Future is Bright for UM Tennis
BYWALTER VILLA
SPECIALTO THE MIAMI HERALD
Paige Yaroshuk-Tews, adozen years into her tenure as the winningest women’s tennis coach in MiamiHurricanes history, said this season’s freshman class is the program’s bestever.
That’s sayingsomething because the Canes have reached the NCAA Tournament’s Elite Eight insix of the past seven years and have been ranked among the nation’s top 20every week since 2004.
The Canes (6-2), withfour freshmen among their eight players, are currently ranked 12th in thenation and have already been tested by four schools that were in the top 25 atthe time they played, including No. 2 UCLA. The Canes split with those fourteams and gave the Bruins a challenge before falling, 4-2.
Here’s a closer lookat the Canes’ fresh four:
Kelsey Laurente isranked No. 52 in the country, the highest ranking of all Canes players.Laurente, a Miramar native who earned her high school online so she couldtravel to play in tennis tournaments, is also the shortest UM player at 5-3.
“Kelsey is the fastestkid I’ve ever coached,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She could play for hours. She’ssmart and crafty yet powerful.”
Laurente said herranking is an honor.
“But that’s not wheremy mind is at,” she said. “I just want to remain humble. I love to be on thecourt. If I could stay on the court all day, I would.”
Clementina Riobueno, anative of Venezuela, is ranked No. 104 nationally and that could rise becauseshe is 8-0 so far this season.
“She grew up playingon clay courts and has incredible hands,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She has a bigserve, a huge forehand, and she can finish at the net.”
The coach saidRiobueno also has the biggest personality among the freshmen.
“Every time I lookover, the kid is dancing and joking,” the coach said. “She’s a ball of fire.”
Added Riobueno: “I’mlike that – happy.”
Stephanie Wagner isranked No. 42 in the nation as a doubles player, combining with UM sophomoreLina Lileikite. Wagner is from Germany, and there is a pretty decent precedentfor a tennis player named Steffi coming out of that country (Graf).
“Wagner probably hitsthe ball harder on a consistent basis than any kid I’ve ever coached,”Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She’s a tough cookie. She hates to lose at anything,whether it’s an argument or a tennis match.”
The Canes previouslyhad great success with a recruit from Germany = former All-American BiancaEichkorn, who in 2011 set the UM career record with 133 singles wins.
Now they have Wagnerand her power game. “My game is to make the opponent run,” Wagner said.
Deborah Suarez, who isfrom Weston, also did her high school courses online. Her mother was a topjuniors player in Venezuela, and her aunt was No. 1 in the nation among18-under.
Suarez, meanwhile, isoff to an 8-1 start at Miami.
In addition to thefour freshmen, the Canes have another first-year college player in MoniqueAlbuquerque. The sophomore from Brazil may be the best player on the team eventhough she has yet to win a college match.
Albuquerque arrived oncampus in the fall of 2011 but had to sit out last season and part of this yeardue to NCAA eligibility issues. She has practiced for the past year but hasn’tcompeted in many tournaments in the past 18 months, and the rust has showed.
Yaroshuk-Tews said shecould have started Albuquerque toward the bottom of the lineup and eased herentry into college tennis. But she opted against that plan and used her at No.1 singles, where she went 0-3 in her first college tournament.
“I have a lot of faithin Monique,” the coach said. “For us to get to where we want to go (in theplayoffs), Monique has to be introduced to those (top players at No. 1singles). I think she belongs at No. 1.”
The coach saidAlbuquerque may be the “sweetest kid” she’s had in the program and would liketo see her get tougher on the court.
In Miami’s most recentmatch, a 4-2 loss to No. 14 Northwestern, the Canes used, in order from No. 1singles to No. 6: Albuquerque, Lileikite, Laurente, Wagner, Riobueno andSuarez.
That’s four freshmenand two sophomores in the top six. Junior Melissa Bolivar, who is fromColombia, played doubles.
Junior BrittanyDubins, who is from Miami Krop, is 3-0 and playing the best tennis of her life,according to her coach. But Dubins has to battle for playing time on a suddenlydeep roster.
Last year, the Caneshad no depth – just the minimum six players needed to field a team.
“I spent a lot ofrestless nights worrying if one of my kids would sprain an ankle,”Yaroshuk-Tews said. “This year, I spend restless nights because I have to telltwo kids who have been busting their butts in practice that they won’t beplaying this match.”
From a teamstandpoint, it’s a good problem to have. Even better for Canes fans is thereality that this team will be together through the 2014 season. That givesthis group two tries at winning a national title.
“We’ve talked aboutnot just peaking this May,” the coach said, “but even more so next May.”
