Miami Set for ACC Women's Tennis Championships
April 21, 2010
Complete Tournament Notes in PDF Format 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The 11th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team is set for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championships, beginning Thurs., Apr. 22, at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C. Miami finished as the runner-up at last year’s ACC Championships, advancing to the finals for the third time since joining the league prior to the 2005 campaign.
Miami (17-4, 10-1 ACC) finished the conference season with its lone loss (L, 4-3) coming at the hands of top-ranked North Carolina on Apr. 17 in Chapel Hill. The Hurricanes enter the championships as the No. 2 seed in this year’s field, and will face the winner of No. 7 Georgia Tech and No. 10 Virginia Tech in its opening round match on Fri., Apr. 23, at Noon.
The Hurricanes have rolled off wins in 14 of their last 15 matches. They are led by four ranked players, including the play of their top three in singles play.
The top-ranked player for Miami is senior three-time All-American Laura Vallverdu, sitting at No. 8 in this week’s Campbell/ITA singles poll. Vallverdu enters the championships sporting a team-leading 29 wins, sitting 29-10 overall on the year (17-4 dual). She turned in a 9-2 record against league opponents this year, falling to the nation’s top-ranked player Irina Falconi of Georgia Tech, as well as Sanaz Marand of UNC last weekend.
All-America junior Bianca Eichkorn is ranked No. 31 this week, claiming her highest position in the Campbell/ITA poll since the preseason rankings back in the fall. Eichkorn enters working on a 21-match win streak since Jan. 17, 2010, at the Michigan Invitational. The Tengen, Germany native holds a record of 25-4 overall on the year, and holds a perfect record of 20-0 in the spring.
Also ranked for UM are sophomores Anna Bartenstein (No. 84) and Gabriela Mejia (No. 87). Bartenstein is currently second on the team for singles wins, holding a record of 28-5 overall (18-3 dual). Mejia has the second-best spring record of any Hurricane on this year’s roster, collecting a record of 20-1 thus far. Mejia is 26-3 overall on the 2009-10 slate.
Mejia and Vallverdu are ranked No. 7 in this week’s doubles poll, and own a team-leading 21 wins together on the campaign. In the spring, the two have combined for a record of 10-3, and enter the ACC Championships working on a seven-match winning streak at the No. 1 doubles position. Also ranked as a doubles team is Bartenstein and Eichkorn, ranking No. 37 this week. As a team, Bartenstein and Eichkorn have turned in a record of 15-3 on the year, while owning an 11-1 record in the spring. They have also won seven straight entering the championships.
On the year, Miami went 2-0 against its possible first round opponents from Georgia Tech and Virginia Tech. The Hurricanes posted a 5-2 win over the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech on Mar. 24 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, while the Yellow Jackets were ranked No. 13 at the time. The `Canes took a 5-1 decision over the Virginia Tech Hokies, also at home in Coral Gables, with a shortened match played without the doubles competition due to impending weather.
North Carolina earned the top seed in this week’s field, turning in a perfect 11-0 record in ACC play. Following the Tar Heels as the top three seeds are the `Canes (No. 2) and Clemson (No. 3).
Miami is 115-26 in its singles matches this year, including a commanding 43-7 performance in the `Canes last eight matches–five of those coming against nationally ranked competition. The Hurricanes have dropped just seven singles matches on the campaign at the No. 1 through No. 3 positions on the court.
For more information on the ACC Women’s Tennis Championships, please log on to www.theacc.com. The official tournament website can be accessed by clicking here. Once there, you will find live updates for all matches, a complete release from the ACC Office, as well as agate schedule/results.
