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

 

Another member (or former member) of the UM Hurricanes family snagged by Arkansas's Bielema

Bret Bielema, the new coach at Arkansas, has hired former UM head coach Randy Shannon as his linebackers coach.

Bielema recently hired George McDonald -- UM's wide receivers coach -- as his receivers coach.

We're still waiting on McDonald's replacement, but I suspect Al Golden will make it a good hire.

As for Shannon, he moves to the premier conference in college football following his most recent job as linebackers coach at TCU.

The press release that Arkansas sent out about Shannon being hired is extremely long. It gushes about the former UM head coach and defensive coordinator -- as well as former UM linebacker.

"Randy Shannon is a great coach and a great person,'' said Bielema. "He has been a part of multiple national championship teams, and more importantly, he changed the lives of numerous young men. He has spent nearly his entire coaching career at Miami, and his defenses consistently ranked inside the top 10 nationally. I think a lot of people know Randy got a lot of great things done at Miami and most recently at TCU. He is a disciplinarian who has high standards, and he is skillful at relating to his players. He is a coach players turn to for guidance, and his players have always been prepared and played with intensity and desire.''

Hard to believe another year is upon us. Hope you all close this one out safely.

I think we all can say that this will be the year the Hurricanes meet their NCAA fate. The sooner they get it over with, the better for everyone.

Have a happy and healthy New Year. 

SUSAN MILLER DEGNAN