@CanesWTennis Drops 4-2 Decision to No. 10 Baylor
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The University of Miami women’s tennis team’s comeback effort fell short Friday afternoon in a 4-2 defeat against No. 10 Baylor.
Playing at a neutral site, Ohio State’s Varsity Tennis Center, Miami (2-3, 1-0 ACC) pulled even after opening with a 2-0 deficit, but the Lady Bears picked up the final two points to win the match.
“Unfortunately, today was a match of many missed opportunities,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We put ourselves in a position to bring in the doubles point and played soft. The good news is we saw a positive position in doubles; now we need to execute.”
In doubles, No. 18 Blair Shankle and Elizabeth Profit earned a 6-1 victory against redshirt senior Maci Epstein and freshman Dominika Paterova to give Baylor (7-1) the advantage.
Miami held a 4-1 lead in both remaining matches, but was unable to hold on. Rhiann Newborn and Theresa Van Zyl stormed back to defeat sophomore Ana Madcur and freshman Estela Perez-Somarriba, 6-4, to clinch the doubles point. Junior Sinead Lohan and sophomore Clara Tanielian were tied, 5-5, with Jessica Hinojosa and Angelina Shakhraichuk when play was halted.
Shakhraichuk then doubled Baylor’s lead with a 6-2, 6-3 win over junior Silvia Fuentes to start singles play. From there, the Hurricanes began to storm back.
Paterova earned an impressive 6-3, 6-2 victory against Van Zyl to put Miami on the board. Her classmate, No. 76 Perez-Somarriba, followed that with a straight-set triumph of her own, topping Profit, 6-4, 6-2.
“I’m really proud of the freshmen today,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “They played their best tennis I’ve seen so far this year.”
Soon after, both seventh-ranked Lohan and Madcur forced third sets in their respective matches, giving the Hurricanes ample options to complete the comeback.
However, at almost the same time Madcur won her second set, No. 105 Newborn completed a 7-6 (7-3), 6-4 victory over No. 97 Epstein to put the Lady Bears back in front.
In a top-15 showdown, it was Shankle who registered the victory and sealed the match for the Lady Bears, logging a 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, win versus Lohan.
Madcur’s match against Hinojosa was left unfinished with the score sitting at 3-6, 6-3, 1-2.
“The bottom of our singles lineup, which is typically so tough, was out of sorts, which is obviously very frustrating,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Once we get everyone operating on all cylinders, we will be okay. We need to put this behind us, learn some lessons and get ready to play a great OSU team tomorrow.
Miami will return to action on the very same courts Saturday at noon when it takes on second-ranked Ohio State in its final non-conference outing.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
RESULTS
Doubles Competition
1. No. 18 Blair Shankle/Elizabeth Profit (BU) def. Maci Epstein/Dominika Paterova (UM), 6-1
2. Sinead Lohan/Clara Tanielian (UM) vs. Jessica Hinojosa/Angelina Shakhraichuk (BU), 5-5, unfinished
3. Rhiann Newborn/Theresa Van Zyl (BU) def. Ana Madcur/Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM), 6-4
Singles Competition
1. No. 14 Blair Shankle (BU) def. No. 7 Sinead Lohan (UM), 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
2. No. 105 Rhiann Newborn (BU) def. No. 97 Maci Epstein (UM), 7-6 (7-3), 6-4
3. No. 76 Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. Elizabeth Profit (BU), 6-4, 6-2
4. Dominika Paterova (UM) def. Theresa Van Zyl (BU), 6-3, 6-2
5. Jessica Hinojosa (BU) vs. Ana Madcur (UM), 6-3, 3-6, 2-1, unfinished
6. Angelina Shakhraichuk (BU) def. Silvia Fuentes (UM), 6-2, 6-3
