W. Tennis Trips to P.R. College Challenge

W. Tennis Trips to P.R. College Challenge

CORAL GABLES, Fla. When the University of Miami women’s tennis team begins play at the Puerto Rico College Challenge Friday, it will be both a homecoming for sophomore Yolimar Ogando and a piece of history for the Hurricanes.

Miami’s participation in the event will mark the first time ever that the program has competed outside the continental United States.

The Hurricanes join Georgia, Illinois and Mercer in the Puerto Rico College Challenge, which will be held at Surfside Las Palmas del Mar Resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Miami is set to begin play Friday at 10:00 a.m. with four doubles matches against pairs from Mercer. Each of the eight Hurricanes will then play a singles match against a Bears player at 11:00 a.m.

Play on Saturday will start at 8:00 a.m. when three Miami doubles duos square off against a trio of pairs from Georgia. One hour later, seven Hurricanes will take the court against members of the Bulldogs in singles action.

Times for Sunday have yet to be announced, but Miami players will be facing members of the Fighting Illini on the final day of the event.

Miami is coming off a successful opening weekend to the season that saw Ogando, a Carolina, Puerto Rico native who is ranked No. 94 by the ITA, win the Orange Singles Draw title at the Miami Fall Invite. Freshman Clara Tanielian and sophomore Wendy Zhang also earned the Orange Doubles Draw crown in the tournament, defeating a pair of fellow Hurricanes, freshman Ana Madcur and senior Clementina Riobueno, in the final.

Additionally, senior Stephanie Wagner, ranked sixth in the country, earned the 100th and 101st victories of her career at the Oracle/ITA Masters in Malibu, Calif. en route to the singles consolation draw finals.

For more information about the University of Miami women’s tennis program, follow @HurricaneTennis.