MAC Announces Women's Tennis Athletes of the Week
Women's Singles Player of the Week
Cassie Alcala, Toledo
Fr., Pickerington, Ohio
Freshman Cassie Alcala was 2-0 in singles play over the weekend, defeating Eastern Michigan's Isabelle Popma (6-2, 6-1) on Friday and Ball State's Emma Peeler (7-6 (7-3), 6-3) to improve to 10-3 in singles play this season and 8-3 when playing on the top court. Alcala is 4-1 in singles play against MAC opponents, all of which came on the No. 1 court.
Women's Doubles Team of the Week
Ana Guadiana,Western Michigan, Freshman, Monterrey, Mexico
Kaitlyn Rogosch, Western Michigan, Junior, Ann Arbor, Mich.
The newly formed pairing of Ana Guadiana and Kaitlyn Rogosch went 2-0 at No. 2 doubles as the Broncos defeated Buffalo and Northern Illinois. The duo defeated Natale Antoniou-Karademi and Gabriella Akopyan in a thrilling match, 7-5, to help the Broncos claim the doubles point on the way to 4-3 victory over the Bulls. In Sunday's win over the Huskies they once again helped the Broncos claim the doubles point with a 6-1 win over Fernanda Naves and Lara Slisko. Prior to the weekend the two had not played with each other.
Other Nominees
Diana Lukyanova, Northern Illinois University
Freshman, Moscow, Russia
Diana Lukyanova continues to lead the way for the Huskies at No. 3 singles. The Huskie freshman went 3-0 on the weekend, including a 2-0 mark in conference matches. She scored a doubleheader win on Friday to open her weekend. Lukyanova defeated Miami's Sofia Zaprianov, 6-4, 3-0 after Zaprianov was forced to retire. That win helped NIU earn a 4-3 victory over the RedHawks, its first since April 12, 2003. Later that evening, she earned a 7-5, 6-4 win over Northern Iowa's Thaissa Moreira helping NIU to a 7-0 win over the Panthers. Lukyanova rallied from a first set loss to Western Michigan's Lindsey Zieglar to win 1-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-4) to close out her weekend.
Vasavi Ganesan, Eastern Michigan
Redshirt junior, Tamil Nadu, India
Vasavi Ganesan extended her singles win streak at No. 3 to four straight this weekend, taking down opponents from Toledo, March 26, and Buffalo, March 28. Ganesan helped the Eagles earn their first MAC win, besting her Rocket adversary in straight sets, 6-3, 6-2. The redshirt junior fought hard for the second win of the weekend against the Bulls, battling to victory, 7-6, 7-5.
Femke Tjon-A-Joe, Western Michigan
Junior, Corpus Christi, Texas
Tjon-A-Joe went 1-1 on the weekend at No. 1 singles action as the Broncos defeated both Buffalo and Northern Illinois. Against UB she fell in a close match to Pia Schwarz 7-5, 2-6, 0-1 (11-13). In Sunday's win over the Huskies she had another close battle, this time with Aria Potsi. Tjon-A-Joe won the first set 6-2 but dropped the second one 3-6. The two athletes went back and forth in the third set until it was tied at 6-6. Tjon-A-Joe then won the tie-breaker 7-2 to get the win. The junior is now 7-4 on the season in singles.
Marharita-Sophia Tavpash, Bowling Green
Senior, Lviv, Ukraine
Bowling Green senior Marharita-Sophia Tavpash went 2-0 at No. 1 singles over the weekend, tallying wins over Ball State and Miami. Against Ball State on Friday (March 26), Tavpash topped Emma Peeler in straight sets with scores of 6-4, 6-1 as the Falcons came short just of the win in the 4-3 final. As for Sunday (March 28), Tavpash bested Miami's Brindtha Ramasamy in straight sets as well, battling back for a 7-6 (3) first set score before clinching the second set at 6-1. The wins moved Tavpash up to a tie for 19th in program history for career singles wins with 64 while also being 10th all-time for combined wins with 145.
Pia Schwarz, Buffalo
Junior, Singen, Germany
Junior Pia Schwarz won both of her matches at first singles this past weekend beginning on Friday with a three-set win over Femke Tjon-a-Joe of Western Michigan. Schwarz won the match, 7-5, 2-6, 13-11. She followed that up on Sunday with a straight sets win over Isabelle Popma of Eastern Michigan, 7-6 (2), 7-5. Schwarz is 4-2 on the season.
Maria Potsi, Northern Illinois, Senior, Athens, Greece
Anastasia Rakita, Northern Illinois, Freshman, Moscow, Russia
NIU's No. 1 doubles team went 2-0 on the weekend and helped the Huskies to a big conference victory to open the weekend. Maria Potsi and Anastasia Rakita posted a 7-6 victory over Miami's Brindtha Ramasamy and Laura Rico, helping NIU to a 4-3 win over the RedHawks, NIU's first victory over Miami since April 12, 2003. Their 6-1 win over UNI's No. 1 doubles squad helped propel the Huskies to a 7-0 win over the Panthers.
Luisa Pelayo, Eastern Michigan, Redshirt junior, Porto, Portugal
Grace Whitney, Eastern Michigan, Redshirt junior, Imlay City, Mich.
Redshirt juniors Luisa Pelayo and Grace Whitney continue to put on a clinic in doubles play, as they earn two more wins this weekend against Toledo, March 26, and Buffalo, March 28. Pelayo and Whitney downed the Rockets No. 2 doubles pair 6-2, then quickly handled the Bulls No. 2 duo 6-1. The redshirt junior pairing extends their doubles win streak to eight straight.
Ayumi Sasaki, Bowling Green, Senior, Montreal, Canada
Ioanna Tsadari, Bowling Green, Sophomore, Athens, Greece
The Bowling Green doubles duo of Ayumi Sasaki and Ioanna Tsadari went 1-1 on the weekend for the Falcons at No. 2 doubles. After coming up short on Friday (March 26) against Ball State, Sasaki and Tsadari bounced back on Sunday (March 28) against Miami to clinch the doubles point for the Falcons. With Miami forfeited the No. 3 doubles match, the Falcons needed just one doubles win and Sasaki, Tsadari were able to capture that with a score of 6-3 to give BGSU the doubles point in the 5-2 victory.
Pia Schwarz, Buffalo, Junior Singen, Germany
Ambre Amat, Buffalo, Sophomore, Antibes, France
Buffalo's number one doubles team of Pia Schwarz and Ambre Amat won both of their matches this past week. They began the weekend on Friday with a 6-4 victory against Femke Tjon-a-Joe and Kristina Tiraspolsky of Western Michigan and then won 6-4 again on Sunday after against Eastern Michigan's Isabelle Popma and Vasavi Ganesan.
