Eye on the U

UM women's tennis finishes Sweet 16 round at close to 1 a.m. EST -- but beats Northwestern to advance to NCAA quarterfinals

They did it again.

For the fifth consecutive season, the University of Miami women's tennis team has advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament.

The sixth-ranked Hurricanes, playing at the tournament site in Urbana, Ill., beat Northwestern 4-3. They didn't complete play until close to 1 a.m. Eastern time Saturday (match began Friday night).

The Canes get to rest on Saturday, before meeting No. 3 Texas A&M at 5 p.m. EST on Sunday.

If UM beats Texas A&M in the Elite Eight round, it would play in the national semifinals on Monday. If UM, in turn, won that match, it would advance to the national title round on Tuesday.

The Hurricanes finished as the national runner-up in 2006, but have never won a national title. 

 On Friday, it was  junior Melissa Bolivar who clinched the victory at the No. 6 spot by winning her final two games. She beat Nida Hamilton 7-6 (6), 1-6, 6-4.

 Also winning for UM were Stephanie Wagner at the No. 1 spot and Kelsey Laurente at the No. 2 spot, as well as the crucial doubles victories by Albuquerque/Riobueno and Wagner/Brittany Dubins.

 "I didn't feel comfortable throughout the match,'' Bolivar said after the match, as reported by UM sports information. "I just fought through it. You have to win, even though you're not playing your best. That's a quality we have.''

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN

 

Quick UM Canes recap from today's press conference with Golden: Not so good on Denzel, iffy on Dalton, good on some others.

University of Miami coach Al Golden addressed the media today at his weekly news conference.

Here are the points you need to know:

*Middle linebacker Denzel Perryman, who suffered a high-ankle sprain against Bethune Cookman, is still in a boot and is not expected to play against North Carolina State. Golden said if he had to say now whether Denzel will play Saturday, the answer would be "No.''

*Golden still has hopes that punter Dalton Botts, who also has an ankle sprain -- but not a high-ankle sprain -- will play Saturday. Golden expects Botts to try punting later this week. If I had to take an educated guess, I'd say he doesn't play, but maybe he's a fast healer. Either way, the coach said he is having usual kicker Jake Wieclaw and redshirt freshman Matt Goudis (I wrote about him today in The Miami Herald) compete with each other as if Botts is not playing Saturday. Keep in mind that Wieclaw has not punted since high school. Wieclaw is a fifth-year senior.

   When asked what his reaction was to Wieclaw missing the 22-yard field goal at Georgia Tech the other day, Golden said "shocked.'' He didn't want to elaborate on what, if anything, went wrong mechanically. It might have had to do with the complete operation. Backup quarterback Ryan Williams became the holder when Dalton Botts got hurt. Botts is the usual holder. Also, Paul Kelly is the new snapper since Sean McNally's season ended with an injury against Bethune-Cookman.

* Golden said safety Vaughn Telemaque, linebacker Gabe Terry and defensive back Andrew Swasey will be back this week. But at safety, A.J. Highsmith is still expected to start opposite Deon Bush.

* Golden said freshman linebacker Raphael Kirby, who has been injured and has yet to play, practiced a lot more Tuesday than Golden had expected he would.

* Golden and Art Kehoe heaped praise on senior right tackle Ben Jones, who participated in more than 50 plays at Georgia Tech and graded out very high.

Of note: Offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson nicked himself in the ribs area, or side, during the Georgia Tech game. Offensive line coach Art Kehoe said he's fine now.

Also: Right tackle Ereck Flowers also was nicked up in that game. He's supposed to be OK, too.

Don't forget about tickets to NC State selling for $9 if you purchase them at the BankUnited Center ticket office BEFORE 9 a.m. There is a limit of those tickets available for that price, but as of right now, there are still tickets left.

Step right up!

SUSAN MILLER GAME