Hurricanes To Face Clemson in ACC Championship Quarterfinals
CARY, N.C. – The sixth-ranked and third-seeded University of Miami women’s tennis team will open play at the 2011 Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Tennis Championship when it takes on No. 6 seed Clemson Friday at approximately 5 p.m. inside the Sheffield Center on Duke University’s campus.
The match, which was orginally scheduled outdoors at 3 p.m. at the Cary Tennis Park, was moved inside and back due to rain in the area.
The Hurricanes (17-5, 9-2 ACC) will be playing Clemson (19-9, 6-5) in the tournament’s quarterfinal round after the Tigers defeated No. 11 seed Virginia Tech, 4-1, in the tournament’s first round on Thursday.
“Obviously we are expecting to play a good match and I think it is going to be important for our girls to come out and set the tone early in singles and set the tone early in doubles,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “What I have noticed from Clemson is that if you give them the momentum, they will take it, but if you take it away from them they kind of have trouble creating their own. I think that is going to be very important for us tomorrow.”
The third-seeded Canes were joined No. 1 seed Duke, No. 2 seed North Carolina and No. 4 seed Virginia in having a first round bye. The championship, which runs from April 21-24, got underway on Thursday with Florida State, Georgia Tech and NC State joining Clemson in moving on to the quarterfinal round.
In addition to action getting underway on the courts, the conference announced Thursday morning that Miami senior Bianca Eichkorn was named the 2011 ACC Player of Year.
Eichkorn is coming off one of the more memorable seasons in program history, as she went a perfect 11-0 against ACC opponents at UM’s No. 1 singles spot. The seventh-ranked player also tied the program’s record for all-time singles wins, matching her former teammate Laura Vallverdu with 131 career victories. Eichkorn currently has a record of 31-6 overall and 20-2 in dual match play in Miami’s top singles position.
Her teammate and doubles partner, Anna Bartenstein, was also honored Thursday as she joined Eichkorn on the All-ACC team. Bartenstein went 10-1 at No. 2 during the ACC season and is currently ranked 48th nationally.
The Hurricanes defeated Clemson, 6-1, earlier this year, but the match was played indoors and Clemson’s line-up has changed since.
Live scoring for Friday’s match can be found here.
Miami has not lost to an opponent outside of the Top 10 this season. The Hurricanes have also won seven of their last eight matches heading into this week’s tournament.
“I think the girls are in a good spot,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They are ready to play and we are excited for this tournament.”
For additional coverage of UM’s women’s tennis team, visit www.TheUTennis.com.
2011 ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS CHAMPIONSHIP
April 21-24; Cary Tennis Park
Cary, NC.
Friday April 22
Quarterfinals
9 a.m. – No. 1 Duke vs. No. 8 NC State
Noon – No. 4 Virginia vs. No. 5 Florida State
Noon – No. 2 North Carolina vs. No. 7 Georgia Tech
3 p.m. – No. 3 Miami vs. No. 6 Clemson
Saturday, April 23
10 a.m. – Semifinal
1 p.m. – Semifinal
Sunday, April 24
11 a.m. – Championship match
