W. Tennis Drops 4-3 Heartbreaker to No. 15 USC

WACO, Texas – The University of Miami women’s tennis team fell just short of a neutral-site win over No. 15 USC, dropping a 4-3 decision Friday afternoon in the opening round of ITA Kick-Off Weekend action.

No. 23 Miami (2-1) took the doubles point at the Hurd Tennis Center and won at least one set on five singles courts, but a third-set tiebreaker in a marathon match on Court 6 proved to be difference in the top-25 showdown.

The overall match took over four hours to complete and the singles portion included four three-setters and three tiebreakers, the latter of which each featured at least 12 total points.

“USC was simply a little braver than us today, plain and simple,” Miami head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We have to be ready for a tough team tomorrow and learn from this one.”

The Hurricanes got on the board first by taking both completed matches. First, sophomores Audrey Boch-Collins and Isabella Pfennig rolled to a 6-1 triumph over Sloane Morra and Danielle Morra.

Third-year sophomores Diana Khodan and Maya Tahan clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 decision versus the nation’s No. 26 pair, Eryn Cayetano and Grace Piper. The decision improved the Hurricanes to 11-2 in doubles this spring, including 7-0 in dual matches.

In the lone unfinished match, USC (4-0) held a narrow 5-4 lead from No. 23 Salma Ewing and Snow Han against Miami’ No. 40-ranked pair of fourth-year junior Daevenia Achong and fifth-year senior Eden Richardson.

The Trojans earned the first singles point, as Piper tallied a 6-1, 6-4 decision against Khodan to level the score.

After a lengthy 1-1 deadlock, the Hurricanes regained the lead with a victory in a top-80 affair, as No. 76 Pfennig rallied to defeat No. 39 Han, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0.

USC pulled back in front with a comeback win from top-ranked Cayetano against Richardson, who held 4-2 and 5-4 second-set leads before dropping a 6-2, 5-7, 3-6 result. The Trojans took their first lead, 3-2, with another comeback win from a top-15 player, as No. 12 Ewing defeated No. 104 Achong, 5-7, 7-5, 6-0.

Boch-Collins, playing on the courts at her former school, Baylor, won a lengthy two-set match to even the score at 3-3. The Las Vegas native defeated Morra, 7-6 (8-6), 6-4, sending all eyes to Court 6.

There, Tahan and Wilson entered their second tiebreaker of the day, which the latter narrowly won to give USC the overall triumph. Wilson used two tiebreaker victories to take down Tahan, who dominated the middle set, but fell, 6-7 (5-7), 6-1, 6-7 (6-8).

The Hurricanes will conclude ITA Kick-Off Weekend competition Saturday at noon ET against either No. 22 Baylor or Kansas.

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. No. 23 Salma Ewing/Snow Han (SC) vs. No. 40 Daevenia Achong/Eden Richardson (UM), 5-4, unf.
2. Diana Khodan/Maya Tahan (UM) def. No. 26 Eryn Cayetano/Grace Piper (SC), 6-3
3. Audrey Boch-Collins/Isabella Pfennig (UM) def. Sloane Morra/Danielle Wilson (SC), 6-1

Singles Competition
1. No. 1 Eryn Cayetano (SC) def. Eden Richardson (UM), 2-6, 7-5, 6-3
2. No. 12 Salma Ewing (SC) def. No. 104 Daevenia Achong (UM), 5-7, 7-5, 6-0
3. No. 76 Isabella Pfennig (UM) def. No. 39 Snow Han (SC), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Audrey Boch-Collins (UM) def. Sloane Morra (SC), 7-6 (8-6), 6-4
5. Grace Piper (SC) def. Diana Khodan (UM), 6-1, 6-4
6. Danielle Wilson (SC) def. Maya Tahan (UM), 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 7-6 (8-6)