No. 11 Women's Tennis Takes Down No. 7 Duke, 4-3

April 18, 2010

Results | Complete Results (PDF)

Durham, N.C. – The No. 11 Miami women’s tennis team erased an early 3-1 deficit on Sunday, coming back to claim a 4-3 upset win of defending national champion and No. 7 Duke in ACC action at Ambler Tennis Stadium in Durham, N.C.

Miami (17-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) began the day with a chance to earn the No. 2 seed in the upcoming ACC Championships. However, to do so the Hurricanes would need a victory on the road over the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils (19-6, 7-4).

The `Canes opened the match with two quick wins in doubles play to claim the all-important doubles point. The 53rd-ranked team of Miami’s Anna Bartenstein and Bianca Eichkorn laid claim to an 8-3 triumph at the No. 2 spot from the 66th-ranked Duke team of Monica Gorny and Mary Clayton. The win was the seventh consecutive for the UM duo, improving their overall record to 15-3 on the year, and raised their spring record to 11-1.

The UM doubles point was clinched at the No. 1 spot behind the power of the sixth-ranked tandem of Gabriela Mejia and Laura Vallverdu, as the two took down Duke’s 47th-ranked team of Amanda Granson and Ellah Nze, 8-6. The win improved the UM duo’s record for the year at 21-5 and raised their spring performance to 10-3. They have also won seven consecutive for the Hurricanes at the No. 1 spot.

“We came out and played great doubles today,” said UM women’s tennis head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews. “The wins in doubles play got us off to a great start.”

However, in singles play Duke proved why they are the defending national champs by adding three straight points to move ahead 3-1 in the match. The Blue Devils’ Amanda Granson collected a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Miami freshman Danielle Mills at the No. 4 position. Monica Gorny staked a 6-2, 6-1 straight-set victory at the No. 6 spot over UM senior Claudia Wasilewski to move Duke ahead, 2-1.

The Blue Devils then added to the lead on court three with the strength of 36th-ranked Reka Zsilinszka, turning in a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Miami’s 79th-ranked Anna Bartenstein.

With sophomore Gabriela Mejia trailing a set at the No. 5 spot, All-American junior and 34th-ranked Bianca Eichkorn brought the `Canes to within 3-2 as she walked off the courts after turning in a 6-2, 7-6(5) victory over 77th-ranked Elizabeth Plotkin at the No. 2 position. For Eichkorn, the win was her 21st consecutive, and upped her season record to 25-4 (20-0 dual).

Miami’s 96th-ranked Mejia then gathered herself at the No. 5 spot for UM, fighting from behind to claim a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win from Duke’s Mary Clayton, knotting the match at 3-all. In the process, Mejia registered her 15th consecutive singles win and brought her season record to 26-3 (20-1 dual).

The match hung in the balance with all eyes on the No. 1 singles position, watching Miami’s three-time All-American senior and sixth-ranked Laura Vallverdu battle with Duke’s 50th-ranked Ellah Nze on court one.

Nze took the opening set, 7-6(5), before Vallverdu battled back to claim a 6-4 win in the second. In the third, Vallverdu managed another come-from-behind win to tally a 6-4 win, giving UM the match victory in the process. For Vallverdu, the win proved to be her 29th of the year, raising her season record to 29-10 (17-4 dual).

“We got down in the match and it wasn’t looking good, but the competitive spirit that came out of Laura Vallverdu, Gabriela Mejia and Bianca Eichkorn was something that I haven’t seen in a long time,” stated Yaroshuk-Tews. “These girls bled orange and green today, and their efforts were nothing short of remarkable. The match could have gone against us in a bad way, and before we knew it – we had a match on our hands.”

The Hurricanes conclude the regular season with a 17-4 record, and end 10-1 in the ACC. They claimed the No. 2 seed in the upcoming ACC Championships at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. The ACC Championships begin Thurs., Apr. 22, and will run through the championship match scheduled for Sun., Apr. 25.

“With a crowd against them and everything looking like it was going downhill fast, the girls held their own and came away with a remarkable effort, once again,” continued Yaroshuk-Tews. “The effort from Mejia, Vallverdu and Eichkorn today was nothing short of remarkable. I couldn’t be happier when our backs were against the walls, and we battled back to get a great win against a great team on the road today.”

No. 11 Miami 4, No. 7 Duke 3

Singles
1. #6 Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. #50 Ellah Nze (DUKE) 6-7 (5-7), 6-4, 6-4
2. #34 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. #77 Elizabeth Plotkin (DUKE) 6-2, 7-6 (7-5)
3. #36 Reka Zsilinszka (DUKE) def. #79 Anna Bartenstein (UM) 6-3, 6-3
4. Amanda Granson (DUKE) def. Danielle Mills (UM) 6-3, 6-0
5. #96 Gabriela Mejia (UM) def. Mary Clayton (DUKE) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2
6. Monica Gorny (DUKE) def. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) 6-2, 6-1
Order of Finish: (4, 6, 3, 2, 5, 1*)

Doubles
1. #6 Gabriela Mejia/Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. #47 Amanda Granson/Ellah Nze (DUKE) 8-6
2. #53 Anna Bartenstein/Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. #66 Monica Gorny/Mary Clayton (DUKE) 8-3
3. Elizabeth Plotkin/Reka Zsilinszka (DUKE) vs. Danielle Mills/Claudia Wasilewski (UM) 7-4, unfinished
Order of Finish: (2, 1*)