UM Women's Tennis Sharp on First Day of GT Invite
Sept. 18, 2009
Atlanta, Ga. – Three-time All-American and sixth-ranked Laura Vallverdu posted a three-set defeat of second-ranked Chelsey Gullickson (Georgia) to headline the University of Miami women’s tennis team’s impressive showing in first day action of the Georgia Tech Fall Invitational at the Bill Moore Tennis Center in Atlanta, Ga. The day’s activities were pushed up due to impending threatening weather in the Atlanta area.
Miami looked sharp to open the 2009 fall season with six singles victories–two by senior Claudia Wasilewski, and two doubles wins coming on Friday. The Hurricanes took four matches from players representing the Georgia Bulldogs, a Final Four team from a year ago ending the 2009 campaign ranked No. 3, while also collecting two wins against opponents from Princeton.
For Princeton head coach Megan Bradley, a former All-American player and assistant coach for Miami under Yaroshuk-Tews, the day’s matches marked her debut as a collegiate head coach.
For the second time in less than five months, Vallverdu defeated Gullickson in a tournament – last earning a trip to the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Finals in May at College Station, Texas. Just as last time, the match was a three-set thriller, with Vallverdu earning the win (6-4, 2-6, 6-4) over the preseason No. 2 ranked player in the nation. The match was played in Flight 1.
For Vallverdu, the win against Gullickson on Friday marked the highest ranked opponent she’s beaten in her storied career at UM. The previous high was a win over Ani Mijacika of Clemson back on May 21, 2009 in the NCAA Singles Championships.
Also earning a win in singles play in Flight 2 was sophomore Gabriela Mejia, defeating her first-ever ranked opponent in No. 41 Yvette Hyndman (Georgia), also in three sets–6-3, 2-6, 6-2. Mejia entered the match 0-5 against nationally-ranked opponents dating back to last season. The Cali, Valle (Colombia) has now won three consecutive matches stretching back to the 2009 spring season.
Wasilewski posted two wins on the day for UM. In her first match, she scored a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Naoka Ueshima of Georgia in Flight 4 play. In the nightcap, she ended her singles round of play for Friday with a 6-3, 6-7, 10-5 defeat of Princeton’s Rebecca Parks.
Making their UM debuts with victories were Anna Bartenstein, a transfer from Tulane, walking off the court with a 7-6, 6-1 win over Georgia’s Cameron Ellis (No. 108), giving the sophomore her first-ever victory over a ranked opponent. Freshman Danielle Mills also grabbed a win, seeing time at Flight 5 for the Hurricanes, picking up a decisive 6-1, 6-4 victory over Princeton’s Sarah Hoffman.
The `Canes ended the day with two doubles matches against a combination of Georgia Tech duos.
The UM team of Mejia and Vallverdu worked together for the first time in competition, pulling together a 9-7 thrilling defeat of the Yellow Jackets’ team of Amanda McDowell and Irina Falconi. The doubles tandem for Georgia Tech featured two Top 25 singles players, including 2008 NCAA Champion Amanda McDowell (No. 15), while Falconi is currently ranked No. 8 in the ITA Preseason poll.
The other UM win in doubles play came at Flight 2 as the duo of Mills and Bartenstein teamed for an 8-3 win against Georgia Tech’s Lynn Blau and Hillary Davis.
The action continues tomorrow back at the Bill Moore Tennis Center as Miami opens the day against opponents from Princeton in doubles action beginning at 10 a.m.
For more in-depth information on this year’s Georgia Tech Fall Invitational, please click here.
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.
2009 Georgia Tech Fall Invitational Schedule<>
Saturday
10 a.m. – Doubles – GT vs. UGA; Miami vs. Princeton
11:30 a.m. – Singles – GT vs. Princeton
1:30 p.m. – Singles – Miami vs. UGA
Sunday
9 a.m. – Doubles – GT vs. Miami; UGA vs. Princeton
10:30 a.m. – Singles – GT vs. Princeton
1 p.m. – Singles – GT vs. UGA
