The women’s tennis team moved up to seventh in the latest Fila Collegiate Tennis rankings that were released Tuesday by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). Sophomore Audra Cohen remained ranked second in singles. Cohen and senior Melissa Applebaum moved up to second in the doubles rankings.
The Hurricanes, who have been ranked as high as fifth this season, moved up from ninth after reaching the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship final for the second-consecutive season. Miami fell to Georgia Tech, 4-1, and now stands at 19-6 overall while finishing the season tied for first in the conference with a 9-2 record. The last time Miami was ranked seventh was on March 14th.
Miami is one of four ACC teams ranked among the Top 10-the most of any conference in the country. 12 of the ACC’s 11 schools are ranked among the Top 75 with an NCAA best six teams ranked in the Top 25. Leading the way for the ACC is tournament champion Georgia Tech at No. 6 followed by No. 7 Miami, No. 8 Duke and No. 10 North Carolina. Rounding out the Top 25 are No. 15 Clemson and No. 21 Wake Forest.
The top three ranked singles players in the country also hail from the Atlantic Coast Conference. Georgia Tech’s Kristi Miller leads the pack at No. 1 followed by Cohen at No. 2 and Duke’s Daniela Bercek at No. 3.
Cohen, the ACC Player of the Year, enjoyed a career-best 27-match win streak before dropping her first match of the season to Miller in the ACC Championship final. Cohen is 27-1 overall and holds an impressive 16-1 record against ranked opponents, seven of which have been ranked among the Top 25.
Joining Cohen in the singles rankings is Applebaum, freshman Monika Dancevic and junior Audrey Banada. Applebaum moved up from 83rd to No. 69 after upsetting Georgia Tech’s 60th ranked Lyndsay Shosho in straight sets over the weekend. Applebaum is 16-12 overall and has posted a 7-6 record at the No. 2 position this season. Dancevic returns to the rankings at No. 100 with a 22-10 overall record and a 6-1 mark at the No. 3 slot. Banada, ranked No. 109, is 27-9 overall and a perfect 7-0 at the No. 5 position.
Cohen and Applebaum moved up from their No. 3 ranking on April 18 to second after downing two ranked opponents during the ACC Tournament last weekend. Miami’s top tandem is 17-1 overall and 11-0 against ranked opponents. The duo has upset two Top 10 opponents and was on pace to defeat Georgia Tech’s ninth ranked Miller/Shosho pair before the match was abandoned.
The highest ranked doubles team to ever play for Miami was Lise Gregory and Ronni Reis who were ranked No. 1 in the country throughout the 1986 season. The pair won Miami’s first-ever NCAA Doubles Championship that same season.
The Hurricanes will now await the 2006 NCAA tennis selection announcements that are slated to be released Wednesday, May 3. The announcement will air on ESPNEWS at approximately 8:45 p.m. In addition, the ESPNEWS audio signal will be available on the ESPNEWS channel on XM Radio and SIRIUS radio. The first and second rounds for the 2006 NCAA Championships take place May 12 to 14 at campus sites across the country.