Perez-Somarriba Finishes First in ITA Southeast Region
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – For the first time in the University of Miami women’s tennis team’s nine years as a member of the ITA Southeast Region, a Hurricane concluded the season in the top spot of the singles rankings.
Sophomore Estela Perez-Somarriba placed first in the region, edging five fellow ITA All-Americans for the top position, as announced Friday morning. The last Miami player to end a season in the No. 1 spot of the regional rankings was Julia Cohen, who did so in 2009, the Hurricanes’ last year in the South Region. In four of the past eight years a Miami representative took second place on the regional singles list, including Perez-Somarriba in 2017.
Perez-Somarriba, the ACC Player of the Year and ITA National Player to Watch, concluded the season fifth nationally, leading a group of seven regional players in the top 25. The Madrid native went 39-8 in 2017-18, including 20-5 against ranked foes, 28-3 in the spring and 23-2 at the No. 1 singles position.
Senior Sinead Lohan checked in at No. 10 in the final regional rankings, her fourth top-10 in as many seasons. A two-time ITA All-American, Lohan placed fifth in 2017 and 2015, as well as second in 2016.
A native of Waterford, Ireland, Lohan posted a 29-8 singles record in her final collegiate campaign to wrap up her career at 130-35, good for the fourth-most wins in program history. She went 20-6 in the spring and earned the No. 70 spot in the year-end national rankings.
In doubles, Perez-Somarriba and junior Ana Madcur teamed up to form the region’s eighth-ranked duo. The pair logged a 10-5 record together, going 4-1 in the fall and 6-4 in the spring. They defeated the lone ranked doubles duo they faced, No. 19 Emma Kurtz and Christina Rosca of Vanderbilt, the eventual NCAA Team Championship runner-up.
As a team, the Hurricanes concluded the campaign fifth in the ITA Southeast Region. Six teams in the region ended the year top-25 in the nation and three others made the top 75. Miami went 5-0 against teams from its region, including 4-0 versus schools that earned year-end rankings.
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