Women's Tennis Jumps Five Spots in ITA Poll
March 16, 2010
Skillman, N.J. – After collecting its third straight 7-0 win, the University of Miami women’s tennis team jumped to No. 13 in this week’s Campbell/ITA poll released Tuesday evening from the ITA headquarters in Skillman, N.J.
Miami (8-3) has rolled off five consecutive wins stemming to the final day of the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. The Hurricanes have clipped four ranked opponents during that span, while using 7-0 sweeps of Boston College, FIU and TCU, respectively.
“Obviously, rankings are not important in determining how talented a program is, but we would be naive to think that they are not important all together,” commented UM women’s head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “Our ranking will determine a lot as we move forward this season. A potential NCAA host is on the line, and placement in the NCAA tournament is on the line. The real challenges lie ahead. We need to get tougher as these next few weeks progress.”
In the singles rankings, senior Laura Vallverdu remains in the top 10, coming in at No. 7 this week. Vallverdu is currently enjoying a six-match win streak, and eclipsed the 20-win plateau for the fourth consecutive season a week ago against FIU. She now sits with a team-leading 21 wins in singles play, and holds a record of 9-2 in the spring.
Junior Bianca Eichkorn jumped to No. 33 this week, advancing seven spots in the poll. She is on a team-best 12-match win streak, and sits as the only Hurricanes performer with an unblemished spring record, owning an 11-0 mark at this point.
Following her in the poll is sophomore Anna Bartenstein, who – despite winning seven straight matches and sits 20-3 on the year (10-1 dual) – fell seven spots to No. 62 this week. Rounding out the singles rankings for the `Canes is sophomore Gabriela Mejia, making her first appearance back in the polls in just under four weeks. Mejia sports a 16-3 mark on the campaign, and totes a 10-1 mark in the spring. Mejia has collected five consecutive wins for UM, mostly at the fifth position.
In the doubles poll, the duo of Mejia and Vallverdu remains in the top 10, coming in at No. 7 this week. Together they own a record of 14-5, while turning in a 3-3 record in the spring. They are followed by the duo of Bartenstein and Eichkorn, ranked No. 64, as the two have teamed for a 9-3 record (5-1 dual) thus far.
The Hurricanes return to the court Fri., Mar. 19, when they travel to ACC and in-state opponent Florida State for a key conference match with the Seminoles in Tallahassee. Following the match with FSU, Miami returns home for the first of four consecutive matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on Wed., Mar. 24, when UM hosts Georgia Tech at 1 p.m.
Admission to all UM home matches throughout the regular season 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.
