Freshman Class Provides Unique Depth to Miami's Lineup
Feb. 10, 2011
By: Rob Dunning
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – University of Miami head women’s tennis coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews is faced with a problem she hasn’t really had to deal with in a long time, if ever. The `Canes have too many talented players and not enough positions to play them in.
“This is undoubtedly the deepest team that I have ever carried as long as I have been a coach,” said Yaroshuk-Tews, who is now in her 10th season atop the program. “We are incredibly solid at the top of the lineup this year, but we are as strong at the bottom as we have been for quite some time, mostly at the No. 6 position.”
The team’s depth, specifically at the bottom of the line-up, is thanks to a talented freshman class that has already made a noticeable impact. It starts with the play of Melissa Bolivar and Brittany Dubins, who have opened the season at No. 4 and No. 6 respectively for the 10th-ranked `Canes.
Both are 3-0 and have already come through in big moments.
“Brittany and Melissa have been doing an incredible job,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “The way they stepped up for us last weekend against a strong Arizona State team was impressive. They seemed to be very mature and they seemed to be very disciplined. They didn’t look like freshmen out there. It is rare for freshmen to come out and play like that.”
The early success of Bolivar and Dubins is even more impressive if you factor in that neither participated in the fall. Bolivar, a native of Colombia, was a late enrollee and joined the team in January while Dubins, a Miami native, was sidelined with an injury her first collegiate semester.
“The reason they are playing is because I know they are great competitors, but you’re never sure how freshman are going to respond,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Both of them looked like upperclassmen last weekend…it really says a lot about the confidence they have in themselves.”
In addition to Bolivar and Dubins, who Yaroshuk-Tews says has “barely scratched the surface of her potential”, the `Canes boast two more freshmen – Kayla Rizzolo and Bistra Otashliyska – that have made their mark already, despite having yet cracked the lineup.
“I told Bistra and Kayla a week ago they are the best seven and eight this program has ever had,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “As their coach, I care about these kids, care about them improving and care about them seeing their hard work through.
“Kayla Rizzolo has worked extremely hard from Day One and I’m hoping soon she’ll be able to reap the rewards of all of her hard work,” Yaroshuk-Tews added. “And my expectations for Bistra are very, very high. Once her expectations reach my expectations, this kid is going to be very successful.”
Miami’s success this season – like it always has – obviously starts at the top, where All-America Bianca Eichkorn is among the top players in the country and the Hurricanes’ clear-cut No. 1 player. The second-winningest student-athlete in program history, Eichkorn is the team’s lone senior and any success the team has clearly starts and ends with her.
“I think that Bianca is one of the top eight players in the country, Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She is the leader of the team, there’s no doubt about that.”
In addition to Eichkorn, junior Anna Bartenstein (No. 2), sophomore Danielle Mills (No. 3) and junior Gabriela Mejia (No. 5) have all made recent strides and Yaroshuk-Tews is just as quick to point that out as she is to give praise to her young players.
That said, this team is about their top-to-bottom talent. One through eight.
The `Canes are deep, probably deeper than they have ever been. It’s a nice problem to have, given that at any point in time there are more-than-capable players waiting in the wings and ready to step in at any moment.
“It’s important to be strong throughout the roster and I think that we finally have that,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “From top to bottom, every one of our girls is willing and able to get the job done for us. That’s not easy to find.”
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On tap this weekend……
The Hurricanes will play host to FIU Friday at noon and FSU Sunday at 10:30 a.m. this weekend at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
This will be the second meeting between Miami and FIU (1-4) this spring as the ‘Canes defeated the Panthers, 5-2, during the ITA Kick-Off Weekend on Jan. 29. The match-up against FSU is the first this season.
Admission to all UM women’s tennis matches are free to the public.
WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Miami vs. FIU – Friday, Feb. 11, 12 p.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center
Miami vs. Florida State – Sunday, Feb. 13, 10:30 a.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center
