No. 14 W. Tennis Ready for Tough ACC Stretch

No. 14 W. Tennis Ready for Tough ACC Stretch

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — With six matches to play in the regular season, the Miami Hurricanes women’s tennis team (14-2, 8-0 ACC) has positioned itself for another postseason run.

Head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews believes the final six matches will bring tremendous challenges, but even better opportunities.

“We have set numerous goals for this program, both individually and as a team, and we are hoping that they will come to fruition in the next month,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “This team is in a great spot physically and we are ready to play our best tennis.  The great thing about having a group of returners is that we can speak honestly and openly about our future.”

Of the Hurricanes’ final six opponents, three were listed in the Top 10 of the latest ITA Women’s rankings. Among those teams, four players are listed in the singles Top 10.  

Next weekend’s matches will test the Hurricanes as Miami plays the 6th-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels on Saturday, April 5, and – less than 24 hours later – faces off against No. 1 Duke. The Canes singles players will face the top-ranked singles player in the country Jamie Loeb, fifth-ranked Beatrice Capra, seventh-ranked Hayley Carter, No. 24 Ester Goldfeld and No. 31 Hanna Mar.

It doesn’t get any easier on the doubles end, where Miami will compete against third-ranked Loeb and Carter (UNC), sixth-ranked Capra and Mar (Duke) and 11th-ranked Whitney Kay and Caroline Price (UNC).

“We welcome playing some of the best competition in the country on a weekly basis,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We stress short memories.  At this point, it’s not about a good weekend. It’s about putting ourselves in the best possible position for the NCAA tournament from a seeding perspective.”

Miami enters its most difficult stretch of the season as one of the hottest teams in America, winners of its last 10 matches and flawless in ACC play up to this point. In addition to two ranked singles players (No. 31 Kelsey Laurente and No. 61 Stephanie Wagner) and two ranked doubles teams (No. 23 Albuquerque/Riobueno and No. 27 Laurente/Bolivar), the Hurricanes have three players and a doubles team entering the match against North Carolina on 10-match win streaks. 

Monique Albuquerque, Melissa Bolivar and No. 61 Wagner are each undefeated in ACC play and winners of their last 10. Bolivar and doubles partner Clementina Riobueno have also won 10 in a row and are 16-1 overall this spring. Collectively, the Hurricanes’ doubles teams have posted an .848 winning percentage this spring and have not lost an ACC doubles point since April 12, 2013.

Ranked 14th in the nation, with every player in the lineup bringing postseason experience, the 2014 Miami women’s tennis team has the opportunity to finish with one of the best regular seasons in program history. But more importantly, this experienced and battle-tested group is primed for a deep NCAA tournament run.

“This is an amazing team ready for the tough road ahead,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “These kids are warriors and we’re excited to get going.”