@CanesWTennis Hosts No. 2 OSU and No. 32 VT
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team is halfway through its four-match homestand and up next is its highest-ranked opponent of the season. After that comes a return to conference play to close the stretch.
No. 12 Miami (7-4, 3-2 ACC) will take on the second-ranked team in the country, Ohio State (15-1, 1-0 B1G), Wednesday at 11 a.m. and will then face No. 32 Virginia Tech (10-4, 3-2 ACC) Friday at 11 a.m. Both matches will be at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center and entry is free to all fans.
The Buckeyes have won eight matches in a row and feature the third-ranked singles player in the nation, Francesca Di Lorenzo, who won the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships title in the fall.
In addition, Sandy Niehaus is No. 91 in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings and Olivia Sneed checks in at No. 113.
Miho Kowase and Anna Sanford form the second-ranked doubles duo in the country, while Ferny Angeles Paz and Niehaus are ranked No. 38. Kowase also teams with Sneed in the No. 73 position.
Miami is 5-1 all-time against Ohio State, including 3-0 at home. The teams have met just once in the past 15 years, a 4-2 home victory for the Hurricanes during 2014 ITA Kick-Off Weekend.
The Hurricanes are 16-1 in their series against Virginia Tech, with a 9-0 mark at home. Their lone loss was last season, 4-3, in Blacksburg, Va.
Francesca Fusinato is one of two Hokies in the Oracle/ITA singles rankings, holding the No. 58 spot, while Carolina Daxhelet is ranked No. 117. Virginia Tech does not have any ranked doubles duos.
Ohio State and Virginia Tech will be the 12th and 13th ranked opponents in a row faced by Miami, with 11 of those in the top 40.
Sixth-ranked Stephanie Wagner, a senior, leads four Hurricanes who are ranked in singles. Sinead Lohan follows her at seventh in the country and then fellow sophomore Yolimar Ogando, who has yet to play in 2016 due to injury, checks in at No. 39. Another sophomore, Wendy Zhang, is ranked No. 103.
In doubles, Wagner and Zhang come in at No. 10 in the nation. Lohan and freshman Clara Tanielian form the No. 55 pair in the Oracle/ITA doubles rankings and Wagner teams with senior Clementina Riobueno at No. 76.
Live stats for both matches will be available HERE. The ESPN3 broadcast of Miami’s match against Ohio State can be found HERE, while its contest against Virginia Tech will be on ESPN3 HERE.
For more information on the University of Miami women’s tennis program, follow @CanesWTennis.
