No. 16 Women's Tennis Travels to No. 49 FIU
March 9, 2010
Miami vs. FIU Match Notes (PDF) 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The 16th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team travels across town to face No. 49 FIU on Wed., Mar. 10, at the FIU Tennis Courts in Miami at 2 p.m. The match will serve as Miami’s eighth against a ranked opponent in the first 10 matches of the spring season.
Miami (6-3) enters the match working on a three-match win streak dating back to the final day of competition at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships. The `Canes took down Boston College in their last match on Fri., Mar. 5, at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables. With the 7-0 sweep of the Eagles, UM claimed its 11th consecutive Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win dating back to the 2009 campaign, and the fourth 7-0 decision of the season.
The FIU Golden Panthers (8-5) are currently enjoying the same win streak total (3), having defeated Louisiana-Lafayette, 4-3, in their last match. FIU is led by star senior Liset Brito (No. 87) who has served as the top position player for the Golden Panthers for the past two seasons. Following Brito are newcomer Christine Seredni and Maria Spenceley, respectively.
Miami is led by three-time All-American Laura Vallverdu, working on a four-match win streak. The Valencia, Venezuela native owns a team-leading 19 singles wins on the season, and looks for her fourth consecutive 20-win campaign entering Wednesday’s match. She is 19-8 overall, and owns a 7-2 record in dual play.
Also playing well for the Hurricanes are junior All-American Bianca Eichkorn (No. 40) and sophomore Anna Bartenstein (No. 55). Eichkorn remains perfect in the spring at 9-0, while holding a 14-4 mark on the 2009-10 season. As for Bartenstein, the Tulane transfer has staked a team second-best 18 wins on the year, and sits 8-1 in dual play.
Miami owns a commanding 22-1 advantage in the series against FIU, and claimed 6-1 and 4-0 decisions from the Golden Panthers in two matches last year – both played at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The latter served as the championship match of the NCAA Regional in Coral Gables, advancing the Hurricanes to the Round of 16 in College Station, Texas.
After the match against FIU on Wednesday, the `Canes won’t return to the courts until Mon., Mar. 15, when they play host to perennial Western Athletic Conference (WAC) opponent TCU at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The match is slated for a 2 p.m. start, 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.
