STILLWATER, Okla. - A Miami hurricane is in the Final Four for the fourth time in the last five NCAA Individual Championships. Alexa Noel showcased a straight-set solid victory in the Elite Eight on Thursday afternoon at the Greenwood Tennis Center to advance into the semifinals.
In the quarterfinals, No. 10 and eighth-seeded Noel took down No. 29 Alexandra Yepifanova from Stanford in a 6-2, 6-3 fashion to move her name up in the bracket.
Noel, ranked No. 10 and seeded eighth, kept the momentum throughout the match. In the first set, the redshirt junior took the first game before Yepifanova tied it up and kept it close. Noel went on to notch four straight games to lead 5-1, right before the Cardinal notched a game. Ultimately, Noel secured the first set, 6-2, to set the tone of the match.
Going into set two, Noel once again went on a run and led 3-0 before Yepifanova kept inching forward to tie it at three games all. Despite Stanford's comeback, Noel kept pushing to claim every game, 6-3.
Noel is joining eight other Hurricanes with her NCAA singles semifinals appearance, making it the 12th time Miami has advanced this far. Including doubles, this marks the seventh semifinal appearance in the last nine tournaments for Miami and head coach Paige Yaroshuk-Tews.
In tomorrow's Final Four match, Noel will face No. 1 [1] Mary Stoiana of Texas A&M to compete for a national championship berth. This will be the fourth time the pair has faced each other and third in the 2023-24 season.
Stoiana leads the matchup, 2-1, with a three-set win in the 2023 season and a three-set win in the title match at the ITA All-American Championships in the fall. The last time they faced off was in February this season, where Noel took the match in three sets to help Miami defeat now 2024 NCAA Champions Texas A&M.
NCAA Singles Championship Results
Round of 64: #10 [8] Alexa Noel (UM) def. #42 Tanya Sasnouskaya (UT), 6-2, 7-5
Round of 32: #10 [8] Alexa Noel (UM) def. #60 Grace Piper (USC), 6-4, 3-6, 6-1
Round of 16: #10 [8] Alexa Noel (UM) def. No. 31 Anika Yarlagadda (UNC), 6-1, 6-2
Quarterfinals: #10 [8] Alexa Noel (UM) def. No. 29 Alexandra Yepifanova (STAN), 6-2, 6-3
Courtesy of Miami Athletics
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