Miami Makes Quick Work of VCU in NCAA Doubles Action
May 26, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. – The University of Miami’s fifth-ranked doubles team of Bianca Eichkorn and Anna Bartenstein advanced out of the opening round of the NCAA Doubles Championship with a 6-0, 7-5 win over VCU’s 33rd-ranked tandem of Alex Bara and Kateryna Yergina Thursday afternoon at the Taube Family Tennis Stadium.
The win moves the Canes into the Round of 16, where they will face Washington’s 13th-ranked Venise Chan and Denise Dy, who defeated NC State’s Sanaa Bhambri and Sandhya Nagaraj late Wednesday night. The match between Miami and Washington has been slated for 6 p.m. PST.
“Anna and Bianca are a solid team and they continue to show that down the stretch,” assistant coach Alex Santos said. “Their progression this season has been impressive. They have continued to improve as the season has gone on and there’s no doubt they are ready for this stage.
“I know they will play the tennis they are capable of playing no matter who they will face tomorrow.”
Miami was in complete control over VCU throughout the first set, cruising to a comfortable 6-0 win to grab the early lead. In the second, Eichkorn and Bartenstein kept things going in their favor by taking a quick 4-1 lead. However, VCU finally got on track by winning the next four games to take a 5-4 lead. That would be it for the Rams though as UM battled to win the next three to take it in straight sets.
“In this type of tournament it is always important to start off on the right foot and we did that today,” Santos said. “We went into the match with the right mentality and played with efficiency. VCU played better in the second set, but I think it was important for us to be tested and respond the way we did in the end.”
The win improved Eichkorn and Bartenstein’s mark as teammates to 32-4 overall, 25-2 in dual match play and 15-3 against ranked opponents. The victory was their 14th straight and their 20th in their last 21 matches together.
For live scoring of Miami’s doubles match on Friday, click here.
For additional coverage of the Canes at the NCAA Championships, click here.
NCAA Doubles Results
Stanford, Calif.
Taube Tennis Center
Round of 32
#5 Bianca Eichkorn/Anna Bartenstein def. #33 Alex Bara/Kateryna Yergina, 6-0, 7-5
