No. 6 Miami Women Close-Out No. 4 Georgia, 5-2
Feb. 14, 2010
Madison, Wis. – The sixth-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team rolled off five singles wins on Sun., Feb. 14, collecting an impressive 5-2 upset of No. 4 Georgia in the Hurricanes final match of the ITA Team Indoor Championships at the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Stadium in Madison, Wis.
Miami (4-3) fell behind early for the fourth consecutive match, dropping the doubles point in two-of-three matches. The Hurricanes took the first match, however, at the No. 2 position on the strength of an 8-3 victory for the team of Anna Bartenstein and Bianca Eichkorn, staking the win over Georgia’s duo of Yvette Hyndman and Cameron Ellis.
Georgia (4-3) proved resilient at the other two spots, evening the match in flight three, using Naoko Ueshima and Lara Fakhoury for an 8-2 triumph over the `Canes team of Danielle Mills and Claudia Wasilewski. The Bulldogs pulled away for the doubles point win at the top flight when Chelsey Gullickson and Nadja Gilchrist posted an 8-4 upset of Miami’s third-ranked team of Gabriela Mejia and Laura Vallverdu.
In singles competition, Miami quickly rallied to claim the first two points, earning a 2-1 lead in the process.
UM senior Claudia Wasilewski was off the courts first via a three-set decision over the `Dogs Lara Fakhoury at the six spot (6-2, 4-6, 6-3). She was later followed by junior All-American Bianca Eichkorn (No. 99) turning in a three-set triumph against Georgia’s Nadja Gilchrist (No. 57) in three sets (4-6, 7-5, 6-3) over on court two. For Wasilewski, the win proved to be her 10th of the year, while Eichkorn upped record for the year to 12-4, and staying perfect on the spring at 7-0.
The Bulldogs evened things up on court four when Naoko Ueshima claimed a three-set victory from Miami freshman Danielle Mills (1-6, 7-5, 6-2).
UM three-time All-American Laura Vallverdu (No. 7) picked up the pace for the Hurricanes in the top singles spot, finishing as one of two `Canes to post a straight-set win on the day, turning in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Chelsey Gullickson (No. 14). For Vallverdu, the win served as her team-leading 17th of the year, raising her record to 17-8 on the campaign.
It was sophomore Gabriela Mejia (No. 93) giving UM the match win courtesy a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Georgia’s Cameron Ellis on court five. The victory was Mejia’s 12th of the slate, and raised her spring mark to 6-1.
Sophomore transfer Anna Bartenstein was last off the courts for the `Canes as she finished with a 6-3, 2-6, 6-3 decision over the `Dogs Yvette Hyndman on court three. That win served as Bartenstein’s team second-best 16th of the year, upping her mark to 16-3, and keeps her at 9-1 in her last 10 matches.
The win allowed UM to finish this year’s ITA Indoor Team Championships with a record of 1-2, and gave Miami its first Top 10 win of the season. It also helped UM break a three-match slump in which the `Canes had dropped the narrowest of margins to three-straight Top 20 teams on 4-3 counts in No. 5 Baylor, No. 12 UCLA and No. 16 Michigan – all within a week’s time. Sunday’s match served as the fourth in eight days for the weary `Canes – all against Top 20 teams.
The Hurricanes return home for their next match at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on Sat., Feb. 27 as they host Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) opponent Clemson at noon. The match will serve as the ACC-opener for both clubs, as the Tigers travel to Coral Gables for the first time in two years.
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.
#6 Miami 5, #4 Georgia 2
Singles
1. #7 Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. #14 Chelsey Gullickson (UGA) 6-3, 6-3
2. #99 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. #57 Nadja Gilchrist (UGA) 4-6, 7-5, 6-3
3. Anna Bartenstein (UM) def. Yvette Hyndman (UGA) 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
4. Naoko Ueshima (UGA) def. Danielle Mills (UM) 1-6, 7-5, 6-2
5. #93 Gabriela Mejia (UM) def. Cameron Ellis (UGA) 7-5, 6-4
6. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) def. Lara Fakhoury (UGA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Order of finish: 6, 2, 4, 1, 5*, 3
Doubles
1. Chelsey Gullickson/Nadja Gilchrist (UGA) def. #3 Gabriela Mejia/Laura Vallverdu (UM) 8-4
2. Anna Bartenstein/Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Yvette Hyndman/Cameron Ellis (UGA) 8-3
3. Naoko Ueshima/Lara Fakhoury (UGA) def. Danielle Mills/Claudia Wasilewski (UM) 8-2
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1*
