No. 3 Miami Closes Out Difficult Stretch with Loss in Texas
March 14, 2011
WACO, Texas – The third-ranked University of Miami women’s tennis team lost the final match of its difficult two-week stretch in a 5-2 decision that went the way of No. 9 Baylor Monday afternoon at the Baylor Tennis Center.
The match wrapped up a stretch that saw Miami (11-4) play six matches in a span of 13 days, with five of the matches coming against Top 25 opponents. The `Canes picked up wins over No. 4 Michigan, No. 21 Georgia Tech, No. 11 Clemson and TCU, while their only losses were against No. 6 North Carolina and No. 9 Baylor.
“We just went through the toughest two-week stretch anyone in country has faced this year,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “And this program is better for it. It would have been nice to have won all six matches, but winning four of six was a huge accomplishment. We are certainly holding our heads high right now.”
The Bears jumped out to an early lead in doubles and singles and maintained control throughout.
Up 1-0 after wins at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, Baylor quickly made it 3-0 in singles play when 51st-ranked Nina Secerbegovic beat 66th-ranked Kayla Rizzolo, 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3 and Taylor Ormond picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 6 over Brittany Dubins.
The remaining four singles matches were close in either the second or third set when 11th-ranked Sona Novakova pulled off a mild upset of 10th-ranked Bianca Eichkorn, 6-3, 6-3, in the top singles spot.
“They were just better than us today,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Their ability to win points in numerous spots was too much for us to overcome. We competed hard but they had the better team today.”
With Baylor having already clinched the match, Melissa Bolivar gave Miami its second point with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 win at No. 5 over 70th-ranked Karolina Filipiak before Gabriela Mejia dropped a close 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 match to 94th-ranked Jelena Stanivuk at No. 4.
The 27th-ranked tandem of Eichkorn and Bartenstein improved their record together this spring at UM’s No. 1 doubles spot to 13-2 with an 8-7 win over Nina Secerbegovic and Jelena Stanivuk.
Following Monday’s match, the Hurricanes will return to campus and get back on the practice courts to begin preparing for the season’s second half. UM won’t play another match until traveling to Virginia for a pair of matches against Virginia and Virginia Tech on March 26 and 27 respectively.
“Our girls are mentally and physically exhausted right now,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “But they competed their tails off over the last 13 days and despite a minor speed bump against TCU, we learned from it, bounced back and we are better for it now.
“I learned a lot about how tough we are,” Yaroshuk-Tews added.
For additional coverage of UM’s women’s tennis team, visit www.TheUTennis.com.
#9 Baylor 5, #3 Miami 2
Mar 14, 2011 at Waco, Texas (Baylor Tennis Center)
Singles
1. #11 Sona Novakova (BU) def. #10 Bianca Eichkorn (MIA) 6-3, 6-3
2. #75 Anna Bartenstein (MIA) def. #36 Diana Nakic (BU) 7-5, 6-3
3. #51 Nina Secerbegovic (BU) def. #66 Kayla Rizzolo (MIA) 6-1, 6-2
4. #94 Jelena Stanivuk (BU) def. Gabriela Mejia (MIA) 6-1, 2-6, 7-5
5. Melissa Bolivar (MIA) def. #70 Karolina Filipiak (BU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
6. Taylor Ormond (BU) def. Brittany Dubins (MIA) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
1. #27 Bianca Eichkorn/Anna Bartenstein (MIA) def. Nina Secerbegovic/Jelena Stanivuk (BU) 8-7 (9-7)
2. Diana Nakic/Taylor Ormond (BU) def. Gabriela Mejia/Melissa Bolivar (MIA) 8-2
3. Sona Novakova/Karolina Filipiak (BU) def. Brittany Dubins/Kayla Rizzolo (MIA) 9-8 (7-3)
Miami 11-4; National ranking #3
Baylor 9-2; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3,1); Singles (3,6,1,2,5,4)
