W. Tennis Shut out Hokies, 4-0, on Senior Day
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
Results | Season Stats | ACC Stats | Senior Day Video | Photo Gallery
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team posted a 4-0 victory over Virginia Tech Sunday at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center in its final home match of the regular season.
No. 16 Miami (13-6, 9-3 ACC) honored its lone senior, two-time ITA All-American Sinead Lohan, prior to the match and then controlled play from start to finish to blank the Hokies.
“I think they came out and, predominantly, just played disciplined and did what we needed to do,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said of the Hurricanes’ performance.
The Hurricanes opened the day with a dominant showing in doubles play. The No. 88-ranked duo of sophomore Dominika Paterova and freshman Ulyana Shirokova topped Sarah Baron and Shene Disbergen, 6-2, for the first win.
Moments later, sophomore Estela Perez-Somarriba and junior Daniella Roldan, ranked No. 78, notched a 6-2 triumph over Nika Kozar and Caroline Daxhelet to clinch the doubles point.
The No. 77-ranked pair of Lohan and junior Ana Madcur were at match point with a 5-1 edge on Natalie Novotna and Nina Sorkin when play came to a halt.
“We got off to a little bit of a slow start in doubles,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “I think we played a little lower than our level at the beginning. Then, we were able to turn it and raise the level, I’d say third or fourth game in, for the remainder of the match, but when you’re playing one set, you’ve got to be careful.”
Paterova earned the first win in singles play, registering a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Baron to double Miami’s lead.
Third-ranked Perez-Somarriba then defeated No. 62 Novotna, 6-1, 6-3, to move to 20-1 this spring. The Madrid native is now 11-1 versus top-90 opponents in 2018.
Roldan clinched the triumph over Virginia Tech (12-9, 3-9 ACC), battling through a close first set and then rolling past Kozar for a 7-5, 6-2 victory.
“Stela played another great match. Dani is playing better tennis. Domi is playing well,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “All in all, I think it was just a solid day.”
When play was halted, Madcur and Shirokova both had second-set leads after dropping the first. The former’s score against Sorkin was 2-6, 4-3, while Shirkova’s mark against Butler was 5-7, 4-0.
In her last home match as a Hurricane, No. 64 Lohan held a 6-2, 3-6, 1-0 edge on Daxhelet when action came to a halt.
“Lohan, she is a special kid,” Yaroshuk-Tews said of the 2016 NCAA Singles Championship semifinalist. “All these kids are special, but Sinead Lohan is going to go down in the books as probably one of the most solid individuals who has ever walked through this program. Obviously, we are sad to see her go, but we’re happy to have been able to have her here for four years and she’s not done yet.”
This is the first time Miami has logged back-to-back shutouts since Feb. 24 and March 3, when it earned 4-0 triumphs against Georgia State and Pittsburgh respectively. Yaroshuk-Tews now has 141 shutout wins in her 17 years at the helm of the Hurricanes, with 84 coming since 2009.
The Hurricanes concluded the regular season at 6-1 in home matches, marking the 11th time Yaroshuk-Tews has guided a team to one or zero home losses in the regular season.
Miami will open the final weekend of regular season play Friday in Louisville, Ky., where it squares off with Louisville at 3 p.m.
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. 78 Estela Perez-Somarriba/Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Nika Kozar/Caroline Daxhelet (VT), 6-2
2. No. 77 Sinead Lohan/Ana Madcur (UM) vs. Natalie Novotna/Nina Sorkin (VT), 5-1, unf.
3. No. 88 Dominika Paterova/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Sarah Baron/Shene Disbergen (VT), 6-2
Singles Competition
1. No. 3 Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. No. 62 Natalie Novotna (VT), 6-1, 6-3
2. No. 64 Sinead Lohan (UM) vs. Caroline Daxhelet (VT), 6-2, 3-6, 1-0, unf.
3. Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Nika Kozar (VT), 7-5, 6-2
4. Nina Sorkin (VT) vs. Ana Madcur (UM), 6-2, 4-3, unf.
5. Katherine Butler (VT) vs. Ulyana Shirokova (UM), 7-5, 0-4, unf.
6. Dominika Paterova (UM) def. Sarah Baron (VT), 6-2, 6-1
