W. Tennis Posts 5-2 Victory at Pittsburgh

By Alex Schwartz
HurricaneSports.com

Match Results | Spring Stats | ACC Stats

WEXFORD, Pa. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team recorded its first conference win of the season Friday afternoon with a 5-2 road decision over Pittsburgh.

No. 19 Miami (7-3, 1-2 ACC) logged the first five points of the match inside the Oxford Athletic Club to take its final regular season meeting with the Panthers and move to 6-0 in the all-time series.

“We kept our poise in doubles in a few tough moments and it paid off,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We did some things very well throughout the lineup and still have many things to improve upon. Pitt played with great energy and forced us to come up with some good tennis in a fast environment.”

Junior Yuna Ito and freshman Lucia Marzal, playing together for the first time, got Miami off to a quick start in doubles play by logging a 6-2 decision over Clara Lucas and Camila Moreno.

The Hurricanes were trailing on the other two courts, but junior Estela Perez-Somarriba and sophomore Ulyana Shirokova rallied back on theirs to top Natsumi Okamoto and Luisa Varon, 6-4, and give Miami the doubles point.

In the lone unfinished match, freshman Daevenia Achong and senior Daniella Roldan trailed Claudia Bartolome and Gabriela Rezende, 4-5.

Miami turned in a dominant showing in singles play and earned its three necessary victories in a span of just minutes to clinch the win.

First, Marzal tallied a 6-2, 6-1 triumph over Luca to double the score. Shirokova followed immediately thereafter by downing Okamoto in dominant fashion, 6-0, 6-1.

Seventh-ranked Perez-Somarriba sealed the Miami triumph with her 10th consecutive win, a 6-1, 6-1 decision against Varon.

The remaining three matches were all played out, with Achong’s coming to an end first. The Geleen, Netherlands, native posted a 6-2, 6-3 victory against Rezende.

Each of the final two matches went to three sets and both went Pittsburgh’s way, with Mariona Perez Noguera tallying the Panthers’ first point by defeating freshman Carla Girbau, 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4).

Pittsburgh claimed its final point to cap the match in the closest match of the afternoon, as No. 99 Bartolome edged Roldan, 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 1-0 (10-5).

Up next for Miami is a trip to Blacksburg, Va., where it will take on Virginia Tech Sunday at noon to cap the weekend.

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. Claudia Bartolome/Gabriela Rezende (UP) vs. Daevenia Achong/Daniella Roldan (UM), 5-4, unf.
2. Estela Perez-Somarriba/Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Natsumi Okamoto/Luisa Varon (UP), 6-4
3. Yuna Ito/Lucia Marzal (UM) def. Clara Lucas/Camila Moreno (UP), 6-2

Singles Competition
1. No. 7 Estela Perez-Somarriba (UM) def. Luisa Varon (UP), 6-1, 6-1
2. No. 99 Claudia Bartolome (UP) def. Daniella Roldan (UM), 6-4, 6-7 (6-8), 1-0 (10-5)
3. Daevenia Achong (UM) def. Gabriela Rezende (UP), 6-2, 6-3
4. Mariona Perez Noguera (UP) def. Carla Girbau (UM), 3-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-4)
5. Ulyana Shirokova (UM) def. Natsumi Okamoto (UP), 6-0, 6-1
6. Lucia Marzal (UM) def. Clara Lucas (UP), 6-2, 6-1