W. Tennis Finishes First Day at Miami Invite
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – On the opening day of the Miami Invite, the Miami Hurricanes collected an impressive total of 13 wins, including a crucial doubles match over a 23rd-ranked duo from Auburn.
“I think we had a pretty good start today,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Players are implementing what we are focusing on in practice. As a coach that’s all we can ask of this team.”
Starting off the day in doubles, the Canes picked up six wins and saw two pairs advance to tomorrow’s doubles final of both orange and green flights.
27th-ranked Monique Albuquerque and Clementina Riobueno continued their strong play, blanking Erin Stephens and Iris Verboven of Ole Miss by an 8-0 margin. In the second round just an hour later, the Canes’ duo topped Barry’s Elisabeth Abanda and Kimmy Twelker by an 8-3 final score.
As the top seed in the green doubles draw, Melissa Bolivar and Kelsey Laurente defeated Barry’s Akemi Maehama and Cristina Valladeres 8-4. In the second round, facing Auburn’s Michala Kucharova and Reka Muller, the Miami team prevailed again 8-1 to earn a spot in the green doubles final Saturday morning.
Stephanie Wagner and Brittany Dubins, playing their first match together of the fall, opened the orange doubles draw with a win over second-seeded and 23rd-ranked Jackie Kasler and Jen Pfeifler of Auburn by a final score of 8-6. In the second round, Wagner and Dubins fell to No. 24 Caroline Rohde Moe and Marija Milutinovic from Ole Miss by an 8-5 score.
In the green doubles bracket, Deborah Suarez and Lina Lileikite were defeated by Purdue’s Nicole Robinson and Claudia Escribens by a score of 8-5.
On the singles side, Miami notched six wins from Lileikite, Albuquerque, Laurente, Wagner, Dubins, and Bolivar.
Albuquerque came into the match playing very well over the last few weeks and continued on that Friday, dominating her first round opponent, Lynda Xepoleas of Purdue, 6-0, 6-3. Lileikite came off just minutes after her, after finishing off Ole Miss’ Allie Robbins 6-1, 6-1.
In orange singles play, No. 54 Laurente defeated Ole Miss’ Erin Stephens fairly easily, coming away with a 6-3, 6-3 win. Wagner, the second-seeded player in the orange singles draw and ranked No. 52, breezed by Purdue’s Nicole Robinson 6-2, 6-2.
Bolivar and Dubins both collected green singles wins for the Hurricanes in their first fall matches. Bolivar bested her opponent, Andjela Djokovic of Purdue, 6-3, 6-4. Dubins prevailed in a hard-fought win over Claudia Escribens (Purdue), 6-4, 6-3.
In the orange doubles championship tomorrow, Albuquerque and Riobueno will face 25th-ranked Caroline Rohde Moe/ Marija Milutinovic from Ole Miss, and in the green doubles championship, Laurente and Bolivar will see Purdue’s Nicole Robinson and Claudia Escribens. Doubles is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. with singles beginning at the conclusion of doubles.
Singles
No. 52 Stephanie Wagner (Miami) def. Erin Stephens (Ole Miss) 6-3, 6-3
No. 54 Kelsey Laurente (Miami) def. Nicole Robinson (Purdue) 6-2, 6-2
Daniela Vidal (Purdue) def. No. 69 Clementina Riobueno (Miami) 6-2, 6-4
Monique Albuquerque (Miami) def. Lynda Xepoleas (Purdue) 6-0, 6-3
Melissa Bolivar (Miami) def. Andjela Djokovic (Purdue) 6-3, 6-4
Lina Lileikite (Miami) def. Allie Robbins (Ole Miss) 6-1, 6-1
Brittany Dubins (Miami) def. Claudia Escribens (Purdue) 6-4, 6-3
Reka Muller (Auburn) def. Deborah Suarez (Miami) 6-3, 6-2
Doubles
No. 27 Albuquerque/Riobueno (Miami) def. Stephens/Verboven (Ole Miss) 8-0
Laurente/Bolivar (Miami) def. Djokovic/Davila (Purdue)
Wagner/Dubins (Miami) def. No. 23 Kasler/Pfeifler (Auburn) 8-6
Lileikite/Suarez (Miami) def. Robinson/Escribens (Purdue) 8-5
Rohde Moe/Milutinovic (Ole Miss) def. Wagner/Dubins (Miami) 8-5
No. 27 Albuquerque/Riobueno (Miami) def. Abanda/Twelker (Barry) 8-2
Laurente/Bolivar (Miami) def. Kucharova/Muller (Auburn) 8-1
Lileikite/Suarez (Miami) def. Miro/Goia (Barry) by default
