MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
MAC Women’s Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Laura Rico, Miami – Sophomore, Bogota, Colombia (Liseo Boston Bogota)
Miami sophomore Laura Rico at No. 1 singles went 2-0 in her first taste of action at number one singles. On Friday, she defeated Xavier's number one Ahmier Kyle, coming back from a dropped first set to win 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. She followed that up with another win Saturday in Miami's victory over Western Kentucky, breezing through Western Kentucky's Cora-Lynn Van Dungern by a score of 6-1, 6-4.
Additional Women’s Singles Nominees:
Ioanna Tsadari, Bowling Green – Freshman, Athens, Greece (Nea Genia Ziridis)
Bowling Green freshman Ioanna Tsadari at No. 1 and No. 2 singles began the week on Friday, Feb. 21 against St. Francis, a match the Falcons won 6-1. Going against Lucia Seigford, Tsadari on the number one court, she won in straight sets by scores of 6-2, and 6-4 to pick up her first No. 1 singles win in her first attempt of her young collegiate career. Moving to No. 2 singles on Sunday, Feb. 23 against Division-II's No. 24 singles player, Anna Novikova of Indianapolis, Tsadari again found the win column. After a falling in a close first set 6-4, Tsadari battled back in the second set to win 7-6 (4) before dominating the third set 6-2 for the point to complete the 2-0 weekend.
Gabriella Akopyan, Buffalo – Junior, Yerevan, Armenia (School N1591)
Buffalo junior Gabriella Akopyan at No. 3 singles dropped just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Skidmore’s Renee Karchere-Sun on Sunday as the Bulls defeated the Thoroughbreds 7-0 in their lone match of the week.
Emma-Lou Pommiers, Eastern Michigan – Freshman, Aire Sure I’Adour, France (Saint Dominique Pau)
Eastern Michigan freshman Emma-Lou Pommiers at No. 4 singles has a 2-1 mark with straight set wins over Lau from Binghamton 6-4, 6-4 and Bradley from Quinnipiac 6-2, 6-0. The first-year Eagle also defeated Maryland Eastern Shore’s Kenza Katema in the No. 3 singles sport, 6-0, 6-1, to make her 1-0 at the position and 3-1 for the week. Pommiers has nine wins on the season, which is a team-best, and is on a two-match win streak.
Dee Dee Leenabanchong, Toledo – Senior, Bangkok, Thailand (Suphanburi Sports School)
Toledo senior Dee Dee Leenabanchong at No. 1 singles went 2-0 on Saturday, helping the Rockets post 7-0 sweeps of Saint Francis and Findlay. In the afternoon session against Saint Francis, Leenabanchong defeated Lucia Seigford, 6-0, 6-3. In the evening session against Findlay, Leenabanchong downed Samantha Sweet 6-3, 6-2.
Valerie Riegraf, Western Michigan – Junior, Hamburg, Germany
Western Michigan junior Valerie Riegraf at No. 6 singles went 2-0 for the Broncos last week. On Thursday, she helped her team earn a win over Chicago State after defeating Katarina Dukic convincingly in straight sets (6-1, 6-1). Against Marquette on Sunday, Valerie regrouped after dropping the first set to prevail over Lesley Foe (1-6, 6-2, 6-1). The native of Germany has won five consecutive singles matches after losing her inaugural match of the dual season back in January.
MAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Gabriela Slavova, Western Michigan – Senior, Sofia, Bulgaria (Vasil Levski)
Lindsey Zieglar, Western Michigan – Freshman, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Atlantic High School)
Western Michigan senior Gabriela Slavova and freshman Lindsey Zieglar at No. 2 doubles defeated 2019 All-Big East selection Milica Novakovic and Giulia Turconi of Marquette 6-0 on Sunday. In a 6-1 team win over Chicago State on Thursday, they played 2019 All-WAC honoree Katarina Drazic and Lizi Morgoshia, which was left unfinished at a 4-4 score.
Additional Women’s Doubles Teams of the Week Nominees:
Ambre Amat, Buffalo – Freshman, Antibes, France (Lycee Jacques Audiberti)
Gabriella Akopyan, Buffalo – Junior, Yerevan, Armenia (School N1591)
Buffalo freshman Ambre Amat and junior Gabriella Akopyan at No. 3 doubles had little trouble winning their lone match of the week as the duo defeated Sofia Carlsson and Lily Feldman of Skidmore College, 6-2.
Vasavi Ganesan, Eastern Michigan – Junior, Tamil Nadu, India (Alagappa Matriculation School)
Isabelle Popma, Eastern Michigan – Freshman, Straphorst, Netherlands (Center for Sports and Education)
Eastern Michigan junior Vasavi Ganesan and freshman Isabelle Popma at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles were outstanding in its four matches against Binghamton, Feb. 20, Long Island, Feb. 21, Maryland Eastern Shore, Feb. 23, and Quinnipiac, Feb. 23, as they went a perfect 4-0 on the week. The duo never dropped more than four games in a set as it dominated in all four outings. After defeating Binghamton, 6-4, the pair needed just nine games to upend LIU, 6-3. Their best match came in the No. 1 doubles spot against Maryland Eastern Shore, where they dominated in 6-0 fashion. They followed that performance up with an afternoon victory against Quinnipiac, 6-2. The pairing is now 6-4 on the season and has helped Eastern Michigan to 5-5 start in its first season of competition since its return to the court following a one-year hiatus.
Milana Lysova, Miami – Junior, Almaty, Kazakhstan (Number 13, Almaty)
Priyana Kalita, Miami – Junior, Assam, India (India National Institute of Open Schooling)
Miami junior’s Milana Lysova and Priyana Kalita at No. 2 doubles went 1-0 this weekend earning a dominant 6-1 win over Western Kentucky's Bryant-Otake/Joch on Satuday. The duo was also on the verge of earning a win Friday against Xavier and were leading 5-3 when their match was left unfinished.
Dee Dee Leenabanchong, Toledo – Senior, Bangkok, Thailand (Suphanburi Sports School)
Eileen Carney, Toledo – Sophomore, Joliet, Ill. (Joliet High School)
Toledo senior Dee Dee Leenabanchong and sophomore Eileen Carney at No. 1 doubles went 2-0 on Saturday helping the Rockets secure the doubles point in their 7-0 sweeps of Saint Francis and Findlay. In the afternoon session against Saint Francis, Leenabanchong/Carney swept Lucia Seigford/Laura Gutierrez, 6-0. During the Rockets' match against Findlay, Leenabanchong/Carney defeated Laura Brito/Eliza Kirov 6-4.
