dating back to the 2008 NCAA Regional [Coral Gables]. On the year, UM outscored their opponents 89-9 at home. Prior to this season, the last time UM went unbeaten during the regular season at home was during the 2005 campaign when they ended the slate 11-0.

Familiar Foes Visit Coral Gables…
The Hurricanes are familiar with two of the three visitors to South Florida this weekend, one being a local rival of sorts. Against FIU, Miami is 21-1 all-time, including a 6-1 defeat of the Golden Panthers earlier this year. Meanwhile, UM holds an 8-0 all-time mark against the Princeton Tigers. Head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews is a combined 11-0 lifetime against both FIU and Princeton. This will be the first-ever meeting between Miami and Army.

Four Players Enter Individual Tournament…
Four players for UM have been invited to participate in the NCAA Singles/Doubles Championships, beginning immediately after the NCAA Team Championships. Julia Cohen enters as the No. 2 overall seed, while Laura Vallverdu makes her school-record tying third consecutive appearance to the singles field of 64. Making their first appearance are teammates Bianca Eichkorn and Michaela Kissell. As a doubles pair, Kissell and Vallverdu will try for the school’s first-ever doubles title.

A Pocket Full of Singles…
Miami is 134-27 in singles matches on the year, including a 55-9 mark in the last 10 matches–with eight of those matches coming against nationally ranked competition. In that span, five of those wins have been shutout victories for the Hurricanes. Miami has claimed a total of 11 shutouts this year, and eight more wins coming by a 6-1 decision. In fact, UM has claimed five shutouts in their lasts six matches overall, including the ACC Championships in Cary, N.C.