Women's Singles Tennis Player of the Week
Lindsey Zieglar, Western Michigan
Sophomore, Daytona Beach, Fla.
Zieglar went 2-0 at No. 2 singles on the weekend to help the Broncos start out MAC play 2-0. Friday's match was tied 3-3 with Miami and came down to the finish of Zieglar and Milana Lysova. Lysova took the first set 2-6 but Zieglar responded wining the second set 6-2. She won the third set 6-3 to clinch the match win for the Broncos. In Sunday's 4-3 win over she defeated Ionna Tsadari 6-4, 6-1, improving to 9-0 in singles play on the season and 4-0 at No. 2.
Women's Tennis Doubles Team of the Week
Maria Potsi, NIU, Senior,Athens, Greece
Anastasia Rakita, NIU, Freshman, Moscow, Russia
Maria Potsi and Anastasia Rakita went 2-0 on the weekend and helped NIU end its 16-match conference regular-season losing streak. The Huskies' No. 1 doubles team, Potsi and Rakita opened the weekend with a 6-2 win over Bowling Green Friday. The NIU duo wrapped its weekend with a 6-4 victory over Eastern Michigan's Isabelle Pompa and Julia Piatek to clinch the doubles point and help lead the Huskies to a 6-1 win over the Eagles, NIU's first MAC win since April 21, 2017.
Other Nominees
Femke Tjon-A-Joe, Western Michigan, Junior, Corpus Christi, Texas
Ana Guadiana, Western Michigan, Freshman, Monterrey, Mexico
The duo of Tjon-A-Joe and Guadiana went 1-0 on the weekend in doubles action. In Friday's 4-3 win over Miami the duo had an unfinished match after the Broncos had clinched the doubles point prior to them finishing their match at No. 1. On Saturday they set the tone with an impressive 6-1 win at No. 1 over Bowling Green's Marharita-Sophia Tavash and Yulia Kapitanova, helping the Bronco secure the crucial doubles point in the 4-3 win over the Falcons.
Ayumi Sasaki, Bowling Green, Senior, Montreal, Canada
Ioanna Tsadari, Bowling Green,Sophomore, Athens, Greece
The Bowling Green duo of Ayumi Sasaki and Ioanna Tsadari registered a 2-0 record at No. 2 doubles in the Falcons' opening weekend of MAC play. The pair began the weekend against Northern Illinois, winning with a score of 6-2 to help Bowling Green claim the doubles point in the 6-1 victory. As for Sunday (March 14) against Western Michigan, the duo claimed the lone doubles win of the day for the Falcons with another 6-2 final in a match that WMU won 4-3.
Luisa Pelayo, Eastern Michigan, R-Junior, Porto, Portugal
Grace Whitney, Eastern Michigan, R-Junior Imlay City, Mich.
The Eastern Michigan doubles pairing of Luisa Pelayo and Grace Whitney continue to have success at No. 2. The duo went 2-0 this weekend against Ball State, March 12, and Northern Illinois, March 14, defeating their opponents 6-2 and 6-3, respectively. The redshirt juniors move to 7-1 at No. 2 and 8-4 overall in 2021.
Livia Lukacs, Ball State, Junior, Pecs, Hungary
Victoria Sec, Ball State, Senior, New York, New York
The No. 3 Ball State duo of Livia Lukacs and Victoria Sec out toughed a close match against Eastern Michigan’s doubles tandem of Emma Lou-Pommiers and Vasavi Ganesan Friday afternoon winning the match 7-5. Lukacs and Sec’s victory would clinch the doubles point for the Cardinals on Friday. Eventually the twosomes win helped Ball State to enter singles on a high note and the Cardinals would go on to win the match, 6-1. Ball Sate has now won 10 straight matches improving to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Emma-Lou Pommiers, Eastern Michigan
Redshirt freshman, Aire-sur-I'Adour, France
Redshirt freshman Emma-Lou Pommiers 4-0 at the No. 3 spot for Eastern Michigan, March 14, after defeating her opponent from Northern Illinois in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4. The France native split the weekend, going 1-1, after falling to Ball State, March 13. The redshirt freshman is now 8-3 overall in 2021 singles action.
Amy Kaplan, Ball State
Sophomore, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Sophomore Amy Kaplan shined in the Cardinals’ Mid-American Conference opening weekend. The sophomore from Brooklyn, N.Y. only gave up three games against her opponent from Eastern Michigan Friday at position four. Kaplan took the Eagles’ Vered Bert down in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1 to give Ball State the 2-0 lead over EMU. Kaplan helped Ball State to a 6-1 win over the Eagles. With the victory, the Cardinals have won 10 in a row improving to 10-2 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Shalini Tallamraju, Toledo
Freshman, Munster, Ind.
Freshman Shalini Tallamraju provided the clinching singles victory (7-6, 6-3) in Toledo's 5-2 win at Miami on Sunday, the Rockets' first victory over the RedHawks since 2007. After dropping the doubles point, Toledo won five of six singles matches against Miami to pull off the win. Tallamraju improved to 6-3 with the victory on Sunday and has won her last three singles matches.
Diana Lukyanova, NIU
Freshman, Moscow, Russia
Diana Lukyanova improved to 10-3 on the season and extended her team-best 10 match winning streak, not losing a set during that stretch, with a pair of victories over conference foes this weekend. A native of Moscow, Russia, Lukyanova helped NIU end its 16-match regular-season losing streak when her 6-0, 6-4 victory over Vassavi Ganesan helped the Huskies to a 6-1 victory over Eastern Michigan on Sunday. The Huskie freshman opened the weekend with a 6-3, 6-4 win over Bowling Green's Yulia Kapitanova on Friday.
Selina Karg, Bowling Green
Freshman, Augsburg, Germany
Bowling Green freshman Selina Karg went 2-0 in her first two MAC singles matches this past week, winning both matches at No. 5 singles. Karg began the weekend by topping Northern Illinois' Fernanda Naves by scores of 6-1 and 6-3 as the Falcons captured a 6-1 victory. As for the second match, being against Western Michigan, Karg picked up another No. 5 singles win this time over Kaitlyn Rogosch by scores of 6-4, 6-3 as the Falcons came up short 4-3.
