For the fifth time this season, the University of Miami women’s tennis team personified perfection on the scoreboard.
Its latest victim: rival and No. 24 Florida State, who fell victim to the sixth-ranked Hurricanes, 7-0, Wednesday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Center.
After splitting a pair of conference matches against top 10 opponents this past weekend, Miami (13-3, 3-1) won all six singles matches and took the doubles point by winning two-of-three against the Seminoles (7-4, 0-2).
“I’m just really proud of the girls. They came out and beat an exceptional team, and looking at the scores, especially at one and two, to be able to come out and just take them out like that in straight sets says a lot about the top of our lineup,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “Overall it was a bit of a statement match and we’ve kind of turned the corner coming into matches dominating rather than just existing.”
Sophomore Julia Cohen, fresh off upsets of two top-five singles players, including Clemson’s top-ranked Ani Mijacika, continued her hot streak with a convincing 6-3, 6-1 victory in the first position.
“It’s really exciting because going into this match I knew Miami lost to them twice last year,” said Cohen, who transferred from Florida and is the ACC Women’s Tennis Player of the Week. “I’m focusing better than my opponent and understanding my game better. Paige helped me out a lot.”
Miami hosts three noon matches next week, starting with No. 28 Arkansas (6-3) on Wednesday, No. 17 North Carolina (11-4, 2-0) Friday and third-ranked Duke (10-1) Sunday.
“They’re three great teams and that’s kind of Miami’s style, Miami’s mentality: to get us ready for ACCs and get us ready for NCAAs,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “I like to not just play tough matches, but play tough matches pretty close to one another so the kids are tough and ready to play back-to-back matches come May.”
SINGLES
#1 (No.13) Julia Cohen beat (No.38) Noemie Scharle, 6-3, 6-1
#2 (No.39) Laura Vallverdu beat (No.41) Katie Rybakova, 6-2, 6-2
#3 (No.40) Bianca Eichkorn beat Laura Macfarlane, 1-6, 6-3, 11-9
#4 (No.63) Michaela Kissell beat (No.93) Federica Suess, 6-3, 6-1
#5 Gabriela Mejia beat Ania Rynarzewska, 6-3, 7-5
#6 Claudia Wasilewski beat Jessica Sucupira (Wente), 6-1, 1-6, 10-6
DOUBLES
#1 (No.32) Vallverdu/Kissell beat Scharle/Rybakova, 8-0
#2 Cohen/Eichkorn beat Suess/Sucupira (Wente), 8-1
#3 Mcfarlane/Bonny Davidson beat Mejia/Wasilewski, 8-3