@CanesWTennis Meets Top-Seeded UNC in ACC Semis
ROME, Ga. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team will make its ninth appearance in the ACC Championship semifinals Saturday afternoon.
No. 32 Miami (12-10, 8-6 ACC), seeded fourth, faces fifth-ranked and top-seeded North Carolina at 1 p.m., at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College. The match was initially scheduled for 2 p.m., but has been moved up due to potential weather issues in the area.
The Hurricanes and Tar Heels met in the ACC Championship title match last year. North Carolina, seeded first and ranked second, earned a narrow 4-2 win over second-seeded and seventh-ranked Miami in a thrilling contest.
Miami is 16-11 all-time in the ACC Championship, including 1-1 versus North Carolina. The only other time the Hurricanes were seeded fourth, in 2013, the Hurricanes beat the top-seeded Tar Heels, 4-3, in the semifinals.
Overall, Miami is 14-14 against North Carolina, including 5-5 on a neutral court. In the regular season matchup this year, the Tar Heels earned a 6-1 road win on March 17.
The Hurricanes opened the ACC Championship by downing No. 12-seed Boston College, 4-0, Friday, while North Carolina topped ninth-seeded Florida State, 4-1.
The Hurricanes have singles two players who are in the ITA national rankings. Junior Sinead Lohan and freshman Estela Perez-Somarriba check in at No. 16 and No. 34, respectively.
In doubles, 16th-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews’ team has one ranked pair, with Lohan and redshirt senior Maci Epstein sitting at No. 73.
North Carolina is 28-2 (13-1 ACC) in 2017 and is on an eight-match winning streak. The Tar Heels have five nationally-ranked singles players: No. 2 Hayley Carter, No. 15 Sara Daavettila, No. 32 Jessie Aney, No. 66 Alexa Graham and No. 97 Makenna Jones.
On the doubles side, Aney and Carter are the top-ranked duo in the country. Carter also pairs with Daavettila in the No. 26 spot.
Saturday’s match will be shown live on ACC Network Extra HERE, with Shawn Kenney and Prim Siripipat on the call. The broadcast is set to feature interviews with both head coaches. Live stats for the Hurricanes’ contest against the Tar Heels will be available HERE.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
