Miami Marches on to Fourth Straight Elite Eight

May 18, 2012

ATHENS, Ga. – The University of Miami’s Melissa Bolivar won a three-set thriller at No. 4 singles to clinch the Canes 4-2 victory over seventh-seeded UNC in the NCAA Sweet 16 match-up that lasted into the early morning hours of Friday.

The win sends the 10th-seeded Hurricanes into the NCAA’s Elite Eight for the fourth straight year and sixth time in the last seven seasons.

After winning the always important doubles point, Miami dropped singles matches at Nos. 5 and 3 as the Tar Heels’ Tessa Lyons defeated Liat Zimmermann (6-1, 6-1) and the 104th-ranked Caroline Price upended No. 71 Lina Lileikite (6-3, 6-1), respectively.

However, UM senior and 18th-ranked Anna Bartenstein and sophomore Brittany Dubins quickly put Miami back on top, 3-2, defeating No. 38 Zoe De Bruycker (6-2, 6-4) and late replacement Haley Hemm (6-0, 6-4).

It appeared that No. 27 Gabriela Mejia would clinch the match at No. 2 singles, but North Carolina’s 106th-ranked Shinann Featherston stayed alive long enough to set up Bolivar’s three-set clincher.

Miami earned the doubles point in dramatic fashion. Just moments after UM’s 20th-ranked duo of Bolivar and Zimmermann fell to the Heel’s No. 4 squad of Featherston and McHale, the 76th-ranked tandem of Mejia and Lileikite came back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat the 81st-ranked team of Lyons and Hemm, 8-4.

The point came down to Bartenstein and Dubins at No. 3, where they defeated UNC’s Caroline Price and Gina Suarez-Malaguti, 8-6.

In their regular season meeting with North Carolina, the Hurricanes failed to take the doubles point in the 4-3 loss.
The start of the match was delayed two hours and 20 minutes due to a thunderstorm that passed through Northeast Georgia.

Miami will enjoy an off day Friday before facing in-state foe and second-ranked Florida on Saturday. The match is scheduled to start at 4 p.m. The Gators defeated Michigan, 4-0, on Thursday to advance.

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (5,3,1,6,4)