Women's Tennis Ready for a Challenge on Clay Courts
Nov. 11, 2010
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team will close out its fall season this weekend as five of its student-athletes will travel to Bradenton to compete in the Lakewood Ranch Intercollegiate Clay Court Classic.
“We’re looking forward to this tournament and ending the fall season on a high note,” head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We’ve had some solid practices this week that should translate into our play this weekend.”
The tournament, which will begin on Friday and run through Sunday, will be played on clay courts as opposed to the regular hard courts that most collegiate matches are played on.
“All the girls have experience on clay so it’s not going to be a big transition,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “We won’t play any differently or change our style. We’ll go out there and play our game and rest will take care of itself.”
The Hurricanes have spent the past week preparing for this weekend’s tournament by holding practices at the Royal Palm Tennis Club in Miami. Just a few miles south of campus, the Royal Palm facility is home to some of the top clay surfaces in all of South Florida.
Five Hurricanes will be competing this weekend in Bradenton – Bianca Eichkorn, Gabriela Mejia, Danielle Mills, Bistra Otashlyska and Kayla Rizzolo. Anna Bartenstein (illness) and Brittany Dubins (injury) will not be making the trip.
“I’m particularly excited to see Bistra get back out there,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “She has been playing better tennis and it will be good to see her compete against some different opponents this weekend.”
The tournament will feature 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. Play will begin Friday with doubles starting at 9 a.m. and singles at 12:30 p.m. Student-athletes from six schools – Miami, Notre Dame, Baylor, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and Florida Gulf Coast — are set to compete.
All five `Canes will be take part in singles play, while UM’s doubles teams will be Mejia/Rizzolo and Mills/Otashlyska.
Otashlyska and Mills haven’t competed in a collegiate tournament since the Miami Fall Invitational in late September. Mejia and Rizzolo last competed at the ITA Southeast Regional in late October, while Eichkorn just wrapped up play at the ITA Indoor Championships in New York last week.
“While I’m anxious to see the girls compete, it will also be good to have most of the girls together and traveling together this weekend,” Yaroshuk-Tews said. “This tournament gives us an opportunity to be together as a team and gain some momentum heading into spring.”
______
For daily updates on the women’s tennis team’s progress in Bradenton this weekend, visit www.HurricaneSports.com.
