Shirokova, Perez-Somarriba Repeat as ACC Weekly Honorees
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the second week in a row, Estela Perez-Somarriba and Ulyana Shirokova of the University of Miami women’s tennis team swept the ACC weekly awards, as announced Tuesday evening by the conference.
Perez-Somarriba garnered her third ACC Player of the Week distinction this season, while Shirokova tallied her second ACC Freshman of the Week honor.
“Consistency is hard, regardless of where you are in your life,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Consistency in college athletics can be a constant battle. I’m proud of these ladies, but want to state again that it’s not about March.”
Ranked a career-best ninth in the country, Perez-Somarriba tallied a trio of wins in the top spot last week, including two of top-25 players. First, she defeated then-No. 25 Paige Hourigan of sixth-ranked Georgia Tech, 6-3, 5-7, 6-2, to clinch Miami’s 4-3 road victory.
Perez-Somarriba followed that with a 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (11-9) triumph over then-No. 16 Alle Sanford of top-ranked North Carolina. The Madrid native’s final singles win of the week was a 6-1, 6-1 defeat of then-No. 46 NC State’s Adriana Reami to move to 15-0 on the spring.
Shirokova went 4-1 across singles and doubles on the week, including winning both of her completed doubles matches alongside sophomore Dominika Paterova. They posted a 6-3 victory against Georgia Tech’s Nadia Gizdova and Johnnise Renaud, as well as a 6-3 defeat of North Carolina’s Marika Akkerman and Makenna Jones.
The Ufa, Russia, native went 2-1 in singles, downing Victoria Flores, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, to aid the Hurricanes in their triumph at Georgia Tech. She also registered a 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7) comeback win over Tayla Stenta of NC State, upping her spring singles mark to 12-2.
Perez-Somarriba, Shirokova and No. 19 Miami (9-4, 5-1 ACC) return to action Friday at 3 p.m., against No. 21 Virginia in Charlottesville, Va.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
