Back in Action

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Feb. 28, 2020. That was the last time the University of Miami women’s tennis team played a match.

It was nearly 11 months ago the Hurricanes left the court in Louisville, Ky., with a 6-1 victory over the Cardinals.

For most in the Miami program, including 20th-year head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews, this is the longest layoff between matches since beginning junior play as a youngster.

“I’ve definitely missed the competition. I’m a competitor and every single kid on this team is a competitor. It’s much more fun competing as a unit, once you get to college,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “…I’m always excited for a season to begin, but I could tell you that I am even more excited for this one to begin.”

Despite the lengthy respite, the feelings from the Louisville match and the ensuring cancelation of the 2020 season two weeks later remain fresh.

The triumph in the Derby City was Miami’s fifth win in a seven-match span after dropping two of three to begin the year. It was right around that time it seemed the Hurricanes, then ranked No. 18 nationally, were turning the corner.

Then, all of sudden, the season was over.

“I spoke to them about it Thursday; I vividly remember our last match against Louisville. I remember it like it was yesterday because I was so proud of how far our team had gone, just from a maturity perspective,” Yaroshuk-Tews explained. “When the season was taken from us, at that moment, it hurt. I think it hurt everybody. So, we still have that taste in our mouths. We were talking about it Thursday. We all feel Louisville like it was a week ago.”

The Hurricanes’ eight-player roster is nearly identical to last year’s unit. Yuna Ito graduated and Isabella Pfennig came in as a freshman, but the other seven players remain the same.

Although the team has not been playing competitively and did not even begin practicing together as a full group until just a few weeks ago, Yaroshuk-Tews still feels it is in a better spot now than it was at the end of the truncated 2020 season.

That is quite the statement when considering her positive mindset about her team when it defeated the Cardinals. It makes sense, though, given how these last 11 months have gone and how it has shown the players what is important.

“I think we’re absolutely a stronger unit today than we were that last match against Louisville. We’re more mature. We have more depth,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “From the kids and from the team, I think we have a different perspective that every day is truly a blessing. Every opportunity to play a tennis match [is special]. This isn’t a given anymore. This is something that is a little sacred right now. There are a lot of kids around the country that don’t have the ability to do what they love. We have the ability to do what we love right now and we better do it the best that we can.”

The Hurricanes’ first chance to show what they can do as a team will come Saturday at noon in their season opener.

Miami is set to take on Florida Atlantic at the FAU Tennis Complex in Boca Raton, Fla., to begin the 2021 season. Finally.

The Hurricane student-athletes are more than ready to see someone other than a team standing across from them on the other side of the net.

“My players are so fed up with practice,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “I put my arm around Florencia [Urrutia] because she was just having a great practice [yesterday]. I said, ‘Flor, you’re playing so well. Are you ready for Saturday?’ She looked at me and she said, ‘Paige, I am so sick of practicing. I just want to play.’ I think that every player has the same [mindset]. I love practicing, I love working on things, I love developing things, I love talking about things. But at the end of the day, we just want to get out there and try to kick some butt. That’s why we wake up in the morning.

The Hurricanes are 31-0 all-time against the Owls in a series that dates back to 1974. The 31 wins are tied for Miami’s second-most versus any foe and are its most without a loss against any opponent.

In their second-to-last match of last year’s abbreviated season, the Hurricanes defeated the Owls, 6-1, on Feb. 23, 2020, in Coral Gables.

Despite all of her program’s success against its in-state foe, Yaroshuk-Tews knows Miami needs to be prepared for a focused opponent come Saturday.

“FAU is not going to be afraid of us,” the two-time ITA Southeast Region Coach of the Year said. “They’re not going to play a passive style of tennis; they’re going to come after us. It’s to be expected. We have a target on our chest and they have nothing to lose. It’s just what we expect.

“They’re a very talented group,” Yaroshuk-Tews continued. “We can’t be spooked when they come out of the gates playing aggressive tennis. We have to just enjoy the challenge, enjoy the battle and treat them no differently than we’re going to treat any other team. We have to give them the same respect that we give every team and we do that.”

As much as Yaroshuk-Tews and her players are looking forward to competing in an official match, there is another aspect of Saturday’s affair that is exciting.

Due to COVID-19 protocols, the Hurricanes have not had the same type of team bonding time outside of the Neil Schiff Tennis Center as they normally would leading up to a season. In fact, they have rarely seen each other in an organized setting outside of team activities.

Thus, a road trip—even one that is only about three hours there and back—will be a welcome change of pace.

“We’re trying to be as responsible as we can be in trying to navigate the whole new normal right now,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “So, we’re really not seeing each other around a table or even in a group setting outside of lifting, running or playing. So, [it will be] kind of fun to get the group together, get away, take a drive and go play a tennis match. As simple as it seems, it’s actually a little complicated.”

When the Hurricanes do get to Boca Raton, they will face a Florida Atlantic team also beginning its spring season that day. It will be the start of the second year of the second go-around as the Owls’ head coach for Caroline Wheelen, one of many Miami alumna in collegiate coaching, who guided her team to an 8-3 (1-0 CUSA) record during the shortened 2020 campaign.

The Owls do not have any ranked singles player or any duos featured on the doubles list. Miami, on the other hand, has a trio of ranked singles players.

Redshirt senior Estela Perez-Somarriba, who remains the reigning NCAA singles champion, begins the season second nationally, while junior Daevenia Achong places No. 87 and sophomore Selma Cadar comes in at No. 102.

Those three are just part of the reason why Yaroshuk-Tews feels her team has a chance to make some noise this year, although she knows only time will tell.

“I think we’re pretty darn good, but until that shows on paper with some results, my opinion really doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot,” she shared. “So, we’ve got to keep our noses down. Like I’ve been telling the girls, we have to be the hardest-working team in the country. If we have the mentality that we are the hardest working team in the country, beginning Saturday at 12 noon and continuing on, we could do some damage.

“We’re led by one of the best players in the country and I think that we have depth that I haven’t seen in a long time on this team,” Yaroshuk-Tews added. “So, it’s going to be fun. We’ll take it one day at a time.”

Live stats for the Hurricanes’ contest at Florida Atlantic will be available HERE.

To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.