No. 7 Miami Women's Tennis Clips Mississippi State, 7-0
Jan. 31, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – Senior Laura Vallverdu became Miami’s all-time leader in singles wins for women’s tennis on Sunday as the No. 7 Hurricanes women’s tennis team defeated No. 57 Mississippi State, 7-0, in the Coral Gables championship qualifier of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla.
With inclement weather threatening the south Florida area, Sunday’s championship match began with singles competition, followed by doubles.
Miami (3-0) opened singles play with three-time All-American Laura Vallverdu (No. 7) claiming her 111th career win at Miami, passing Audrey Bañada (2003-07) for the top spot all-time in UM women’s tennis history for singles competition. The Valencia, Venezuela native was first off the court in singles courtesy a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Mississippi State’s Olesya Tsigvintseva at No. 1 position.
“Laura Vallverdu has been an incredible player for the University of Miami, and it’s been a pleasure coaching here these last years,” said UM head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “What makes it so special is that she’s accomplished the record playing primarily at No. 1 and No. 2 [singles]. She is just a fierce competitor, and she definitely has a shot at a national title this year.”
Vallverdu improved her record to 15-6 on the year, while staying perfect in the spring with a mark of 3-0. Overall, she has won nine of her last 10 matches.
“It feels good to get the win and record, but it wouldn’t have been possible without my coach and teammates throughout the years,” stated Vallverdu. “This is a great accomplishment, and it really feels good, but right now I’m focused on the team and what we need to do to have an incredible year in 2010.”
Former all-time wins leader Bañada was in attendance on Saturday for Miami’s 7-0 defeat of Boston, and spoke with her former teammate [Vallverdu] about Sunday’s possible record-breaking win.
Mississippi State (1-1) fell behind 2-0 in the match when UM junior All-American Bianca Eichkorn (No. 99) collected a 6-2, 6-0 decision from the Bulldogs’ Valeriya Makarycheva at No. 3 singles. Eichkorn improved to 3-0 on the spring, and upped her overall record for the year to 8-4.
The `Canes collected the next point at No. 2 singles as sophomore Anna Bartenstein took down MSU’s Radka Ferancova, 6-4, 6-1. For Bartenstein, the win was her seventh consecutive, and advanced her season record to 13-2.
The match point was decided with UM freshman Danielle Mills grabbing a 6-0, 6-4 win at the No. 4 spot, as she defeated the Bulldogs’ Mariia Ryzhova. Mills kept her record clean in the spring at 3-0, while her season record jumped to 8-6.
Sophomore Gabriela Mejia (No. 93) was next off the court for Miami, earning a 6-2, 7-6(4) win from Natalia Mayuk at No. 5 singles. The win for Mejia was her fifth consecutive, as she improves to 9-2 for the year.
The final singles point came in an exciting match between Miami’s Claudia Wasilewski and MSU’s Danielle Terpko. Wasilewski used a 7-5, 7-6(8) line to hold off Terpko in one of the most exciting matches in singles competition. For the Boulogne, France native, she improved her record to 9-5 on the campaign, winning her second match of the spring–having not played yesterday in a default against Boston University.
With the victory in hand for the Hurricanes, and a trip to the ITA Indoor Round of 16 already assured, doubles play saw UM use extra incentive through all three positions.
The No. 3 doubles lineup of Mills and Wasilewski left the court first when they took down MSU’s Makarycheva and Terpko, 8-1. It was the second consecutive day the No. 3 pair hooked up for a convincing win.
In No. 1 doubles, the nation’s third-ranked team of Miami’s Mejia and Vallverdu fought past MSU’s Ryzhova and Tsigvintseva, 8-4. Vallverdu and Mejia used steady play at the net with drop shots and net attacks to keep the Bulldogs’ No. 1 duo off balance the entire match. Mejia and Vallverdu improved to 13-2 on the year (2-0 in the spring).
The final doubles match gave UM its third consecutive sweep of the spring season in all positions, as the duo of Bartenstein and Eichkorn pulled an 8-4 decision from the Bulldogs’ Ferancova and Mayuk.
Miami will now await its opponent for the ITA Indoor Championships, scheduled to begin Sat., Feb. 13 at the Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis. The event runs through Tues., Feb. 16.
Last season, the `Canes finished 2-1 at the ITA Indoor Championships, defeating No. 5 Stanford and Wisconsin along the way.
However, the next match for Miami will take place on Sat., Feb. 6 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables as the `Canes face No. 5 Baylor in a battle of Top 10 opponents. The match is scheduled for 11 a.m., and admission is free.
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.
#7 Miami 7, #57 Mississippi State 0
Singles
1. #7 Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. Olesya Tsigvintseva (MSU) 6-1, 6-2
2. Anna Bartenstein (UM) def. Radka Ferancova (MSU) 6-4, 6-1
3. #99 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Valeriya Makarycheva (MSU) 6-2, 6-0
4. Danielle Mills (UM) def. Mariia Ryzhova (MSU) 6-0, 6-4
5. #93 Gabriela Mejia (UM) def. Natalia Mayuk (MSU) 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) def. Danielle Terpko (MSU) 7-5, 7-6 (10-8)
Order of finish: 1,3,2*,4,5,6
Doubles
1. #3 Gabriela Mejia/Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. Mariia Ryzhova/Olesya Tsigvintseva (MSU) 8-4
2. Anna Bartenstein/Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Radka Ferancova/Natalia Mayuk (MSU) 8-4
3. Danielle Mills/Claudia Wasilewski (UM) def. Valeriya Makarycheva/Danielle Terpko (MSU) 8-1
Order of finish: 3,1*,2
