Miami Moves Up to No. 3, Ready to Play UNC on Wednesday
March 8, 2011
CORAL GABLES, Fla.– A day before the University of Miami will host North Carolina in another crucial Atlantic Coast Conference women’s tennis match, the Hurricanes moved all the way up to No. 3 in the latest Campbell/ITA Rankings.
Miami, who was previously ranked 12th, improved to 10-2 this season with wins over No. 4 Michigan, No. 21 Georgia Tech and No. 11 Clemson last week.
“The ranking says a lot about our kids and the commitment they have put in this season,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “That said, rankings have never been our focus and they won’t be going forward, but it’s nice to see all of our hard work pays off.”
The wins over the Yellow Jackets and Tigers improved Miami’s conference record to a perfect 3-0 and kept the `Canes atop the ACC standings.
The Hurricanes won’t have any time rest however, as another daunting week lies ahead. On Wednesday, Miami will host No. 6 North Carolina at 2 p.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Then it is off to Texas, where the `Canes will take on TCU on Saturday and No. 7 Baylor on Monday, completing a brutal two-week stretch to open the month of March.
But for now, the focus is on the Tar Heels.
“Obviously we have played some great matches lately,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “And like we did last week, we’re looking to make it a physical match out there.”
The contest will be North Carolina’s first against an ACC opponent this spring. The Tar Heels are 8-3 overall.
“We need to come out and play solid doubles again,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “The last three matches we have played a lot better. We need to keep our attention on that tomorrow.”
The Hurricanes are led by All-America senior Bianca Eichkorn, who earned ACC Player of the Week honors on Tuesday after recording three wins against ranked opponents in the No. 1 singles position last week. Eichkorn, who is ranked 10th nationally by the ITA, improved to 11-1 overall and 3-0 this spring in UM’s top singles position. It was her second ACC Player of the Week honor this season.
She is joined at the top of the line-up by Anna Bartenstein, who has won four straight matches at UM’s No. 2 position. Together, the 27th-ranked tandem Eichkorn and Bartenstein is 11-1 this spring in the Hurricanes’ top doubles position.
Eight of UM’s 10 wins this season have come against ranked opponents, including all three of its ACC wins.
Wednesday will mark yet another test.
“Rather than focusing on the team on the other side of the net, we need to keep our focus on us,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We need to have confidence in ourselves and play together with another tough week ahead of us.
“North Carolina is a great team and I am expecting another exciting ACC match,” Yaroshuk-Tews added.
Admission to Wednesday’s match is free to the public.
For additional coverage of UM’s women’s tennis team, visit www.TheUTennis.com.
