MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE ANNOUNCES WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER AND DOUBLES TEAM OF THE WEEK
MAC Women’s Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Lindsey Zieglar, Western Michigan – Freshman, Daytona Beach, Fla. (Atlantic High School)
Western Michigan freshman Lindsey Zieglar at No. 4 singles went 2-0 for the Broncos over the weekend in singles play. On Saturday versus Butler, she helped her team earn a victory following a straight set win over Sara Linn (7-6, 6-2). On Sunday against Big Ten opponent Indiana, Lindsey defeated their top returning singles player in Jelly Bozovic in another straight set victory (6-2, 6-3). The native of Daytona Beach, Fla., has started the season with a 4-1 record at No. 4 singles.
Additional Women’s Singles Nominees:
Livia Lukacs, Ball State – Sophomore, Pecs, Hungary
Ball State sophomore Livia Lukacs at No. 5 and No. 6 singles went 2-0 in singles play this past weekend for Ball State. Lukacs started the weekend off with a straight set victory over Zoe Wende of Western Kentucky at position six. She helped the Cardinals to a 5-2 defeat over the Hilltoppers. On Saturday, it was close match against MTSU, but with Lukacs win at No. 5 singles over Noelle Mauro, her three-set thriller helped Ball State clinch the 4-3 victory at Middle Tennessee. With the wins, Lukacs improved to 3-1 on the season.
Emel Abibula, Buffalo – Senior, Bucharest, Romania (German Goethe School)
Buffalo senior Emel Abibula at No. 2 singles went a perfect 2-0 in singles play this past weekend as she dropped just two games in her two victories at second singles. In the win over Niagara, Abibula shutout her competition with a 6-0, 6-0 victory over Andrea Peteu. Abibula also won at second singles against St. Bonaventure with a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Amelia Haley. Abibula is now 9-2 in singles play this year.
Brindtha Ramasamy, Miami – Sophomore, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Miami sophomore Brindtha Ramasamy at No. 1 singles helped lead the RedHawks to a big win over rival Cincinnati last Friday, dominating Ioana Guna at first singles by a score of 6-0, 6-1.
Paula Veyhle, Northern Illinois – Sophomore, Stuttgart, Germany
Northern Illinois sophomore Paula Veyhle at No. 5 and No. 6 singles improved to 5-0 in dual matches this season, helping NIU to a 2-1 mark on the weekend and a 4-1 start to the spring. The Huskie sophomore won all three of her contests on the weekend. She defeated Wisconsin's Melissa Pick at No. 5 singles, 6-4, 6-2, on Friday, Jan. 31., avenging a straight set defeat to Pick last season. She played a key role in the doubleheader sweep of Milwaukee and Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 1. Against Milwaukee, Veyhle posted a strong 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles and finished out the weekend with a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Eastern Illinois' Shaianne Looney at No. 5 singles.
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 won their only match last week, helping the RedHawks take a 4-3 win over Cincinnati on Friday. They defeated UC's top duo of Guna/Morton by a score of 6-3 at first doubles.
Additional Women’s Doubles Teams of the Week Nominees:
Livia Lukacs, Ball State – Sophomore, Pecs, Hungary
Emma Peeler, Ball State – Freshman, Cleveland, Ohio (Westlake High School)
Ball State sophomore Livia Lukacs and freshman Emma Peeler at No. 1 doubles earned a 6-4 defeat over Middle Tennessee to help clinch the doubles point for Ball State. They also played at position one on Friday against Western Kentucky’s C. Von Dungern and Lisa Friess. The No 1 doubles tandem helped Ball State to a 2-0 record on the road with wins over WKU and Middle Tennessee.
Nikoleta Antoniou-Karademitrou, Buffalo – Sophomore, Volos, Greece (4th General Lycium of Volos)
Azra Deniz-Comlek, Buffalo – Freshman, Istanbul, Turkey (Ted Istanbul)
Buffalo sophomore Nikoleta Antoniou-Karademitrou and freshman Azra Deniz-Comlek at No. 2 doubles and in the victory over St Bonaventure had no trouble coming away with the win as they shut out their opponents Amelia Haley and Emily Stanley, 6-0.
Christy Robinson, Northern Illinois – Sophomore, Wellington, New Zealand (Samuel Mardsen Collegiate School)
Fernanda Naves, Northern Illinois – Sophomore, Veracruz, Mexico (Club Med Acadmies)
Northern Illinois sophomore’s Christy Robinson and Fernanda Naves at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles played a key role in NIU’s 2-1 weekend. The Huskie duo stepped up to No. 2 doubles against Wisconsin and was narrowly defeated, 6-4. The pair then moved back to No. 3 doubles for NIU’s doubleheader with Milwaukee and Eastern Illinois. Robinson and Naves clinched the doubles point for the Huskies, which proved to be the difference in their 4-3 win over Milwaukee, with a 7-6 win. Their 6-1 win over Eastern Illinois helped NIU win the valuable doubles point as the Huskies defeated the Panthers, 4-3. The Huskie duo are 4-1 on the season, including 3-0 at No. 3 doubles.
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 in doubles over the weekend in Morgantown, W. Va., posting victories against Towson and West Virginia. Leenabanchong/Carney swept Themis Haliou/Phoebe Collins, 6-0, to help the Rockets secure the doubles point in their 6-1 victory over Towson on Saturday. On Sunday, Leenabanchong/Carney posted the Rockets’ only win on the doubles court, defeating West Virginia’s Anne-Sophie Courteau/Kat Lyman, 6-3.
Femke Tjon-A-Joe, Western Michigan – Sophomore, Corpus Christi, Texas (Flour Bluff High School)
Kristina Tiraspolsky, Western Michigan – Sophomore, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (City Academy)
Western Michigan sophomore’s Femke Tjon-A-Joe and Kristina Tiraspolsky at No. 1 doubles defeated Lauryn Padgett and Sarah Monesmith of Butler 7-5 on Saturday. The win clinched the doubles point for the Broncos, who would go on to beat the Bulldogs 7-0. On Sunday versus Indiana, they were leading Jelly Bozovic and Annabelle Andrinopoulos 5-4 when the Hoosiers secured the doubles point.
