Hurricanes set to face Princeton and Georgia Tech
March 19, 2012
CORAL GABLES, Fla.- The No. 12 University of Miami women’s tennis team will be rounding out its eight match homestand with two tough matchups this Tuesday and Wednesday March 21and 22 at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
The Hurricanes are coming off 6-1 victories against Baylor and Yale this past week and have won their last eight matches.
Miami’s first matchup will feature the team’s second consecutive Ivy League opponent in the Princeton Tigers. Princeton currently sits at No. 61 in the most recent ITA rankings and has compiled a 6-7 record on the season.
Headlining the roster for the Tigers is Hilary Bartlett. The No. 87-ranked senior is coming off a big win against No. 35 Courtney Collins of Memphis, where she won in straight sets 6-3, 6-1. Bartlett also has teamed up with Lindsay Graff to achieve a No. 29 ranking in doubles with an 8-3 record.
“We’re expecting Princeton to be very competitive, and similar in style to Yale’s team,” said coach Yaroshuk-Tews. “They’re going to be a team that comes out and requires us to step up and dictate play, the things we’ve been focusing on all season.
On Wednesday, the Canes will resume ACC competition against a strong Georgia Tech squad. The 6-6 Yellow Jackets are coming into Wednesday’s match ranked No. 25 in the country, and they boast the nation’s No. 22-ranked singles player in Jillian O’Neill. The senior is 9-5 this spring, having faced a host of ranked opponents. Currently on a four-game winning streak, O’Neill should make for a great matchup for UM’s Anna Bartenstein at the No. 1 singles position.
“Georgia Tech is a very well-coached team,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We know a lot of the patterns and the style that they play, but again it is going to come down to us stepping on the court, dictating play, and realizing and maneuvering through the patterns that are coming at us.”
Miami has not faced Princeton all too often, but the team is coached by Megan Bradley-Rose, a two-time All American at Miami underneath Coach Yaroshuk-Tews. In last year’s meeting between UM and Georgia Tech, Miami won a close 4-3 match.
