The Hurricanes (14-6, 3-5 Atlantic Coast Conference) traveled to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts Friday morning to face off against Boston College. The Eagles (4-11, 0-7 ACC) were no match for Miami, even despite the Canes playing without their star singles player, Dan Martin.
Because of Martin’s absence, every player was forced to move up a spot from their ordinary position. This jump in position can completely alter the match, but the Hurricanes were unaffected.
In doubles, UM’s streaky performance this season continued. After winning a doubles point against the No. 26 Florida State Seminoles only two days prior, BC dominated all three courts.
On Court 2, senior Benjamin Hannestad and freshman Martin Katz lost, 3-6, while juniors Franco Aubone and Juan Martin Jalif fell on Court 1, 2-6.
In singles, the story was completely different. Fueled by Wednesday’s clutch performance, Aubone dismantled freshman Jake Vassel, 6-1, 6-1, on Court 5 to put the Canes on level terms.
Next, Hannestad blanked his opponent in the first set before comfortably winning the match, 6-0, 6-3. This is his tenth singles win of the year, becoming the fourth Hurricane to reach this mark.
Katz dominated on Court 4, never leaving any doubt as he stormed by, 6-2, 6-2. Fellow freshman Casper Christensen closed out the match, 6-4, 7-5, on Court 6 to record the victory. Christensen remains undefeated on the year, and both freshmen have gotten great experience for future years while playing in the starting lineup.
Fifth-year senior Bojan Jankulovski was amid a nail-biter on Court 1 when the match was called. He dropped the first set, 6-7, but rebounded, 3-0. Jalif was robbed of a victory on Court 3, having to stop just one game shy of victory. He led 6-2, 2-6, 5-2 when Christensen clinched the match.
A consistent performance in singles delivered the Canes a comfortable win after a grueling stretch of matches. UM will have a week off before facing a tenacious group of Hokies next Friday at home. The match against Virginia Tech marks the second-to-last home contest remaining for Miami and will start at 3 p.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.