Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
 
MAC Women’s Singles Tennis Player of the Week
Mimi Kendall-Woseley, Toledo – Sophomore, Boca Raton, Fla. (Boca Raton High School)
Toledo sophomore Mimi Kendall-Woseley was pivotal to the Rockets earning their fourth- and fifth- consecutive wins this weekend. Her performances in the No. 2 singles spot broke a 3-3 tie in both Friday’s match against Cincinnati and Saturday’s match against Wright State. Against the Bearcats, Kendall-Woseley was down 2-5 in the third set but battled back against seven match-points to win 7-5 and clinch the victory for Toledo. Against the Raiders, she swept her opponent in two sets, going 6-3 and 7-5. Kendall-Woseley’s strong play helped the Rockets improve to 6-2 on the year and establish a five-game winning streak for the second consecutive year.
 
Additional Women’s Singles Nominees:
Miruna Vasilescu, Akron – Freshman, Ulm, Germany (Friedrichs)
Akron freshman Miruna Vasilescu continued her outstanding play this spring. After moving up to No. 2 in singles action, she claimed two wins this week. Against West Virginia, Vasilescu beat Anne-Sophie Courteau in straight sets, 6-0, 7-5.  Against East Tennessee State, she battles Alory Pereira, 6-4, 6-7 (8), 6-4, for the victory to remain undefeated (ironically, the 6-7 (8) loss is the only set the freshman has dropped in her collegiate career). Vasilescu is a perfect 8-0 in singles action this spring.
 
Audrey Berger, Ball State – Junior, Upper Arlington, Ohio (Upper Arlington High School)
Ball State junior Audrey Berger went 2-0 in singles action this past weekend.  She started the weekend off with a straight set defeat (7-5, 6-2) over Illinois-Chicago’s Lejla Colic on court two.  Berger then took a three-set thriller at the No. 3 position over Western Kentucky’s Monica Malinen.  It was a come from behind win for Berger as she dropped the first set 2-6 and then fought back in sets two and three, 6-4, 6-3.
 
Marta Bettinelli, Bowling Green – Freshman, Milan, Italy (Liceo Scientifico Leonardo da Vinci)
Bowling Green freshman Marta Bettinelli was able to rebound from a first set loss of 4-6, for persistent 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) victories at No. 5 singles against Cleveland State to earn the point for the Bowling Green squad. A native of Milan, Italy, Bettinelli improves to a 3-3 record in her debut season in singles competition, with three straight wins.
 
Chantal Martinez Blanco, Buffalo – Junior, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Buffalo junior Chantal Martinez Blanco picked up a straight sets victory on Friday afternoon as she defeated Duquesne’s Julianne Herman, 7-6 (4), 6-2 during Buffalo’s 5-2 victory.  The win was the 12th of the season for Martinez Blanco.
 
Emily Struble, Miami – Junior, Holt, Mich. (Okemos High School)
Miami junior Emily Struble went 2-0 at No. 3 singles as Miami posted two victories this weekend. On Saturday Feb. 17 vs. Marshall in a 5-2 win, Struble rolled through the Thundering Herd's Marija Bogicevic 6-3, 6-4. On Sunday Feb. 18 vs. Murray State in a 6-1 win, she breezed through the first set against Aarja Chakraborty 6-0, causing Chakraborty to concede and forfeit the second set.
 
Lara Slisko, Northern Illinois – Freshman, Essendon, Australia
Northern Illinois freshman Lara Slisko went a prefect 2-0 at No. 5 singles helping the Huskies to a sweep on Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso Saturday, Feb. 17. Slisko posted a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Abby Carpenter of Eastern Illinois before scoring a straight set, 7-6 (1-0), 6-0 win over Valparaiso’s Randi Wind.
 
Melina Lyubomirova, Western Michigan – Junior, Sofia, Bulgaria (Emilian Staneu)
Western Michigan junior Melina Lyubomirova played a big role in a victory over Big East opponent Marquette (5-2) on Sunday afternoon. With the win, the Broncos are now winners of three straight, remain unbeaten at home and improve to 5-4 overall this season. Lyubomirova clinched the match with a three-set victory at No. 1 after falling 7-6 (4) in the first set. The team captain has played in all but three of her matches at the one spot for the Broncos this spring and is riding a three-match winning streak to improve to 8-9 overall, 5-4 in dual matches and 4-2 at No. 1.
 
 
MAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Nelli Ponomareva, Miami – Senior, Krasnodar, Russia
Melati Devi, Miami – Freshman, Jakarta, Indonesia
 
Miami senior Nelli Ponomareva and freshman Melati Devi went 2-0 at No. 1 doubles this weekend. On Saturday, Feb. 17 vs. Marshall, the duo defeated Stephanie Smith/Maddie Silver 6-4. On Sunday, Feb. 18 vs. Murray State, they knocked off Claire Chang/Stasya Sharapova 6-2.
 
Additional Women’s Doubles Nominees:
Luisa Echeverry, Akron – Junior, Cali, Colombia (Liceo Benalcazar)
Miruna Vasilescu, Akron – Freshman, Ulm, Germany (Friedrichs)
 
Akron junior Luisa Echeverry and freshman Miruna Vasilescu claimed a 6-1 win over East Tennessee State’s Melissa Esguerra and Yi Chi Ma at No. 2 doubles to continue their winning streak. This spring Echeverry and Vasilescu are a perfect 5-0 together in doubles action, seeing action at the No. 1 (2-0) and No. 2 (3-0) positions.
 
Audrey Berger, Ball State – Junior, Upper Arlington, Ohio (Upper Arlington High School)
Rebecca Herrington, Ball State – Sophomore, Alliston, Ontario, Canada (Banting)
 
Ball State junior Audrey Berger and sophomore Rebecca Herrington at No. 2 doubles managed to go 2-0 over the weekend.  The twosome started the weekend off with a 6-4 win over Illinois-Chicago’s Rachel Le Comber and Melika Leblanc on Friday at the Muncie YMCA Tennis Center.  Berger and Herrington carried their momentum into Sunday’s contest against Western Kentucky.  The twosome took down Natalie De Ugarte and Elpida Malamou by a score of 6-2.
 
Ayumi Sasaki, Bowling Green – Sophomore, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Polina Radeva, Bowling Green – Junior, Varna, Bulgaria (Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov)
 
Bowling Green sophomore Ayumi Sasaki and junior Polina Radeva picked up the lone doubles victory for the Falcons at Cleveland State when they downed their opponents by a 6-3 score. The pairing is currently on a three-match win streak and boast a record of 6-1 on the year.
 
Tanja Stojanovska, Buffalo – Senior, Ohrid, Macedonia
Anna Savchenko, Buffalo – Sophomore, Limassol, Cyprus
 
Buffalo senior Tanja Stojanovska and sophomore Anna Savchenko won their lone match this week with a 6-3 win over Maddy Adams and Ally Miller of Duquesne at second doubles.  Stojanovska and Savchenko were named the MAC Doubles Team of the Week last week.
 
Maria Potsi, Northern Illinois – Freshman, Athens, Greece
Lara Slisko, Northern Illinois – Freshman, Essendon, Australia
 
Northern Illinois freshmen Maria Potsi and Lara Slisko helped lead NIU to a sweep of Eastern Illinois and Valparaiso as the Huskie duo went 2-0 at No. 2 doubles. The NIU pair beat Emily Pugachevsky and Karla Contreras, 6-4, helping the Huskies to a 4-3 win over the Panthers in the first match of the day. Against Valparaiso, Potsi and Slisko scored a 6-3 win over Randi Wind and Dao Sysouvanh to defeat the Crusaders, 5-2.
 
Dee Dee Leenabanchong, Toledo – Sophomore, Bangkok, Thailand (Suphanburi Sports School)
Colleen O’Brien, Toledo – Senior, Ann Arbor, Mich. (Father Gabriel Richard High School)
 
Toledo sophomore Dee Dee Leenabanchong and senior Colleen O’Brien went undefeated this weekend at No. 3 doubles. The pair clinched the doubles point for the Rockets in Friday’s match against Cincinnati, going 7-6 (3). Their lights-out play helped the Rockets top the Bearcats 4-3 and continue on a four-match winning streak. On Saturday against Wright State, the duo again outplayed their opponents, this time going 6-3. The pairing of O’Brien and Leenabanchong are a perfect 8-0 in doubles matches this season with this weekend’s victories.
 
Melina Lyubomirova, Western Michigan – Junior, Sofia, Bulgaria (Emilian Staneu)
Katja Fevralev, Western Michigan – Junior, Bielefeld, Germany (Marienchule Der Ursulinen)
 
Western Michigan junior Melina Lyubomirova and junior Katja Fevralev returned to their winning ways on Sunday as the Broncos defeated Big East foe Marquette with a score of 5-2. The pair boosted Western Michigan in front of the Golden Eagles early, clinching the doubles point with a 7-5 win over Amortegui/Popovic at No. 1. Following the victory, they are 3-4 overall at the one position and lead the team in overall doubles wins. The Broncos are riding a three-match win streak and are 5-4 this season and 4-0 at home.