The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
University of Texas
Miami (Fla.)
No. 18 Women’s Tennis Preview: No. 17 Miami (Fla.)
02.08.2017 | Women's Tennis
Longhorns host the first of seven home matches this season on Saturday against the Hurricanes.
WHAT: No. 18 Texas hosts its home opener this weekend when it welcomes No. 17 Miami (Fla.).
WHEN/WHERE
No. 17 Miami (Fla.) [1-1) at No. 18 Texas (1-2)
Saturday, Feb. 11 – 11 a.m. CT
Whitaker Tennis Courts (215 W. 51st Street, Austin)
LIVE SCORING: TexasSports.com
ITA NATIONAL RANKINGS (as of Feb. 8, Texas players)
Singles
79. Neda Koprcina
85. Bianca Turati
Doubles
53. Petra Granic/Dani Wagland
LAST MEETING
Miami defeated Texas by a 6-1 count on March 22, 2013 in Austin.
LAST TIME OUT
Texas suffered a 6-1 loss at No. 13 Michigan.
BIANCA TURATI MAKES I.T.A. RANKINGS DEBUT
Texas freshman Bianca Turati made her first career appearance in the ITA singles rankings Wednesday (Feb. 8) at No. 85 nationally.
Turati won her first seven collegiate matches across the end of the fall season and the first event of the spring season the National Collegiate Tennis Classic. She made her collegiate debut last November and went unbeaten in three matches at the Kitty Harrison Invitational.
Last month, the Big 12 Conference announced Turati as one of the league's Women's Tennis Players of the Week.
Turati won four matches, defeated an ITA top-75 opponent and was selected as a co-champion of the women's singles draw at the aforementioned NCTC event.
MORE ON THE LONGHORNS
Second-year Texas head coach Howard Joffe returns five veterans from the 2015-16 squad that reached the round of 16 (third round) at the NCAA Championships and ranked No. 20 in the final ITA team poll.
All-Big 12 senior Neda Koprcina totaled a 21-2 dual-match record – including a 14-1 mark at No. 2 singles – last season as a junior. Koprcina clinched the Longhorns' 4-2 upset win at ninth-seeded Duke in the second round of the 2016 NCAA Championships.
She vaulted from No. 82 in the fall to No. 55 in the ITA preseason rankings. Koprcina now lists at No. 79 in the latest ITA singles rankings (Feb. 8).
Junior Dani Wagland posted 12 dual-match wins last season including a team-best eight wins at No. 3 singles. Katie Poluta joined the Longhorns last season from South Africa and totaled a 12-8 dual-match record. Her classmate Daniella Roldan added eight dual-match singles wins, and Chelsea Crovetti chipped in three singles victories.
UT welcomes four newcomers in the form of Anna and Bianca Turati of Italy, Petra Granic of Croatia and Madison Cleff of Colleyville, Texas.
Granic won her first tournament title in September when she secured the Flight 2A event at the Rice Invitational in Houston.
Players Mentioned
