Women's Tennis Returns with the #7 Nationals Ranking

May 7, 2010

Left to Right: Richard Bowie (Head Coach), Gisele Diaz, Viktoriya Popova, Margarita Aheychenko, Simona Mrazova, Soizette Simmons, Tetiana Kovalska)

Tuscon, AZ--- The women's tennis team returned home today, finishing a strong week at the NJCAA Division I National championships. The team finished with the #7 standing in the tournament, a great feat for a first year program. After tough first round draws, the Lady Avengers cleaned up the next 4 days of the tournament. Freshman #1 singles player, Tetiana Kovalska (Simferpol, Ukraine/N1 Secondary School), finished the tournament winning the back draw bracket in convincing fashion, losing only five games of forty-one. Kovalska was also very successful in the #1 doubles portion of the tourney while teaming up with sophomore Soizette Simmons (Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln), who would also win her back draw flight for the #3 singles bracket. The pair would advance all the way to championship match of the main draw where they would eventually fall to Tyler College (TX) (6-1; 6-3). For their efforts, both players would be named 2nd Team All-Americans. The third Second-Team All-American award for ASA would go to #4 singles player, Margarita Aheychenko (Kiev, Ukraine/Anderson) who had a phenomenal week, advancing to her flight's championship match in the main draw. Freshman #5 singles player, Simona Mrazova (Bratislava, Slovak Republic/Q.S.I. International School of Bratislava), also had a stellar showing advancing to the semi-finals of the main draw in her respective singles flight in addition to making an appearance in the semifinals with Aheychenko in the #2 doubles flight of the main draw. The #3 doubles team of Gisele Diaz (Bronx, NY/JFK) and Viktoriya Popova (Severodonetsk, Ukraine/ Severodonetskaya) would aid in the overall point total by winning a match in their flight on the second day of competition.

For all 2010 Women's National Championships results, please go to the following link http://www.njcaa.org/newsArticle.cfm?articleId=11500.