MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYERS AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
MAC Women’s Tennis Singles Co-Player of the Week
Dee Dee Leenabanchong, Toledo – Senior, Bangkok, Thailand (Suphanburi Sports School)
Toledo senior Dee Dee Leenabanchong at No. 1 singles posted a 2-0 record last weekend, notching singles wins over Youngstown State and Marshall. Leenabanchong defeated Imaan Hassim 6-3, 6-3, helping the Rockets edge out the Penguins 4-3 on Saturday. On Sunday, Leenabanchong defeated Anna Smith, 7-5, 6-3, to post one of the Rockets’ two points against Marshall.
MAC Women’s Tennis Singles Co-Player of the Week
Femke Tjon-A-Joe, Western Michigan – Sophomore, Corpus Christi, Texas (Flour Bluff High School)
Western Michigan sophomore Femke Tjon-A-Joe at No. 1 singles went 2-0 on the week, with both of her wins coming in straight sets. On Monday, she defeated 2019 All-Horizon League honoree Klara Mrcela from Cleveland State (6-4, 6-3) to give her team a 3-2 lead in the match. On Friday against the defending Big East Tournament Champions from DePaul, Femke beat another all-conference selection from last season in Alina Kuzmenkova (6-3, 6-3).
Additional Women’s Singles Nominees:
Rita Pedroso, Akron – Senior, Porto, Portugal (Escola Secundaria Garcia de Orta)
Akron senior captain Rita Pedroso at No. 3 singles claimed the Zips’ sole singles win against Oakland. She beat Darya Maltseva in straight sets, 6-3, 6-1. Overall, Pedroso stands 7-7 in singles action, including 2-1 this spring.
Amy Kaplan, Ball State – Freshman, Brooklyn, N.Y. (Laurel Springs Home School)
Ball State freshman Amy Kaplan at No. 4 singles took down Louisville’s Jelena Vujanic in a straight set victory. Kaplan won the first frame 6-4 before earning the win in the second by a 6-3 decision at the No. 4 position. Kaplan also played at No. 2 doubles alongside teammate Victoria Sec and had a near win over Louisville’s twosome Raven Neely and Maia Haumueller but lost in the tiebreaker.
Marharita Sophia Tavpash, Bowling Green – Senior, Lviv, Ukraine (Lviv Linguistic)
Bowling Green senior Marharita Sophia Tavpash dominated in No. 1 singles, winning in straight sets for the Falcons in the first home match of the spring season. In the first set, Tavpash jumped out to a 4-0 lead before giving up a point to her Youngstown State counterpart, rolling into a 6-1 first set win. That momentum carried into the second set as Tavpash ran away with a 6-0 second set sweep to secure the point for the Falcons in what would be a 5-2 win for Bowling Green.
Brindtha Ramasamy, Miami – Sophomore, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Miami sophomore Brindtha Ramasamy at No. 1 singles went 1-1 against two strong power-conference opponents last week. Her win came against Kentucky's top singles player Akvile Parazinskaite, whom she defeated in straight sets by a score of 6-2, 6-2.
Fernanda Naves, Northern Illinois – Sophomore, Mexico City, Mexico
Northern Illinois sophomore Fernanda Naves at No. 3 singles helped lead the Huskies (2-0) to a perfect weekend by winning both her matches in the doubleheader Friday, Jan. 24. Naves’ 6-1, 6-2 victory over Sheya Chakraborty at No. 3 singles helped push NIU past Green Bay, 6-1, in NIU’s first dual of the year. In the nightcap, Naves earned a 6-0, 6-1 win over Jovana Parlic at No. 2 singles in the Huskies’ 7-0 triumph over Olivet Nazarene.
MAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Brindtha Ramasamy, Miami – Sophomore, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Laura Rico, Miami – Sophomore, Bogota, Colombia (Liseo Boston Bogota)
Miami sophomore’s Brindtha Ramasamy and Laura Rico at No. 1 doubles went 1-1 last week against the top double duos from Pudue and Kentucky. Ramasamy and Rico picked up their win against Purdue, defeating the Boilermakers' Dobrilova/Shimizu 6-2.
Additional Women’s Doubles Teams of the Week Nominees:
Miruna Vasilescu, Akron – Junior, Ulm, Germany (Friedrichs)
Jemi Aguilar, Akron – Junior, Weston, Fla. (Cypress Bay High School)
Akron junior’s Miruna Vasilescu and Jemi Aguilar at No. 1 doubles claimed the doubles point against Oakland. At the No. 1 position,juniors Miruna Vasilescu and Jemi Aguilar defeated Ava Thielman and Darya Maltseva, 6-4. This spring the tandem stands 2-1 in doubles action, all at the No. 1 spot.
Yulia Kapitanova, Bowling Green – Junior, Moscow, Russia (Universal)
Ioanna Tsadari, Bowling Green – Freshman, Athens, Greece (Nea Genia Ziridis)
Bowling Green junior Yulia Kapitanova and freshman Ioanna Tsadari at No. 2 doubles came away with their first doubles win of the season on Friday, topping Youngstown State's Esteo and Zagar by a score of 6-1. The pair began with a 3-0 lead before giving up a point to the Penguins. From there, they were able to close the door on a 6-1 win, being the first of two doubles wins in gaining the doubles point for Bowling Green in an eventual 5-2 victory.
Maria Potsi, Northern Illinois – Junior, Athens, Greece (1st Gel Cholargou)
Lara Slisko, Northern Illinois – Junior, Essendon, Australia (St. Columbia’s College)
Northern Illinois junior’s Maria Potsi and Lara Slisko at No. 1 doubles went 2-0 as they aided in the Huskies’ perfect start to the dual portion of their schedule. Potsi and Slisko defeated Green Bay’s No. 1 doubles team, 7-6 (9-7) in their first match of the day before beating Olivet Nazarene’s top doubles squad, 6-1, in the evening match.
