How Men's Tennis Made Its Way Back to NCAAs
By Teodor Handarov
HurricaneSports.com
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – After a seven-year-long wait, the University of Miami men’s tennis team will once again play on the national stage, heading for Gainesville, Fla., for the program’s 23rd NCAA Team Championship appearance.
The Hurricanes (14-12, 4-8 ACC), ranked No. 40 in the latest edition of the Oracle/ITA national rankings, drew Atlantic Sun champion North Florida in the opening round and will face the Ospreys (13-9, 6-0 ASUN) at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Alfred A. Ring Tennis Center.
In case of a victory Saturday, the Canes will face the winner of the matchup between round host Florida and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference champion South Carolina State (10-6, 4-0 MEAC). The Gators (16-9, 9-3 SEC) are seeded No. 13 in the tournament and ranked No. 10 nationally.
Miami’s first “dance” since 2011 did not officially become a reality until the NCAA selection show on May 1, but on several occasions this season the Hurricanes indicated that they belong in the 64-team field that will determine the national champion.
Here are four key components to the equation that helped a team with eight victories in 2016 return to the largest stage in men’s collegiate tennis:
THE SCHIFF
One thing that Miami did all season long was take care of business at home at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. The Canes took down three top-40 opponents in Coral Gables, including then-No. 23 NC State (March 25), then-No. 38 Louisville (April 1) and what turned out to be a ticket-punching victory against then-No. 22 Duke (April 20) in the final week of the regular season. Overall, Miami went 12-2 at home this season, the program’s best home winning percentage (.857) in 12 years. Those victories ranged from six shutouts in non-conference play to nail-biting, court-rushing triumphs against the Wolfpack and the Blue Devils.
Only top-ranked Wake Forest (March 23) and then-No. 7 North Carolina left the Schiff victorious this season, with Miami pushing the then-undefeated Demon Deacons to the limit in a 4-3 loss.
THE COACHES
Second-season head coach Aljosa Piric and the assistant that came with him to Coral Gables, Petar Danolic, are the only two people on Miami’s current roster who have experience at the NCAA Championship on the men’s side. Coincidentally, that came in 2011 – the same year Miami last played in the championship – during his time as an assistant at Georgia Tech, which went on to advance to the Round of 16. Danolic made four NCAA appearances as a standout player at Texas Tech and later helped the Red Raiders to another trip to the national stage as an assistant coach.
As all coaches do, Piric and assistant coach Petar Danolic tried several singles and doubles lineups early in the season, which proved effective with Miami sitting at 6-2 through eight matches, the team’s best record at that stage since 2013. By the time ACC play heated up, the coaches had determined a solid six-man singles and doubles cores that were adjusted at a spot or two according to the opponent.
Perhaps the key lineup change this season came at UCF on March 18, when the coaching staff paired up senior Christian Langmo and freshman Adria Soriano for the first time and tabbed them against the Knights’ then-No. 11 duo of Korey Lovett and Eero Vasa. The two Hurricanes rose up to the occasion and recorded a convincing 6-3 victory, earning the ACC Doubles Team of the Week recognition on March 21. They went on to wrap up regular-season play with four ranked victories so far, three of them coming against top-20 tandems.
Currently sitting at No. 30 in the Oracle/ITA doubles rankings, Langmo and Soriano earned Miami’s first NCAA Doubles Championship bid since 2010 and will compete in the 32-tandem field in Winston-Salem, N.C., May 24-28.
THE ROOKIES
Of the eight-player lineup that the Hurricanes were required to submit ahead of the upcoming NCAA Championship, four are true freshmen. While that could be perceived as a worry to some, Miami’s freshman quartet of Soriano, Jankulovski, Pablo Aycart and Tatsuki Shimamoto has not only been pulling its weight, but has also led the team in critical moments. The four have combined for 39 of the team’s 76 singles wins this season and at least one freshman has been featured on a pair that has earned 19 of Miami’s 34 doubles victories in 2018.
Jankulovski leads the way with nearly half of those victories and will be seeking his 20th dual win against the Ospreys. The Skopje, Macedonia, native had no problem adjusting to the ACC, finishing the regular season with a 9-2 singles record while playing in spots 2 through 4. Just one other Hurricane – veteran Langmo – grabbed as many as five ACC singles wins.
Two of the aforementioned resume-building ranked victories were clinched by freshmen. Jankulovski sank NC State with an emphatic win over Georgiy Malyshev, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-5), but a fortnight later it was Shimamoto who earned the victory that will commemorate the 2018 season for years to come. Trailing Jefferson Dockter of then-No. 42 Virginia at No. 6, the Japan native came back to a 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 victory to hand the Cavaliers their first home ACC loss in 12 years, with the previous also coming to the Hurricanes.
THE EXPERIENCE
In addition to Langmo, who has shared the top singles spot with Soriano and earned Miami’s first postseason point against NC State in the ACC Championship, the returners, including two additional seniors and redshirt sophomore Dane Dunlap, have contributed as much to Miami’s return to the national stage. Niclas Genovese saved the best of his career for last with a career-best 10 spring victories, winning six of his first seven matches and eight of his first 10. Genovese has established a never-quit mentality, earning five of his wins – two in ACC play – after dropping the first set.
Nile Clark, who began the season ranked in the top 50 in doubles play, has made his impact early in the matches this spring. Over the course of the season, he has played and won at each of the three doubles positions to go into the NCAA Championship with a total of nine doubles victories with a combined four different partners.
Whatever happens in Gainesville this weekend, there is one thing that is certain: the Hurricanes earned their way there and will enjoy the ride, however long it lasts.
For all of the latest news around Miami’s men’s tennis team, follow @CanesMensTennis on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram,or go to HurricaneSports.com.
