W. Tennis Impresses at ITA Southeast Regionals
ORLANDO, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team wrapped up play Sunday at the ITA Southeast Regional Championships.
The Hurricanes registered an overall record of 16-12 at the USTA National Campus, finishing 10-9 in singles and 6-3 in doubles.
“This team is starting to understand our strengths and weaknesses as a unit. We need to continue working on both aspects of our game and never forget that so much of success is going to come down to pure toughness,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Toughness in our preparation, discipline in our lifestyles and, ultimately, absolute enjoyment in the battle [is what matters]. The process is fun as long as the passion is there.”
Action started Thursday with qualifying competition. Nada Dimovska split her two matches, while fellow third-year sophomore Maya Tahan, seeded second, dropped her lone match—following a first-round bye—in singles play.
Tahan, however, did team with third-year sophomore Diana Khodan to form the third-seeded duo in doubles and notch a narrow 8-7 (7-4) victory over Florida Atlantic’s Millie-Mae Matthews and Carina Sommer to advance to the main draw.
Friday, Miami posted a 7-4 record in singles action, including four Hurricanes—Khodan, fourth-year junior Daevenia Achong, second-seeded sophomore Isabella Pfennig and fifth-year senior Eden Richardson—advancing in the singles main draw.
Two of them, Achong and No. 16 Pfennig then picked up another win to reach the Round of 16. Achong’s second triumph of the day came over a top-100 foe, as she defeated No. 92 Carol Lee of Georgia Tech, the tournament’s No. 13 seed, in a 6-3, 6-3 decision.
All three Miami doubles pairs—Khodan/Tahan, fifth-seeded Audrey Boch-Collins/Pfennig and Achong/Richardson—also notched wins to make the Round of 16 in main draw action.
Achong and Pfennig both fell in their Saturday outing, but Boch-Collins picked up a pair of wins in consolation draw action. The sophomore from Las Vegas dropped only four total games in her matches against Mercer’s Mary Courville and USF’s Amelie Boy.
In doubles, Khodan and Tahan upset the draw’s top seed, No. 20 Victoria Allen and Petra Hule of Florida State, 8-5. Achong and Richardson also beat a seeded pair to join their teammates in the quarterfinals, as they downed eighth-seeded Kylie Bilchev and Ava Hrstar of Georgia Tech, 8-6.
Both duos, however, dropped their second match of the day, leaving Boch-Collins as the lone remaining competitor entering Sunday.
She concluded the weekend for Miami in the consolation semifinals with a hard-fought setback against Georgia’s Guillermina Grant, 6-7 (5-7), 1-6.
Up next for the Hurricanes is the Miami Fall Invite, set for Nov. 5-7 on their home court, the Neil Schiff Tennis Center, in Coral Gables, Fla.
To keep up with the University of Miami women’s tennis team on social media, follow @CanesWTennis on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
THURSDAY RESULTS
Singles Qualifying Draw – First Round
Nada Dimovska (UM) def. Cheri Daley (STE), 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-4)
[2] Maya Tahan (UM) advances via bye
Singles Qualifying Draw – Second Round
[5] Kate Sharabura (GT) def. Nada Dimovska (UM), 6-3, 6-1
Sierra Berry (USF) def. [2] Maya Tahan (UM), 6-3, 6-2
Doubles Qualifying Draw – First Round
[3] Diana Khodan/Maya Tahan (UM) def. Millie-Mae Matthews/Carina Sommer (FAU), 8-7 (7-4)
FRIDAY RESULTS
Singles Main Draw – Round of 64
Eden Richardson (UM) def. Jaleesa Leslie (UCF), 6-1, 5-7, 4-1, ret.
Sydney Berlin (UF) def. Audrey Boch-Collins (UM), 7-6 (7-3), 6-2
Daevenia Achong (UM) def. Anais Gabriel (KS), 6-3, 6-1
Diana Khodan (UM) def. Naya Tillitt (MER), 6-2, 6-3
No. 16 [2] Isabella Pfennig (UM) def. Rosie Garcia Gross (GT), 6-1, 6-0
Singles Main Draw – Round of 32
[13] Kylie Bilchev (GT) def. Eden Richardson (UM), 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6)
Daevenia Achong (UM) def. No. 92 [13] Carol Lee (GT), 6-3, 6-3
No. 65 Ava Hrastar (GT) def. Diana Khodan (UM), 6-3, 6-1
No. 16 [2] Isabella Pfennig (UM) def. Yasmine Kabbaj (FIU), 6-3, 7-5
Singles Consolation Draw – Consolation Round of 32
Audrey Boch-Collins (UM) def. Alanna Di Francesco (STE), 6-2, 6-2
Katerina Filip (FAU) def. [2] Maya Tahan (UM), 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-7)
Doubles Main Draw – Round of 32
Diana Khodan/Maya Tahan (UM) def. Isabel Oliveira/Summer Yardley (UNF), 8-4
[5] Audrey Boch-Collins/Isabella Pfennig (UM) def. Selene Kentish/Afrika Smith (BCU), 8-2
Daevenia Achong/Eden Richardson (UM) def. Alexia Alvarez/Angel Carney (GST), 8-4
SATURDAY RESULTS
Singles Main Draw – Round of 16
Catherine Gulihur (UNF) def. Daevenia Achong (UM), 6-4, 6-3
[15] Ania Hertel (GA) def. No. 16 [2] Isabella Pfennig (UM), 4-6, 6-1 6-2
Singles Consolation Draw – Round of 16
Audrey Boch-Collins (UM) def. Mary Courville (MER), 6-0, 6-3
Singles Consolation Draw – Quarterfinals
Audrey Boch-Collins (UM) def. Amelie Boy (USF), 6-0, 6-1
Doubles Main Draw – Round of 16
Diana Khodan/Maya Tahan (UM) def. No. 20 [1] Victoria Allen/Petra Hule (FS), 8-5
Sydney Berlin/Alicia Dudeney (UF) def. [5] Audrey Boch-Collins/Isabella Pfennig (UM), 8-5
Daevenia Achong/Eden Richardson (UM) def. [8] Kylie Bilchev/Ava Hrastar (GT), 8-6
Doubles Main Draw – Quarterfinals
[7] Carly Briggs/Marlee Zein (UF) def. Diana Khodan/Maya Tahan (UM), 8-4
[2] Catherine Gulihur/Ana Paula Melilo (UNF) def. Daevenia Achong/Eden Richardson (UM), 8-6
SUNDAY RESULT
Singles Consolation Draw – Semifinals
Guillermina Grant (GA) def. Audrey Boch-Collins (UM), 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
