Women's Tennis Upset by Georgia Tech in ACC Championships
April 23, 2010
Results| Complete Results (PDF) 
Cary, N.C. – The 11th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team was unable to hold onto the lead Friday, falling in the quarterfinals of the ACC Women’s Tennis Championships to No. 20 Georgia Tech, 4-3, at Cary Tennis Park in Cary, N.C.
Miami (17-5) entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed after collecting a 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference record throughout the regular season. Georgia Tech (16-9) countered as the No. 7 seed, and earned the trip into the quarterfinals with a win over 10th-seeded Virginia Tech on Thursday.
The `Canes opened the day claiming the doubles point with wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 positions.
The 37th-ranked duo of UM’s Anna Bartenstein and Bianca Eichkorn walked off the courts first, turning in an 8-4 triumph over Georgia Tech’s team of Lynn Blau and Hillary Davis at the No. 2 spot. That was followed by the `Canes seventh-ranked tandem of Gabriela Mejia and Laura Vallverdu collecting an 8-4 win from GT’s 21st-ranked team of Irina Falconi and Sasha Krupina at the No. 1 position.
The win for the Bartenstein/Eichkorn duo improved their record to 16-3 on the year, upping their spring record at 12-1. Meanwhile, the win for Mejia and Vallverdu raised their record to 22-5 overall, and 11-3 in the spring. Both doubles teams have turned in wins in their last eight matches.
In singles play, Miami went ahead 2-0 in the match on the strength of 31st-ranked Bianca Eichkorn, as she walked off the courts first via a 6-0, 6-1 decision over GT’s Viet Ha Ngo at the No. 2 position. The win kept Eichkorn’s winning streak alive at 22 matches, and bumped her record for the year out to 26-4 (21-0 dual).
The Yellow Jackets cut into the lead at the No. 1 position, using the play of the nation’s top-ranked Irina Falconi to gain a 6-2, 6-3 win from Miami’s eighth-ranked Laura Vallverdu. Falconi took the earlier meeting between these two opponents in Coral Gables.
The `Canes stretched the lead, 3-1, at the No. 6 position, where senior Claudia Wasilewski used a 6-3, 6-4 line to grab the win from Hillary Davis. The win pushed Wasilewski’s record for the year to 20-12, bringing her record for the spring to 13-7.
Georgia Tech trimmed the UM lead at 3-2 on court four when Lynn Blau posted a 6-3, 7-6 decision over UM freshman Danielle Mills. The match became tied at the No. 5 spot when the Yellow Jackets’ Elizabeth Kilborn defeated 87-ranked Gabriela Mejia in a three-set thriller, 7-5, 1-6, 6-3. The loss for Mejia was just her second of the spring season.
With the match hanging in the balance, the deciding point came down to the No. 3 spot where UM sophomore Anna Bartenstein, ranked No. 84, and Georgia Tech’s Sasha Krupina went to a third set and a tie-break. Krupina took the first set, 7-5, before Bartenstein battled back to post a 6-2 win in the second, forcing the third set.
In the third, Bartenstein went up, 4-2, and led, 6-5, late in the set. Krupina collected the final two points in the set, and posted the 7-6(5) win in the tie-break, advancing the Yellow Jackets into Saturday’s semifinals with the upset victory.
Miami will now await its fate in the NCAA Championships when ESPNEWS broadcasts the NCAA’s selections to the 64-team field on Tues., May 4, at 5 p.m. The selections to the singles and doubles championships will be released on Wed., May, 5 at 6 p.m. Those dates and times will also serve as the selection show for the men’s tennis field of 64 and singles/doubles championships.
No. 20 Georgia Tech 4, No. 11 Miami 3
Singles
1. #1 Irina Falconi (GT) def. #8 Laura Vallverdu (UM) 6-2, 6-3
2. #31 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Viet Ha Ngo (GT) 6-0, 6-1
3. Sasha Krupina (GT) def. #84 Anna Bartenstein (UM) 7-5, 2-6, 7-6 (8-5)
4. Lynn Blau (GT) def. Danielle Mills (UM) 6-3, 7-6
5. Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. #87 Gabriela Mejia (UM) 7-5, 1-6, 6-3
6. Claudia Wasilewski (UM) def. Hillary Davis (GT) 6-3, 6-4
Order of Finish: (2, 1, 6, 4, 5, 3*)
Doubles
1. #7 Gabriela Mejia/Laura Vallverdu (UM) def. #21 Irina Falconi/Sasha Krupina (GT) 8-4
2. #37 Anna Bartenstein/Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. Lynn Blau/Hillary Davis (GT) 8-4
3. Danielle Mills/Claudia Wasilewski (UM) vs. Elizabeth Kilborn/Viet Ha Ngo (GT) 7-5, unfinished
Order of Finish: (2, 1*)
