MAC Women’s Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Laura Rico, Miami, Senior, Bogota, Columbia
Laura Rico went 2-0 at No. 2 singles for the RedHawks last week, spearheading Miami to a 6-1 win against Bowling Green and a 5-2 win at Western Michigan last week to move to 3-0 in MAC play. Rico posted a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles against Bowling Green’s Selina Karg and a 6-3, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles against Western Michigan’s Ana Guadiana to extend her MAC singles win streak to 16 straight dating back to last season. It was her seventh-straight singles win on the season, all coming in the second flight.
MAC Women’s Tennis Doubles Player of the Week
Brindtha Ramasamy/Laura Rico, Miami
Brindtha Ramasamy and Laura Rico propelled Miami to a 2-0 week with a pair of MAC wins at No. 1 doubles as the RedHawks improved to 3-0 in MAC play. The duo collected a 6-3 win against BGSU’s Laura Maia Silveira and Ioanna Tsadari to help solidify the doubles point in a 6-1 win against the Falcons. In a 5-2 win at Western Michigan, Ramasamy and Rico pounded out a 6-2 win against the Broncos’ Femke Tjon-A-Joe and Ana Guadiana to again help solidify the doubles point for the RedHawks.
Other Singles Nominees
Amy Kaplan, Ball State, Junior, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Kaplan continues to shine this spring and this weekend's tough Mid-American Conference weekend was no different. Kaplan went 2-0 at the No. 4 singles position. Kaplan opened the weekend with a three-set thrilling win on the road at Buffalo on Friday. She took down the Bulls Ambre Amat, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4 to help move Ball State past Buffalo by a score of 4-3. On Sunday, Kaplan out toughed her opponent again as she won in three sets against Toledo's Shalini Tallamraju, 6-4, 4-6, 6-1. Kaplan's victory again clinched match point for the Cardinals against the Rockets. With the wins, Kaplan helped Ball State remain undefeated in MAC play while also extended the Cardinals win streak to eight.
Pia Schwarz, Buffalo, Senior, Singen, Germany
Senior Pia Schwarz went a perfect 2-0 at first singles this past weekend with a pair of straight set victories. On Friday, Schwarz defeated Ball State's Emma Peeler, 6-4, 6-4, and then on Sunday she dropped just four games total in a 6-2, 6-2 win over Northern Illinois' Diana Lukyanova.
Prerna Vichare, Eastern Michigan, Freshman, Mumbai, India
Prerna Vichare went 2-0 on the road this weekend, and helped Eastern secure its first MAC win of the spring season. Vichare first defeated her Western Michigan opponent at No. 2, 6-3, 6-3, in a close 4-3 loss to the Broncos, March 25. The freshman followed the performance with another win in the two spot, this time at Bowling Green, 6-4, 6-4, in a 4-3 victory over the Falcons. The Mumbai, India native is now 2-1 in singles MAC matches.
Cassie Alcala, Toledo, Sophomore, North Pickerington, Ohio
Alcala won their sixth straight single's match and is undefeated in MAC play over the weekend vs. NIU and Ball State. In Friday's match vs. NIU, Alcala defeated Ericka Dimitreiv (6-2, 6-3) to help the Rockets' win their 11th-straight home match, dating back to April 2, 2021. In Sunday's defeat to Ball State, Alcala captured a three-set match against Emma Peeler at the No. 1 singles but it was the lone victory for Toledo. The Rockets are 12-4 with a 2-1 record in MAC play.
Femke Tjon-A-Joe, Western Michigan, Senior, Corpus Christi, Texas
Tjon-A-Joe went 2-0 on the weekend, helping the Broncos split with Eastern Michigan and Miami. In the 4-3 win over the Eagles she helped the Broncos get out to a 2-0 lead, making quick work of Isabella Pompa 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4. Against the RedHawks she earned one of WMU's two points with another win at No. 4, 7-5, 7-6 (7-5) over Sarah Zalukar. The wins snapped a two-match losing streak for Tjon-A-Joe and improved her dual match record to 9-4 on the season, including 2-1 in MAC play.
Other Doubles Nominees
Emma Peeler/Mariya Polishchuk, Ball State
This dynamic duo went 2-0 this weekend in doubles action. Peeler and Polishchuk opened doubles play on Friday with a 6-4 take down over Buffalo's Ambre Amat and L. Schietekat Sedas. On Sunday the twosome was back at in on court three helping the Cardinals claim the doubles point over Toledo. Peeler and Polischuk earned a 6-4 decision over the Rockets Sloan Teske and Christina Fuller. Peeler and Polischuk helped Ball State move to 3-0 in MAC play and win their eighth-straight match.
Pia Schwarz & Azra Deniz Comlek, Buffalo
Buffalo's number one doubles team of Pia Schwarz and Azra Deniz Comlek won both of their matches this past weekend helping the Bulls claim the doubles point in each of their two matches. On Friday, Schwarz and Comlek won 6-2 against Amy Kaplan and Hannah Davies of Ball State. On Sunday, the duo had to overcome a big deficit, to storm back and defeat NIU's Erika Dimitirev and Anastaisa Rakita, 7-5.
Sabina Brichackova/ Prerna Vichare, Eastern Michigan
Sabina Brichackova and Prerna Vichare, the No. 2 doubles pair for Eastern Michigan, saw victory in the Eagles' first conference win of the spring season. Brichackova and Vichare bested their Bowling Green opposition 6-3, March 27. The freshman pairing are 15-3 in dual matches this season and are on a four-match win streak.
