Miami's Vallverdu Storms into NCAA Singles Semifinals
May 29, 2010
Athens, Ga. – University of Miami all-time singles wins leader Laura Vallverdu earned her second consecutive bid to the semifinals of the NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles Tournament on Saturday, upsetting third-seeded Maria Sanchez of Southern California in straight sets (6-3, 6-0) at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga. UM junior Bianca Eichkorn fell in her quarterfinals match in a tough straight-set decision (6-4, 6-4) to fourth-seeded Hilary Barte of Stanford.
Vallverdu, a four-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference member from Valencia, Venezuela, was facing off against USC’s Sanchez for the second time on the 2009-10 campaign. The two met back in October during the ITA/Riviera All-American Championships consolation round, with Vallverdu taking a straight-set (6-2, 6-4) decision from the top-flight player for the Women of Troy.
UM women’s tennis head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said on Friday that Vallverdu is playing some of the best tennis she has played all season. In Saturday’s rematch between the east coast/west coast combatants of Vallverdu and Sanchez, that statement from the 2009 ACC Coach of the Year [Yaroshuk-Tews] was evident early and often for the now four-time All-American for the `Canes.
Eighth-seeded Vallverdu came out playing solid tennis, and surged to her fourth consecutive win in singles play, by virtue of a 6-3, 6-0 triumph over Sanchez. For Vallverdu, the win was also her sixth consecutive turned in with straight-set lines. It also marks Vallverdu’s ninth win in her last 10 NCAA Singles Tournament matches, finishing last season as the NCAA Singles Runner-Up.
“I came out really hot today, and I wanted to play a great match,” stated Vallverdu afterwards. “I was really methodical in my play, and I was focused on doing all the right things in order to try and win the match. I just wanted to go out and play great tennis today, and that’s exactly what I was able to accomplish, and it got me the win.”
Vallverdu will now meet second-seeded Jana Juricova of the University of California on Sun., May 30, with a time to be determined later on Saturday evening. Juricova earned a trip to the semifinals after collecting a 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 victory over Baylor’s Nina Secerbegovic in her quarterfinals contest.
In other UM singles action, Miami junior Bianca Eichkorn, competing in her first-ever NCAA Singles Quarterfinals match, fell to fourth-seeded Hilary Barte of national champion Stanford in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4. Eichkorn finishes the season with a record of 31-5, and enjoyed a 27-match win streak dating back to January as part of the Michigan Invitational.
Eichkorn, now a two-time All-America selection for the `Canes, finished the year with the second-most wins on the roster (31), and picked up a record of 12-3 against nationally-ranked competition. It also serves as her second-straight 30-win campaign, after collecting a school sophomore-best 40 wins from a season ago.
In doubles action, Miami’s sixth-ranked team of Gabriela Mejia and Laura Vallverdu saw their title run end in the NCAA Doubles Quarterfinals, falling in a tough two-set affair against UCLA’s fourth-seeded crew of Andrea Remynse and Yasmin Schnack. The `Canes duo fell on scores of 7-6(9) and 6-2.
Mejia and Vallverdu end their season with a record of 27-6 together overall, in what was their first season on the courts together as a team. The finished the year 14-3 together in dual play, all at the No. 1 line for the `Canes.
With the University of Georgia serving as host for this year’s men’s and women’s championships, all matches are being played at either the Henry Field Courts or the McWhorter Courts inside the Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
There will be links to live scoring and live video of each match played at the NCAA Tournament Central page here: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-tennis/champpage/c-tennis-div1-index.html. If rain forces play to move indoors, then there will not be live video, and only live scoring.
