Miami Plays Host to Two Top-20 Teams
April 15, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 47 University of Miami men’s tennis team rides a three-match win streak into the final weekend of the regular season, as they play host to a pair of top-20 teams in ACC competition. The Hurricanes will take on No. 14 Duke on Fri., Apr. 16, at 3 p.m. and No. 19 North Carolina on Sun., Apr. 18, at Noon.
Admission to all regular-season matches at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center is free.
Miami (9-19, 3-6) leads the all-time series versus Duke (15-6, 8-1), 23-16, and won the last meeting between the teams, 4-3, in Durham last season. The Hurricanes also hold the 21-10 all-time series advantage over the Tar Heels (16-5, 6-3) and have won two straight over UNC, including the 4-3 win in Chapel Hill in 2009.
Sunday marks Senior Day for the men’s tennis program, as the Hurricanes will celebrate seniors Barnabas Carrega, Hector Nieto and David Simon in their final regular-season home match.
A four-year member of the men’s tennis team, Nieto has come on strong as a senior in doubles competition. With a career mark of 51-49, he is the 20th Hurricane to eclipse the 50-win mark in doubles play. Alongside junior Keith Crowley, the 80th-ranked duo has compiled an 11-6 record this season with four ACC wins.
Simon is also putting together a strong senior campaign and has posted the team’s most wins on the season at 20-9 – including an impressive 7-2 mark versus ACC opponents. He has won five out of his last six matches entering this weekend and owns a 34-21 singles record in two seasons as a Hurricane. Pairing with Christian Blöcker, the nation’s 71st-ranked tandem has gone 16-9, including a 5-4 record versus ACC competition at the No. 1 position.
Carrega has also put together strong play in doubles this season, pairing with All-American Carl Sundberg at the No. 3 spot.
Following this weekend, the Hurricanes head north to Cary, N.C. for the ACC Tournament from Apr. 22-25.
– 30 –
