No. 9 Women's Tennis Blanks No. 35 NC State
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Any questions about the strength of the University of Miami women’s tennis team was answered today as the 9th-ranked Hurricanes blanked conference foe No. 35 North Carolina State, 7-0, this afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The Hurricanes improve to 3-1 in ACC play and 12-3 overall on the dual season.
“I think we are really starting to compete harder, consistently,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Whenever we walk out of here and it is a six-one win, a five-two win or a four-three win, as a coach I still walk out of here with a bad taste in my mouth because you have three points, two points or one point that you did not bring in.”
| No. 35 NC State vs. No. 9 Miami | |||||||||||
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| #1 Singles | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Joelle Kissell | 6 | 0 | 3 | ||||||||
| No. 104 Stephanie Wagner | 3 | 6 | 6 | ||||||||
| #2 Singles | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Tatiana Illova | 3 | 2 | |||||||||
| No. 73 Kelsey Laurente | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| #3 Singles | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Rachel James-Baker | 3 | 6 | |||||||||
| Lina Lileikite | 6 | 7 | |||||||||
| #4 Singles | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Chloe Smith | 0 | 3 | |||||||||
| Monique Albuquerque | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| #5 Singles | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Elisha Hande | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| No. 122 Clementina Riobueno | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| #6 Singles | 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||||||
| Christy Spies | 3 | 1 | |||||||||
| Melissa Bolivar | 6 | 6 | |||||||||
| #1 Doubles | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Joelle Kissell/Tatiana Illova | 6 | ||||||||||
| No. 31 Lina Lileikite/Stephanie Wagner | 8 | ||||||||||
| #2 Doubles | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Elisha Hande/Rachael James-Baker | 6 | ||||||||||
| Clementina Riobueno/Monique Albuquerque | 8 | ||||||||||
| #3 Doubles | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Chloe Smith/Sophie Nelson | 1 | ||||||||||
| Melissa Bolivar/Kelsey Laurente | 8 | ||||||||||
“We have not seven zeroed a team in a long time and a team of this caliber in a long time,” Yaroshuk-Tews added. “So I think it is important that we are building on the consistency. On every court we are becoming a little more thorough.”
Miami controlled the match from the start, as the Hurricanes captured yet another doubles point. It was Miami’s No. 3 duo of Melissa Bolivar and Kelsey Laurante that set the tone in doubles, as the pair throttled Chloe Smith and Sophie Nelson for a quick 8-1 victory on court three. The No. 31 doubles tandem of Stephanie Wagner and Lina Lileikite, who are one of three ranked doubles teams for Miami, clinched the doubles point for the Hurricanes behind a tough 8-6 victory over Joelle Kissell and Tatiana Illova on court one, helping the Canes to an early 1-0 advantage.
Doubles competition was played out after the point was clinched and Miami grabbed yet another doubles victory, as Clementina Riobueno and Monique Albuquerque downed Elisha Hande and Rachael James-Blake for another 8-6 victory on court two.
Today marks the seventh consecutive match the Hurricanes have won the doubles point, six of which have come against ranked opposition.
Miami began singles competition with the same intensity it displayed in doubles, grabbing five first set wins, including a dominant 6-0 victory on court four from freshman Monique Albuquerque.
Albuquerque quickly finished off Chloe Smith in the second frame with a 6-3 victory, giving Miami its first of five straight set wins and a 2-0 lead.
Bolivar was close behind, polishing off the Wolfpacks’s Christy Sipes in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1 on court six, putting Miami up 3-0 in the match.
No. 112 Clementina Riobueno clinched the victory for the Hurricanes, as the freshman standout downed Elisha Hande, 6-1, 6-4 on court five. Today’s victory gave Riobueno her 12th singles win on the dual season, tied for the most on the team.
Despite already clinching the match, the Hurricanes showed it still had some fight left, as it claimed the remaining three matches to remain perfect on the day.
No. 73 Kelsey Laurente improved Miami’s lead to 5-0 with a another straight sets victory on court two, downing Tatiana Illova 6-3, 6-2.
Lina Lileikite got the better of Rachael Blake-James at third singles, grabbing Miami’s fifth straight set victory, 6-3, 7-6.
No. 104 Stephanie Wagner was able to keep Miami unblemished on the day, as the Amberg, Germany native grabbed her team-leading 12th singles of the season, downing Joelle Kissell in a tough three-setter, 3-6, 6-0, 6-2.
Despite pulling out a tough win today, Wagner believes today’s match offered more than just an improvement in the win column.
“It just makes me a lot stronger,” Wagner said. “I have to be composed and mentally tough to beat these players. I have to win every single point because every player is going after it.”
Coach Yaroshuk-Tews understands the difficulty in beating tough opponents consistently and believes the mental toughness of her team is the key.
“Not having mental lapses is important when you are playing in this conference and when you are playing as many matches we are playing back to back.” – Yaroshuk-Tews added.
The Hurricanes will return to action on Saturday, March 30, hosting conference foe Wake Forest at 1 p.m.at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
For more information on the University of Miami women’s tennis team, visit HurricaneSports.com. To follow the UM women’s tennis team socially, visit Twitter.com/HurricaneTennis.
Singles Results
1. #104 Stephanie Wagner (MIA) def. Joelle Kissell (NCSU) 3-6,6-0,6-2
2. #73 Kelsey Laurente (MIA) def. Tatiana Illova (NCSU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Lina Lileikite (MIA) def. Rachel James-Baker (NCSU) 6-3, 7-6
4. Monique Albuquerque (MIA) def. Chloe Smith (NCSU) 6-0, 6-3
5. #122 Clementina Riobueno (MIA) def. Elisha Hande (NCSU) 6-1, 6-4
6. Melissa Bolivar (MIA) def. Christy Spies (NCSU) 6-3, 6-1
Doubles Results
1. #31 Stephanie Wagner/Lina Lileikite (MIA) def. Joelle Kissell/Tatiana Illova (NCSU) 8-6
2. Clementina Riobueno/Monique Albuquerque (MIA) def. Elisha Hande/Rachel James-Baker (NCSU) 8-6
3. Melissa Bolivar/Kelsey Laurente (MIA) def. Chloe Smith/Sophie Nelson (NCSU) 8-1
