Women's Tennis Returns Home for Pair of ACC Matches
March 23, 2010
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team is set to begin the first two matches of a four-match homestand on Wed., Mar. 24 at 1 p.m., as the Hurricanes host ACC opponent Georgia Tech to the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in Coral Gables, Fla. The `Canes will then host Virginia Tech on Fri., Mar. 26 at 4 p.m.
Miami (9-3, 3-0 Atlantic Coast Conference) enters the match ranked No. 11 in the Campbell/ITA poll, while Georgia Tech (9-5, 0-1 ACC) enters ranked No. 13 in the nation. The Yellow Jackets made the biggest leap in this week’s poll, jumping from No. 36 to their current No. 13 spot. Meanwhile, Miami moved up two spots from No. 13. Virginia Tech (9-4, 2-1 ACC) fell out of the rankings this week, previously sitting at No. 60. However, the Hokies have won six of their last seven matches.
For the Hurricanes, the match against Georgia Tech will feature a much-publicized contest at the No. 1 singles position on court one of the grandstand side of the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. That’s where Miami’s Laura Vallverdu – a three-time All-American ranked No. 7 in the singles poll, will meet Georgia Tech’s Irina Falconi, ranked No. 1 in the nation. The match is being billed as the main event, and could prove pivotal in the outcome of the overall match for both teams.
UM head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews is seeking her first win against Georgia Tech’s Bryan Shelton, as the Yellow Jackets have won the last nine meetings in the series, including a 5-2 decision last year in Atlanta. For the `Canes, the 5-2 setback was their only regular season defeat in ACC play, and is their last ACC loss in Miami’s current 12-match ACC regular season win streak.
The `Canes enter the homestand working on a six-match win streak, and have outscored their opponents by a combined 37-5 total during that span. Those wins include five matches against nationally ranked competition, as well as four top 50 opponents.
Georgia Tech comes into the match against the Hurricanes holding a record of 9-5 on the year, but has won three consecutive matches–including consecutive wins against top 20 opponents Georgia (No. 12) and Vanderbilt (No. 17). Both rankings for Georgia and Vanderbilt were at the time of the match against Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets have two players ranked in the latest Campbell/ITA singles poll, including the nation’s top-ranked player, Irina Falconi (No. 1). Falconi is currently 24-2 on the year, and sits at 13-1 in the spring (1-0 ACC). She enters working on a seven-match winning streak, and is a dominating 18-2 against nationally ranked opponents. She plays her matches at the No. 1 position for the Yellow Jackets.
Behind her in the rankings is teammate Sasha Krupina, coming in ranked No. 86 in this week’s poll. Krupina is 10-13 overall (6-8 dual), while playing her matches at the No. 2 position for Georgia Tech.
The Yellow Jackets have played just one conference match thus far on the year, falling to Clemson (L, 5-2) on Feb. 24 in Atlanta, while having their match against Florida State suspended due to rain on Mar. 17. The match against the `Canes is the first of three matches in five days for the Yellow Jackets, also squaring off against Wake Forest (Mar. 27) and NC State (Mar. 28)–both at home in Atlanta.
Before falling to Virginia (L, 2-5) in their last match, the Hokies of Virginia Tech had rolled off six consecutive wins, including victories over Maryland and Boston College in ACC play. The Hokies are 9-4 overall (2-1 ACC) entering play on Fri., Mar. 26.
The Hokies use Martha Blakely at the No. 1 singles position, as she holds a record of 3-8 in the spring, but sits 9-15 on the year overall. The team leader in wins for the Hokies is split between Emily Lauten and Christin Newman, both holding equal 17-9 records for the year.
Newman plays the No. 2 singles position for Virginia Tech, as Lauten plays at the No. 5 and 6 singles positions, respectively.
Miami holds a perfect record all-time against the Hokies, using an 11-0 advantage in the series against an opponent that stretches through both the Atlantic Coast and BIG EAST conferences, respectively. The Hurricanes have collected either 6-1 or 7-0 decisions against the Hokies in five of the previous six meetings, including last year’s 6-1 outcome in Blacksburg, Va.
The Hurricanes use four players ranked in the Campbell/ITA singles poll, as well as two doubles pairs.
UM is led by the school’s all-time leader in singles wins, Vallverdu, who has collected a record of 118-29 lifetime in Coral Gables. On the year, she totes a record of 22-8 (10-2 dual). She is currently ranked No. 7 in the ITA poll, while teammate Bianca Eichkorn is No. 33 this week. Eichkorn holds a record of 17-4 on the year, and is the only Hurricanes performer still perfect in the spring (12-0). Eichkorn now holds a career record of 86-21, and tied for ninth all-time at UM in career victories. She sits alongside Staci Stevens (2001-05). With one more win, she will tie Caren Seenauth (2004-08) for eighth place in the UM record books.
Also ranked for UM is the sophomore tandem of Anna Bartenstein (No. 62) and Gabriela Mejia (No. 107). Bartenstein is 20-4 on the year (10-2 dual), and has collected wins in eight of her last 10 matches. Mejia counters with a record of 17-3 (11-1 dual), and has been a consistent source of points for UM at the No. 5 single spot on the court.
Miami’s doubles team of Mejia and Vallverdu enters the stretch ranked No. 7 nationally, while having taken a victory in their last match together. Overall, the team is 15-5 (4-3 dual), and sees action at the No. 1 doubles position. The team of Eichkorn and Bartenstein is ranked No. 64 in the poll, and uses a record of 10-3 overall (6-1 dual) at the No. 2 spot for the `Canes.
Following the first two matches against Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech, the University of Miami will return to the courts of the Neil Schiff Tennis Center on Sun., Mar. 28, when taking on ACC opponent Virginia at 10 a.m. The `Canes then conclude their four-match homestand when stepping out of conference to host Brown University out of the Ivy League on Tues., Mar. 30 at 4 p.m.
Admission to both matches, as well as all regular season home matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, are free. Live results/scoring for all home women’s tennis matches is available by clicking here.
