Mejia/Vallverdu Win ITA Doubles Main Draw
Oct. 26, 2009
Results | Final UM Results in PDF format 
| Final Singles/Doubles Bracket
Atlanta, Ga. – The University of Miami’s 36th-ranked doubles team of Gabriela Mejia and Laura Vallverdu claimed the main draw doubles championship on Monday at the Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships, sweeping through USF’s Melissa Koning and Irene Rehberger, 8-3, at the Bill Moore Tennis Center in Atlanta.
Mejia and Vallverdu, seeded third overall for the event, had to fight past a strong USF duo that was seeded fourth entering the tournament. The Hurricanes duo brought in their first regional tournament title together after pairing together during the course of the summer for the fall campaign.
Monday, Mejia and Vallverdu were too much for Koning and Rehberger, sweeping to the decisive 8-3 victory. In five wins for the Hurricanes tandem, they never allowed an opponent over five games–the closest being an 8-5 triumph over FIU’s Brito and Castillo, ranked 23rd nationally.
With the win, Mejia and Vallverdu stayed perfect on the year together, holding a record of 7-0 in the fall.
In singles play, Miami’s Vallverdu, ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll and sitting as the second seed for the tournament, was unable to hold off Florida’s Allie Will–the sixth seed, in the main draw singles semifinals on Monday.
Vallverdu collected the opening set, 6-4, but Will battled back to earn the upset and grab 6-1, 6-4 wins in the final two sets, thus earning the 4-6, 6-1, 6-4 three-set thriller.
On the year, Vallverdu falls to 6-4, while needing just nine more wins to top UM’s Audrey Bañada for the most singles victories in program history. Vallverdu currently owns an all-time record of 102-25 as a Hurricane.
The “A” flight singles and doubles winners, along with the singles finalist, from the Wilson/ITA Southeast Region Championships now advance to the ITA National Indoor Championships in November held at Yale University in New Haven, Conn. The elite event, slated for Nov. 5-8, is the second collegiate grand slam event of the season. Winners and finalists from the various ITA Regional Championships around the country plus at-large selections will make up the singles field of 32 and the 16-team doubles draw.
The ITA National Indoor Championships will serve as the next event for the Hurricanes. While a few UM players will attend that event, others will travel to the capital city of Tallahassee as part of the FSU Fall Invitational running Nov. 5-8.
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.
Wilson/ITA Southeast Regional Championship (Day Four)
Singles (Main Draw)
Semifinals
Allie Will (Florida) def. No. 6 Laura Vallverdu (Miami) … 4-6, 6-1, 6-4
Doubles (Main Draw)
Finals
No. 36 Mejia/ Vallverdu (Miami) def. Koning/Rehberger (USF) … 8-3
