Mid-American Conference

MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
 
MAC Women’s Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Miruna Vasilescu, Akron – Sophomore, Ulm, Germany (Friedrich-List Schule)
Akron sophomore Miruna Vasilescu at No. 1 and No. 2 singles went 2-1 overall, including 2-0 at the No. 1 position in singles play. At No. 10 Ohio State, Vasilescu battled No. 64-ranked Isabell Boulais to a 6-4, 6-2 decision at the No. 2 position. In the win over Detroit Mercy, Vasilescu defeated Jasmine Apawti in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. In the win over Binghamton, she beat out Samra Eisenberg, 6-2, 6-0. Overall, Vasilescu stands 12-8 in singles action and 9-3 in spring action. She is a perfect 3-0 at the No. 1 spot. She is a human resource management major.  
 
Additional Women’s Singles Nominees:
Peyton Gollhofer, Ball State – Senior, Cartersville, Ga. (Laurel Springs Academy)
Ball State senior Peyton Gollhofer at No. 3 singles remained undefeated in singles action after posting a straight set victory over Indianapolis' Anya Novikova. Gollhofer took down Novikova, 6-3, 6-1 at the No. 3 position and was the first Cardinal off the court to give Ball State the 2-0 edge over the Greyhounds. Gollhofer also went 1-0 in doubles action alongside teammate Isabelle Dohanics. The No. 3 doubles duo clinched the doubles point for the Cardinals against UIndy after their 6-2 take down over the Greyhounds' Alina Kislitskaya and Anna Valiaeva. With Gollhofers singles victory she improves to 7-0 in spring action and 8-1 in doubles play.
 
Polina Radeva, Bowling Green – Senior, Varna, Bulgaria (Nikola Yonkov Vaptsarov)
Bowling Green senior Polina Radeva at No. 3 singles began the weekend with a win over Wright State's Luisa Pelayo in straight sets. The sets concluded 6-3, 6-2 en route to Radeva capturing a point for the Falcons in their 6-1 victory. Radeva continued her weekend success by defeating Indianapolis' Anna Novikova in No. 3 singles. Radeva ended victorious taking the first and third sets with scores ending 7-6, 5-7, 10-4, capturing one of two Bowling Green points for the match. The win also brought her weekend record to 2-0 in singles play. 
 
Makenzie Myers, Miami – Sophomore, Evansville, Ind. (Reitz Memorial High School)
Miami sophomore Makenzie Myers at No. 6 singles earned a dominating victory in the RedHawks' sole match last weekend, as she blew past Western Kentucky's Kyla Dilger by an unblemished 6-0, 6-0 score line. This set the tone for a 5-0 Miami victory.
 
Thalita Rodrigues, Toledo – Senior, Brasilia, Brazil (Instituto de Educacao Guiness)
Toledo senior Thalita Rodrigues at No. 6 singles earned tournament MVP in the Redbird Invitational hosted by Illinois State, going 2-0 this weekend in Normal, Ill. Saturday and Sunday were Rodrigues’ first appearances on the Toledo lineup for singles play as well. In Saturday’s competition against Southeast Missouri State Rodrigues defeated Sneha Sinha after dropping the first set 4-6 before coming back to win the second and third matches 6-2 each. Her victory clinched the Rockets’ 4-3 victory over the Redhawks. In the Rockets’ 4-1 victory over Illinois State in Sunday’s championship match, Rodrigues defeated Ivon Mihaleva in two sets 6-1, 7-6(5). She is a sport management major.
 
Kristina Tiraspolsky, Western Michigan – Freshman, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (City Academy)
Western Michigan freshman Kristina Tiraspolsky at No. 3 singles went 2-0 during wins over Dayton and Valparaiso on the weekend as the team improved to 8-4 overall on the season, the best start since 2016. Tiraspolsky improved to 6-4 in dual-play with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Dayton's Kelly Pleiman and a 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6) win over Valpo's Isabella Schoolcraft.
 
 
MAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Paula Comella, Bowling Green – Senior, Cuitadella de Menorca, Spain (Ies Cteib)
Marharita-Sophia Tavpash, Bowling Green – Junior, Lviv, Ukraine (Lviv Linguistic Gymnasium)
 
Bowling Green senior Paula Comella and junior Marharita-Sophia Tavpash at No. 1 doubles opened the weekend with a win over Wright State's Madison Riley and Haily Morgan by a score of 6-1, securing the doubles point for the Falcons. The duo continued their success into Saturday, topping Indianapolis' Nikol Alexeeva and Anna Novikova, who are ranked No. 4 in Division II doubles according to ITA. The win came by a score of 6-4, bringing Comella and Tavpash's record in No. 1 doubles to 2-0 on the weekend. 
 
Additional Women’s Doubles Teams of the Week Nominees:
Rita Pedroso, Akron – Junior, Porto, Portugal (Escola Secundaria Garchia de Orta)
Miruna Vasilescu, Akron – Sophomore, Ulm, Germany (Friedrich-List Schule)
 
Akron junior Rita Pedroso and sophomore Miruna Vasilescu played at No. 1 doubles went 1-0 on the week. At No. 10 Ohio State and in the win over Detroit Mercy, the duo’s matches were stopped once the doubles point was earned. They were battling No. 21 Shiori Fukuda and Isabelle Boulais from Ohio State and Chelsea Apawti and Jasmine Apawti from Detroit Mercy. In the win over Binghamton, Pedroso and Vasilescu defeated Tiffany and Samara Eisenberg at the No. 1 position, 6-1. Overall, Pedroso and Vasilescu stand 12-6 doubles action and 7-4 this spring. Pedroso is an international business major, while Vasilescu is a human resource management major.
 
Sarah Swiderski, Ball State – Senior, Wesley Chapel, Fla. (Saddlebrook Prep)
Victoria Sec, Ball State – Sophomore, New York, N.Y. (John McEnroe Academy)
 
Ball State senior Sarah Swiderski and sophomore Victoria Sec at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles improved to 7-1 on the season after going 2-0 this weekend, posting wins over Western Kentucky and Indianapolis. Swiderski and Sec clinched the doubles point on the top court for Ball State against the Hill Toppers with their 6-2 take down over Western Kentucky's Laura Bernardos and Lisa Friess. The duo earned a 6-1 victory over Indy's Hanna Volikova and Maja Pindelska on court two in the Cardinals afternoon match.
 
Chantal Martinez Blanco, Buffalo – Senior, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nikoleta Antoniou-Karademitrou, Buffalo – Freshman, Volos, Greece
 
Buffalo senior Chantal Martinez Blanco and freshman Nikoleta Antoniou-Karademitrou at No. 1 doubles won their lone doubles match of the week against West Virginia. The Bulls came away with the easy 6-2 victory at first doubles as Buffalo swept the three matches to claim the doubles point against the Mountaineers.
 
Lena Babunski, Miami – Sophomore, Belgrade, Serbia
Melati Devi, Miami – Sophomore, Jakarta, Indonesia
 
Miami sophomore Lena Babunski and sophomore Melati Devi at No. 2 doubles took a 6-2 victory over Western Kentucky's Diaz/Gonzalez at second doubles, clinching the doubles point for the RedHawks.
 
Thalita Rodrigues, Toledo – Senior, Brasilia, Brazil (Instituto de Educacao Guiness)
Kiersten Carlson, Toledo – Freshman, Carmel, Ind. (Carmel High School)
 
Toledo senior Thalita Rodrigues and freshman Kiersten Carlson at No. 2 doubles defeated Illinois State’s Tara Damnjanovic/Natalia Bravo 6-1 in the Redbird Invitational championship match on Sunday. The duo’s victory helped the Rockets clinch the doubles point in Toledo’s 4-1 victory over the Redbirds. Rodrigues is a sport management major, while Carlson is a pre-med major.
 
Melina Lyubomirova, Western Michigan – Senior, Sofia, Bulgaria (Emilian Staneu)
Femke Tjon-A-Joe, Western Michigan – Freshman, Corpus Christi, Texas (Flour Bluff High School)
 
Western Michigan senior Melina Lyubomirova and freshman Femke Tjon-A-Joe at No. 2 doubles went 2-0 on the weekend, helping lead to the team to its third and fourth consecutive victories with wins at home over Dayton and Valparaiso. The duo improved to 8-2 on the season with a 6-3 win over Dayton's Kelly Pleiman and Emily Zargham on Friday prior to winning 6-2 over Valpo's Isabella Schoolcraft and Randi Wind. Lyubomirova is a management major, while Tjon-A-Joe is a pre-business major.