No. 13 Women's Tennis Travels to No. 19 Florida State
March 18, 2010
Miami vs. FSU Match Notes (PDF) 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 13 University of Miami women’s tennis team is set to travel to No. 19 Florida State on Fri., Mar. 19, for a key Atlantic Coast Conference match at the Scott Speicher Tennis Center in Tallahassee, Fla. The match is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
The University of Miami (8-3, 2-0 ACC) enters the match working on a five-match win streak which began with a 5-2 upset of No. 4 Georgia in the ITA National Team Indoor Championships in Madison, Wis. During their current five-match streak, the Hurricanes have collected three consecutive shutouts of Boston College, FIU and TCU, respectively. Those wins have helped Miami jump five spots to No. 13 in the Campbell/ITA poll released Tuesday.
Florida State enters Friday’s match ranked No. 19 in the Campbell/ITA poll, and owns a record of 6-6 overall, and an 0-1 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference, having fell to Clemson (L, 5-2) in the Seminoles only ACC contest to date. FSU had a match scheduled with Georgia Tech on Wed., Mar. 18, but it was cancelled due to rain in the Tallahassee area.
The Seminoles use Lauren McCreless, ranked No. 27 in the singles poll, at the top singles position, as she sits with a record of 8-6 (1-0 ACC) in the spring. She is followed by Katie Rybakova at the No. 2 singles position, holding a record of 8-7 (0-1 ACC) in the spring. Teammate Noemie Scharle is ranked No. 44 for the Seminoles, while Rybakova is No. 104.
Miami counters with four players ranked in this week’s ITA poll, including senior Laura Vallverdu at No. 7 – serving as the highest ranked Hurricanes performer in this week’s poll. Vallverdu leads the UM attack at the No. 1 singles position, holding a team-leading 21 wins on the campaign. Overall, she has won six consecutive singles matches for UM, and is 21-8 on the year (9-2 dual).
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. On the year, Eichkorn holds a record of 16-4.
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, jumping back into the polls after an absence on the previous poll released two weeks ago. 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.
Miami owns a commanding 24-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Seminoles. Last season, UM took both matches against FSU, including a 4-0 decision in the semifinals of the ACC Championships, advancing the `Canes to the ACC Finals. Overall, Miami has won two consecutive against the Seminoles, and eight of the last 10 in the series.
Following the match against Florida State, the University of 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. The match will feature two top-10 opponents at the No. 1 singles spot, as Laura Vallverdu (No. 7) will meet the nation’s top-ranked player, Irina Falconi of the Yellow Jackets on court one on the grandstand side of the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
Admission to all UM home matches throughout the regular season is free.
