Two Down, Four to Go for the 12th-Ranked Hurricanes
March 5, 2011
ATLANTA – Two down, four to go. The 12th-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team beat No. 21 Georgia Tech, 4-3, Saturday in the second of six straight matches against ranked opponents in a span of 13 days.
The Hurricanes (9-2, 2-0 ACC) also stayed atop the Atlantic Coast Conference standings with the win over the Yellow Jackets (6-5, 1-2 ACC).
After a big non-conference win over No. 4 Michigan on Wednesday, the Hurricanes hit the road for back-to-back ACC matches against Georgia Tech and No. 11 Clemson. Miami’s win on Saturday sets up an even bigger match with the Tigers (10-4, 0-1 ACC) Sunday at 12 p.m. in South Carolina.
The match against the Yellow Jackets opened with the ‘Canes claiming a highly contested doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. When singles play got underway, the ‘Canes clinched pretty quickly with wins at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 4.
Brittany Dubins and Danielle Mills both lost in singles play, but they teamed up to pick up what proved to be a crucial 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles to give UM the early momentum in the match. Moments later, the 27th-ranked tandem of Bianca Eichkorn and Anna Bartenstein secured the point with an 8-6 win of their own at No. 1.
“The doubles point was big for us today,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “It definitely set the tone for the match.”
Tenth-ranked Eichkorn improved to 10-1 in the UM’s No. 1 singles position this spring with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over 84th-ranked Viet Ha Ngo. Her win put the ‘Canes up 2-0.
From there, 75th-ranked Anna Bartenstein made it 3-0 UM with a 6-3, 6-2 win over 40th-ranked Jillian O’Neill at No. 2. Georgia Tech’s Caroline Lilly gave the Yellow Jackets their first point at No. 3, but it wouldn’t matter in the end as freshman Melissa Bolivar secured the Hurricanes’ win with a 6-2, 6-4 triumph over Sasha Krupina in the No. 4 position.
“Bolivar stepped up big at No. 4 for us,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She played great.”
“And our leadership from Eichkorn and Bartenstein was also an important factor today.”
The match was played indoors at the Bill Moore Tennis Center due to inclement weather in the Atlanta area.
“I was happy with the way the team responded to playing inside,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “That is never an easy transition for us.”
Miami will return home after the Clemson match to host No. 5 North Carolina on Wednesday before traveling to No. 75 TCU and No. 7 Baylor next weekend.
Visit HurricaneSports.com.HurricaneSports.com for live scoring for Sunday’s match. For additional coverage of the UM women’s tennis team, visit TheUTennis.com.
No. 12 Miami 4, No. 21 Georgia Tech 3
Singles
1. #10 Bianca Eichkorn (UM) def. #84 Viet Ha Ngo (GT) 6-1, 6-2
2. #75 Anna Bartenstein (UM) def. #40 Jillian O’Neill (GT) 6-3, 6-2
3. #86 Caroline Lilley (GT) def. Danielle Mills (UM) 6-1, 6-4
4. Melissa Bolivar (UM) def. Sasha Krupina (GT) 6-2, 6-4
5. Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. Gabriela Mejia (UM) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-8)
6. Lynn Blau (GT) def. Brittany Dubins (UM) 7-6 (7-4), 6-1
Doubles
1. #27 Bianca Eichkorn/Anna Bartenstein (UM) def. #60 Viet Ha Ngo/Jillian O’Neill (GT) 8-6
2. Sasha Krupina/Elizabeth Kilborn (GT) def. Gabriela Mejia/Melissa Bolivar (UM) 9-7
3. Danielle Mills/Brittany Dubins (UM) def. Rocio Alberca Lopez/Caroline Lilley (GT) 8-6
Match Notes
Miami 9-2, 2-0; National ranking #12
Georgia Tech 6-5, 1-2; National ranking #21
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (1,2,3,4,5,6)
Match played indoors
