MAC Announces Women's Tennis Singles Player and Doubles Team of the Week
MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
MAC Women’s Singles Tennis Player of the Week
Nelli Ponomareva, Miami – Senior, Krasnodar, Russia (Krasnodar School #43)
Miami senior Nelli Ponomareva won at No. 1 singles in the RedHawks' only match last week. On Saturday, March 3, she defeated Indiana's Madison Appel 6-3, 6-0 at number one singles, handing Appel just her second loss of the dual season at number one singles (9-1 entering the match).
Additional Women’s Singles Nominees:
Miruna Vasilescu, Akron – Freshman, Ulm, Germany (Friedrichs)
Akron freshman Miruna Vasilescu continues outstanding play this spring. In two matches on March 3, Vasilescu picked up two singles wins. In the win over Oakland, she defeated Allison Motea, 6-2, 6-1, at No. 2 singles. In the team’s 7-0 shut out of Butler, Vasilescu moved up to No. 1 singles and beat out Rachel Sutton in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1. Vasilescu stands 10-2 in singles action this spring. In the six weeks of action, the freshman has worked her way up the line-up, starting out at No. 6 and moving up to No. 1 this week. Vasilescu was named the Zips’ Summa Health Student-Athlete of the Week.
Barbare Eristavi, Western Michigan – Senior, Tbilisi, Georgia (GAU)
Western Michigan senior Barbare Eristavi went 2-0 this past weekend with two three-set victories to improve to 9-9 overall and 7-5 in the spring. She started by defeating Juliana Cardoso of USF 6-4, 0-6, 10-8 on Sunday to improve her record at No. 3 to 3-1 before moving up to the second spot against Florida Gulf Coast on Monday where she took a 4-6, 6-2, 10-8 comeback win over Julia Ascua.
MAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Rita Pedroso, Akron – Sophomore, Porto, Portugal (Escola Secundaria)
Anna Uljanov, Akron – Freshman, Schweinfurt, Germany (Olympia Morata Gymnasium)
Akron sophomore Rita Pedroso and freshman Anna Uljanov captured two home wins at the No. 1 position. Against Oakland, the duo beat out Dasha Artamonova and Allison Motea, 6-1. In the win over Butler, Pedroso and Uljanov took care of Rachel Sutton and Jordan Minnick, 6-2. This spring Pedroso and Uljanov are 4-1 at the No. 1 doubles position for the Zips.
