W. Tennis Tops Virginia Tech, 5-1, to Reach ACC Semis
By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com
Results | Season Stats | Match Highlights | Photo Gallery
CARY, N.C. – The fourth-seeded University of Miami women’s tennis team defeated No. 13-seed Virginia Tech, 5-1, Friday in the ACC Championship quarterfinals at Cary Tennis Park.
With the triumph, No. 15 Miami (16-6, 11-3 ACC) won its seventh match in a row secured a 10th berth in the conference semifinals since joining the ACC in 2005.
“I was happy with their composure. I thought we fought really hard against a good Virginia Tech team,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “That team was hot. That team is, hands down, playing 50 percent better than they were when we saw them two weeks ago. I think we did a great job, stayed calm and played hard. So, all in all, happy to get our feet wet in the ACC tournament.”
Virginia Tech (14-12, 3-11 ACC) won the opening doubles match, as Nika Kozar and Nina Sorkin logged a 6-1 victory over sophomore Dominika Paterova and freshman Ulyana Shirokova. Miami, though, did not lose a game on either court the rest of the way.
The No. 79-ranked pair of sophomore Estela Perez-Somarriba and junior Daniella Roldan took the last six games of their match to top Caroline Daxhelet and Natalie Novotna, 6-1.
Senior Sinead Lohan and junior Ana Madcur won the final five games of their contest against Sarah Baron and Katherine Butler to post a 6-3 victory and give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead.
“I think that Siny and Ana stepped up at the right time. They cut down the unforced errors,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “[Associate head coach Laura Vallverdu] put in some formations that were effective and they were able to execute. Court one was just dominant, doing what we need to do. When [Daniella and Estela] are both playing a certain style of tennis, they complement each other really well. They got off to a little bit of a slow start in the first game, but I think from that point forward, they were in complete control.”
The Hokies began singles play by evening the score, as Kozar registered a 6-1, 6-0 triumph over Madcur.
No. 64 Lohan put the Hurricanes back in front with a 6-4, 6-3 victory against Daxhelet and third-ranked Perez-Somarriba made it a 3-1 margin moments later. The Madrid native moved to 12-1 versus top-90 players this spring by downing No. 71 Novotna, 7-6 (7-5), 6-4.
Roldan sealed the match for Miami, recording a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 comeback decision over Elena Cerezo-Codina.
“Roldan played an amazing singles match. [Cerezo-Codina is] a good player she [works really hard] out on the court,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She was forcing Dani to hit one more ball. For Dani to be playing as aggressively today with the amount of composure she had, I think shows how far she has come and I’m really happy with her tennis today.”
With simultaneous match points being played at the same time, Shirokova also earned a win, defeating Butler, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, to give the Hurricanes five points in an ACC Championship match for the first time.
When play was halted, Paterova was also one game away from victory, as she held a 6-4, 6-5 lead on Sorkin.
Miami is now 17-12 all-time in ACC Championship play, including 16-10 at Cary Tennis Park, 7-2 as the fourth seed and 1-0 against Virginia Tech.
The Hurricanes will now take on top-seeded and third-ranked Duke Saturday at 10 a.m. in their third straight semifinal appearance, live on ACC Network Extra.
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. 79 Estela Perez-Somarriba/Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Caroline Daxhelet/Nataline Novotna (VT), 6-1
2. Nika Kozar/Nina Sorkin (VT) def. Dominika Paterova/Ulyana Shirokova (UM), 6-1
3. Sinead Lohan/Ana Madcur (UM) def. Sarah Baron/Katherine Butler (VT), 6-3
Singles Competition
1. No. 3 Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. No. 71 Natalie Novotna (VT), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
2. No. 64 Sinead Lohan (UM) def. Caroline Daxhelet (VT), 6-4, 6-3
3. Daniella Roldan (UM) def. Elena Cerezo-Codina (VT), 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
4. Nika Kozar (VT) def. Ana Madcur (UM), 6-1, 6-0
5. Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Katherine Butler (VT), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
6. Dominika Paterova (UM) vs. Nina Sorkin (VT), 6-4, 6-5, unf.
