Canes Enter the 2012 Season Ranked No. 11
Jan. 5, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team will enter the season ranked No. 11 in the nation, as announced by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) on Wednesday.
The Hurricanes, who ended their 2010-11 season with an appearance in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, entered last season ranked No. 12 and finished the year with a team record of 21-7. In the final poll of the 2010-11 season, Miami earned a No. 7 ranking.
“We’ve never been a program that’s focused on rankings,” Head Coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “But we’re thrilled with being No. 11. It’s a testament to all our hard work in the fall and last spring.”
The Hurricanes return many of their key contributors from their deep postseason run, including senior Anna Bartenstein. The Graz, Austria native, who finished the fall season with a 20-5 record, earned a spot at No. 15 in the first national singles rankings of 2012.
Gabriela Mejia, who finished last season with a 25-9 overall record (19-6 in dual match play), enters the season ranked No. 39 singles. The Cali, Colombia native ended last year with wins in nine of her final 11 singles matches, and finished the fall with a 6-1 record.
“I’m excited to see our two seniors lead this program,” Coach Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They are two young women who I know will be leaders on and off the court. We’re excited to get the season underway.”
The Hurricanes are one of seven teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference nationally ranked in the top 20. The other representatives from the ACC are: Duke (No. 3), North Carolina (No. 4), Virginia (No. 9), Georgia Tech (No. 13), Clemson (No. 14) and Florida State (No. 17).
Bartenstein is one of only three ACC players ranked in top 20 singles. The two others are Beatrice Capra of Duke (No. 7) and Lauren McHale of North Carolina (No. 16).
The Hurricanes open their season with the Eagles Invite hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University (Jan. 14 – Jan. 16) in Fort Myers, Fla. After a home exhibition with Barry University on Jan. 21, the Hurricanes will serve as one of 15 hosts to ITA Kick-Off Weekend beginning Jan. 28.
