No. 9 Women's Tennis Stops Wake Forest, 5-0

April 3, 2010

Results | Complete Results (PDF)

Winston-Salem, N.C. – No. 9 Miami won its 12th consecutive match on Saturday, earning a 5-0 decision over homestanding Wake Forest in Atlantic Coast Conference women’s tennis action at Leighton Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C. The win was also the fourth-straight sweep of an opponent for the `Canes, outscoring the opposition by a 26-0 count during that span.

Miami (15-3, 8-0 ACC) was playing its sixth match in 11 days, while Wake Forest (7-11, 1-4 ACC) was facing its second consecutive Top 20 opponent, falling to No. 19 Florida State on Friday. Therefore, both head coaches agreed to end the singles matches at the No. 2 and No. 6 positions after the match was decided in favor of UM.

The `Canes began the day claiming the doubles point in thrilling fashion. UM picked up the first win on court one as the sixth-ranked team of Gabriela Mejia and Laura Vallverdu downed Wake Forest’s 45th-ranked team of Kathryn Talbert and Sasha Kulikova at the No. 1 position. The Mejia/Vallverdu duo is now 18-5 on the year, and pulled their spring record to 7-3, while winning their last four matches together at the No. 1 doubles spot.

Wake Forest evened the doubles point at the No. 3 position, as Katarina Reveche and Martina Pavelec walked off the courts with an 8-3 win over Miami’s Danielle Mills and Claudia Wasilewski. However, UM took the point on court two with the help of the 55th-ranked team of Anna Bartenstein and Bianca Eichkorn winning an 8-6 decision over the Demon Deacons’ Aileen Davis and Emilee Malvehy.

In singles play, Miami won all four of the singles matches that were concluded, beginning on court one.

UM senior three-time All-American Laura Vallverdu, ranked No. 7 in the nation, stretched her winning streak to five matches, as she posted a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Wake Forest’s Martina Pavelec at the No. 1 position. Vallverdu is now 27-9 on the year, while improving to 15-3 in the spring, all at the No. 1 slot. That was followed by freshman Danielle Mills registering her fifth-straight win, as she earned a 6-2, 6-2 win over Wake’s Ryann Cutillo at the No. 5 position. Mills is now 18-10 on the year (13-4 dual).

Miami clinched the match at the No. 4 position when sophomore Gabriela Mejia (No. 100) took down the Deacons’ Katarina Reveche, 6-2, 6-2. For Mejia, the win moved her record to 23-3 overall, and allowed her to jump to 17-1 in the spring, tying junior Bianca Eichkorn for the most spring wins in 2010. The win was also Mejia’s 12th consecutive in singles play.

Miami closed the final point, and earned the 5-0 advantage after sophomore Anna Bartenstein pulled together a three-set thrilling win away from Wake Forest’s Kathryn Talbert on the strength of a 5-7, 6-3, 10-4 line. The win moved Bartenstein to 26-4 overall (16-2 dual). After tallying Saturday’s win, Bartenstein has now won six consecutive singles matches.

The matches for Bianca Eichkorn and Claudia Wasilewski were unfinished. Eichkorn led Wake’s Sasha Kulikova by a set (6-2), while trailing in the second set (3-2). Wasilewski and Aileen Davis were tied, 2-2, in the opening set.

“I think winning 12 points over the weekend shows just how well the girls are competing right now,” stated UM head women’s coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “We’re simply competing harder that other teams right now, and that says a lot about where we are at this point in the season. It says a lot about where their heads are right now, as well.”

Miami will now get a week off before stepping back onto the courts Fri., Apr. 9, when playing host to Maryland at Noon. The match will also serve as “Senior Day” for UM senior student-athletes Claudia Wasilewski and Laura Vallverdu, playing in their last regular season home match for the Orange and Green of the Hurricanes.

“We’ve made a lot of adjustments over the last 12 matches,” continued Yaroshuk-Tews. “Instead of focusing on the big picture, the girls are focused on each and every match. I can tell you that not one girl on this team knew we were on a 12-match win streak, and that says a whole lot about their focus on the match ahead, and that’s where their heads and focus needs to be each day. I think we’re moving in the right direction.”

No. 9 Miami 5, Wake Forest 0

Singles
1. #7 Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. Martina Pavelec (WFU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Sasha Kulikova (WFU) vs. #33 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) 2-6, 3-2, unfinished
3. #71 Anna Bartenstein (UM) def. Kathryn Talbert (WFU) 5-7, 6-3, 10-4
4. #100 Gabriela Mejia (UM) def. Katarina Reveche (WFU) 6-2, 6-0
5. Danielle Mills (UM) def. Ryann Cutillo (WFU) 6-2, 6-2
6. Aileen Davis (WFU) vs. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) 2-2, unfinished
Order of Finish: (1, 5, 4*, 3)

Doubles
1. #6 Gabriela Mejia/Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. #45 Kathryn Talbert/Sasha Kulikova (WFU) 8-4
2. #55 Anna Bartenstein/Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Aileen Davis/Emilee Malvehy (WFU) 8-6
3. Katarina Reveche/Martina Pavelec (WFU) def. Danielle Mills/Claudia Wasilewski (UM) 8-3
Order of Finish: (1, 3, 2*)