North Carolina
Miami
No. 15 Tar Heels Fall To No. 8 Hurricanes, 6-1
March 20, 2009 | Women's Tennis
March 20, 2009
CORAL GABLES, Fla. --- No. 93 Katrina Tsang scored an upset win over No. 24 Laura Vallverdu at No. 2 singles but the homestanding Miami Hurricanes swept the other five matches to secure a 6-1 victory over No. 15 North Carolina Friday afternoon at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Tsang teamed with fellow junior Sanaz Marand to defeat No. 33 Vallverdu and Michaela Kissell at No. 1 doubles, but the 'Canes triumphed in the other two matches to grab the early lead.
Miami (15-3, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) opened the dual match with a win at No. 2 doubles before Marand and Tsang rallied to even the point. The No. 63 tandem, playing together for just the second time this spring, dug out of an early 3-1 hole to win seven straight games and score an 8-3 win over the No. 33 ranked Hurricane duo. But UM would take the point, courtesy of Gabriela Mejia and Claudia Wasilewski outlasting Meg Fanjoy and Laura Reichert at No. 3, 8-3.
The host 'Canes would set the tone for singles play at the top of the lineup, with No. 6 Julia Cohen topping No. 53 Marand in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. No. 50 Kissel made it 3-0 for UM with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Jelena Durisic at No. 4. No. 40 Bianca Eichkorn then clinched the dual victory with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Austin Smith at No. 3.
After Miami made it 6-0, Carolina (12-5, 2-1 ACC) got on the board courtesy of Tsang. The Raleigh, N.C., product picked up her third win over a ranked opponent in as many matches by holding off No. 24 Vallverdu, 6-1, 4-6, (10-6). Tsang rushed out to a quick 6-1 win in the first set before Vallverdu responding by taking a 5-1 lead in set two. Tsang rallied to 5-4, but Vallverdu held serve to force a third-set tiebreak. Tsang won the first four points of the tiebreak and never trailed, holding on for a 10-6 win.
Carolina will look to rebound quickly as the Tar Heels travel to Tallahassee, Fla., to face No. 30 Florida State Sunday at noon.
No. 8 Miami 6, No. 15 North Carolina 1
Doubles competition
1. #63 Sanaz Marand/Katrina Tsang (UNC) def. #33 Michaela Kissell/Laura Vallverdu (UMW) 8-3
2. Julia Cohen/Bianca Eichkorn (UMW) def. Austin Smith/Jelena Durisic (UNC) 8-5
3. Gabriela Mejia/Claudia Wasilewski (UMW) def. Meg Fanjoy/Laura Reichert (UNC) 8-3
Singles competition
1. #6 Julia Cohen (UMW) def. #53 Sanaz Marand (UNC) 6-4, 6-1
2. #93 Katrina Tsang (UNC) def. #24 Laura Vallverdu (UMW) 6-1, 4-6, 10-6
3. #40 Bianca Eichkorn (UMW) def. Austin Smith (UNC) 6-0, 6-2
4. #50 Michaela Kissell (UMW) def. Jelena Durisic (UNC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Gabriela Mejia (UMW) def. Jocelyn Ffriend (UNC) 6-1, 7-5
6. Claudia Wasilewski (UMW) def. Laura Reichert (UNC) 6-2, 6-2
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,4,3,5,6,2)
Players Mentioned
