W. Tennis Falls to No. 11 Michigan
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. –The Miami Hurricanes women’s tennis team fell to 11th-ranked Michigan 4-1 on Sunday at the ITA National Team Indoor Championships.
After losing the doubles point to the Wolverines, the Hurricanes lost two singles matches in third-set tiebreakers, which winded up being the decisive factor in the match.
“I’m very disappointed with the effort at three and four singles today,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We can’t take down top teams without everyone showing up. We played great at one and two singles— those kids are competitors and simply came up a breaker short.”
Starting off in doubles, 29th-ranked Monique Albuquerque and Clementina Riobueno were defeated by ninth-ranked Brooke Bolender and Emina Bektas 6-2. Playing in the three-doubles slot, No. 55 Stephanie Wagner and Brittany Dubins came up short against Ronit Yurovsky and Kristen Dodge, also by a score of 6-2.
Two-doubles team Kelsey Laurente and Melissa Bolivar were just about to clinch their match against fourth-ranked Sarah Lee and Amy Zhu when the match was stopped early when the Wolverines clinched the doubles point.
Despite trailing 1-0, Miami’s chances were looking good based on the first sets of the singles matches. No. 64 Laurente, No. 32 Wagner and Albuquerque each won the opening sets of their respective matches.
Albuquerque’s match was the first to end, as she zipped to a 6-2, 6-4 win against Sara Remynse to tie the match at one point apiece.
After jumping out to a 6-4 first-set victory against 21st-ranked Bektas, the momentum turned on Laurente as she dropped the second set 6-1. In the 10-point tiebreaker, Laurente fell in a heartbreaker 12-10.
Playing in the number two singles slot, Wagner also gained a one-set advantage over her opponent, beating No. 20 Yurovsky 6-3. In the second set, Yurovsky bested Wagner in a 6-4 battle. In the Hurricanes’ second third set tiebreaker of the day, Wagner came up short 10-6.
Miami’s Lina Lileikite did her best to battle No. 100 Sarah Lee, but the Michigan No. 3 singles player was too much to handle as she was defeated in straight sets 6-1, 6-2.
Two of Miami’s matches were stopped early, one of which the Hurricanes’ had an advantage in. Bolivar had just prevailed in a tight 7-5 first set against Michigan’s Zhu and was in the middle of the second set when they were stopped.
Yaroshuk-Tews was pleased with the way her five and six singles players played.
“Bolivar played some great tennis at five and Albuquerque got the job done at six even though it wasn’t pretty, Yaroshuk-Tews said”
Riobueno was defeated in a tiebreaker in the first set 7-6 (4) and was tied 2-2 in the second set when it was cut short.
“We need to get better as a unit–it’s that simple,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. These kids have been around this program long enough and know the expectations. The implementation is in their hands.
The Hurricanes return to the courts on Feb. 21 against Maryland. For more information be sure to follow @HurricaneTennis on Twitter.
Singles
1. #21 Emina Bektas (MI) def. #64 Kelsey Laurente (UM) 4-6, 6-1, 12-10
2. #20 Ronit Yurovsky (MI) def. #32 Stephanie Wagner (UM) 3-6, 6-4, 10-6
3. #100 Sarah Lee (MI) def. Lina Lileikite (UM) 6-1, 6-2
4. Clementina Riobueno (UM) vs. Brooke Bolender (MI) 6-7 (4-7), 2-2, unfinished
5. Melissa Bolivar (UM) vs. Amy Zhu (MI) 7-5, 4-5, unfinished
6. Monique Albuquerque (UM) def. Sara Remynse (MI) 6-2, 6-4
Doubles
1. #9 Brooke Bolender/Emina Bektas (MI) def. #29 Monique Albuquerque/Clementina Riobueno (UM) 6-2
2. #4 Sarah Lee/Amy Zhu (MI) vs. #6 Kelsey Laurente/Melissa Bolivar (UM) no result
3. Ronit Yurovsky/Kristen Dodge (MI) def. #55 Brittany Dubins/Stephanie Wagner (UM) 6-2
