@CanesWTennis Topples Second-Ranked Buckeyes, 4-2
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – In a thrilling day at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, the University of Miami women’s tennis team picked up a tremendous 4-2 victory over second-ranked Ohio State.
No. 12 Miami (8-4, 3-2 ACC) dropped the doubles point, but impressed in singles, winning four of five completed matches, to take down the Buckeyes Wednesday afternoon.
“They were all in and I am just so happy for them,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They had to work so hard to get that. They deserve it.”
Ohio State (15-2, 1-0 B1G) got on the board first with the doubles point. Francesca Di Lorenzo and Olivia Sneed picked up a 6-2 win over Miami’s No. 55-ranked duo of sophomore Sinead Lohan and freshman Clara Tanielian.
Within a minute, second-ranked Miho Kowase and Anna Sanford clinched the point for the Buckeyes with a 6-3 victory in their top-10 matchup against senior Stephanie Wagner and sophomore Wendy Zhang, who are ranked No. 10.
Sophomore Silvia Fuentes and senior Clementina Riobueno held a 5-3 lead over Gabriella De Santis and Sandy Niehaus when doubles play was halted.
In singles, seventh-ranked Lohan quickly tied the match for the Hurricanes, turning in a dominant 6-3, 6-1 victory against Sanford.
The Buckeyes came right back to grab the lead, as Kowase earned a tight, 6-4, 6-4, win against No. 103 Zhang.
Freshman Ana Madcur then pulled Miami even once again, picking up the second ranked win of her career and the first not against a fellow Hurricane. The San Juan, Argentina, native came away with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory against No. 113 Sneed.
Seventh-ranked Wagner dropped the first set against Di Lorenzo, ranked third in the country, but found her form for the rest of her match. Wagner avenged her fall defeat against Di Lorenzo in the semifinals of the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, winning 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 to put Miami ahead, 3-2. The victory was Wagner’s fifth in a row against a top-15 opponent.
“Steffi was just relentless. She decided to just hold her ground, stay up on the baseline and just crush balls,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “That’s exactly what we talk to Steffi about doing all the time and that’s what she was able to do today.”
With two matches remaining and the Hurricanes needing one to win, it was Fuentes who clinched the victory for Miami. The native of Ciudad Rodrigo, Spain, finished off a three-set, comeback win against De Santis, 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, sending teammates, coaches and fans into a frenzy.
Tanielian’s match was left unfinished with the score 7-5, 3-6, 5-2 in favor of Ferny Angeles Paz.
Miami’s last win over a top-three-ranked team was April 27, 2013, when the Hurricanes topped second-ranked North Carolina, 4-3, in the semifinals of the ACC Championship. The last time Miami beat a non-ACC team in the top three was May 21, 2006, when it won 4-1 over third-ranked USC in the semifinals of the NCAA Team Championship.
“The girls’ responses and their composure when the momentum shifted a few times in the match was not phased,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They kept their composure and kept their fight.”
The Hurricanes will be back on the court Friday at 11 a.m. when they play host to conference foe No. 32 Virginia Tech.
For more information on the University of Miami women’s tennis team, follow @CanesWTennis.
RESULTS
Doubles Competition
1. No. 2 Miho Kowase/Anna Sanford (OS) def. No. 10 Stephanie Wagner/Wendy Zhang (UM), 6-3
2. Francesca Di Lorenzo/Olivia Sneed (OS) def. No. 55 Sinead Lohan/Clara Tanielian (UM), 6-2
3. Silvia Fuentes/Clementina Riobueno (UM) vs. Gabriella De Santis/Sandy Niehaus (OS), 5-3, unfinished
Singles Competition
1. No. 6 Stephanie Wagner (UM) def. No. 3 Francesca Di Lorenzo (OS) 3-6, 6-2, 6-4
3. Miho Kowase (OS) def. No. 103 Wendy Zhang (UM) 6-4, 6-4
4. Silvia Fuentes (UM) vs. Gabriella De Santis (OS) 5-7, 6-2, 6-2
5. Ferny Angeles Paz (OS) vs. Clara Tanielian (UM), 7-5, 3-6, 5-2, unfinished
