Terrapin women’s tennis coach Howard Joffe settled in for a nap in his hotel room yesterday afternoon. Joffe and his squad had left the campus at 4 a.m. for today’s match at No. 10 Miami, but sleep deprivation was the least of his worries.
Tennis down in Miami, according to Joffe, is a whole other story.
“It’s very hot here,” Joffe said. “Very hot, very humid, very windy. It’s a big adjustment for the girls from Maryland weather.”
Then there are the courts. Joffe said the Hurricanes’ gritty playing surface should make gameplay much slower than at the Terps’ home courts.
“Miami’s are the slowest courts I’ve come across so far in the ACC,” Joffe said. “The game is all based on the ball’s speed, and the girls will really need to adjust from the fast courts in College Park.”
Another of the team’s adjustments, however, is more than welcome. Lisa Miller, who missed last weekend’s match with an ankle injury, will return to action for the Terps (3-9, 0-7 ACC) against the Hurricanes. Miller will likely assume her usual role at No. 1 or No. 2 singles, and the Terps hope she can give them a much-needed boost against Miami (15-3, 8-0) — her squad has been swept in five consecutive conference matches.
“I’m expecting something similar to last weekend,” Joffe said, pointing to the Terps’ 7-0 home losses to Clemson and Georgia Tech. “We’re in for two tough matches.”
Sunday, the Terps will head from Miami to Tallahassee, Fla., where they will try to handle No. 13 Florida State, which Joffe believes is deserving of a top-10 ranking. This weekend marks the fifth and sixth consecutive matches for the Terps against top-20 opponents.
Meanwhile, the Terrapin men’s tennis team has an opportunity to snap a six-match losing streak tomorrow, when it hosts No. 50 Miami.
Though the Hurricanes’ ranking makes them the favorites on paper against the unranked Terps (13-8, 1-6), they have had similarly little success in the ACC, entering with a 1-6 record.
The Hurricanes did, however, push Georgia Tech and Clemson to the edge, losing each match 4-3. The Terps, by comparison, enjoyed considerably less success, earning their only point between the two matches in doubles against the Tigers.
Coach Kyle Spencer had nothing but praise for the Hurricanes, who reached the Sweet 16 in last season’s NCAA Tournament.
“We know Miami’s going to be very good,” Spencer said. “We’re excited to see what we can do against a great program like that.”
The Terps, who also host No. 25 Florida State on Sunday, will have the advantage of playing at the Tennis Center at College Park, which was the site of their near upset of then-No. 18 North Carolina on March 26.
“Any time you’ve got the comforts of home it helps,” said Spencer, whose Terps have lost only three times at home this season. “The guys can sleep in their own beds and play in front of their fans.”
Spencer said his team sought to eliminate some timidity he saw in last weekend’s matches.
“We worked on attacking more in tight situations,” Spencer said. “Last week we were too passive when we had chances to win some sets and matches.
“This is the time of year that ACC matches get very close. Anything can happen, so we’re just going to make sure to leave it all on the court.”
cwalsh@umdbk.com
