The South Atlantic Conference Announces Women's Tennis Annual Awards
ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSac.com) – Queens' Carlotta Nassi was voted the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year, while Katarina Majorova of Tusculum was voted the League's Freshman of the Year. In addition, Wingate mentor Michael Cabana was tabbed the Coach of the Year, the League announced today.
Nassi, a junior from Livorno, Italy, earns her third-straight South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year honor as she finished the season 12-2 overall and 9-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. Playing all her singles matches at the No. 1 flight, she went 2-1 against Division I opponents during the 2017 season. In doubles action, Nassi and her partners combined for a 7-1 record in League play. A three-time first team All-SAC selection, Nassi was named the League's Freshman of the Year in her rookie season.
Majorova, a No. 1 player from Martin, Slovakia, finished the season 15-6 overall and 8-2 in the League. She was 12-4 in dual matches at the No. 1 flight and is currently ranked No. 15 on the ITA Southeast Region Singles list. She won 11 of her 13 matches in straight sets. Her doubles tandem was 18-9 overall and 10-1 in the South Atlantic Conference. At No. 1 doubles, her duo was 17-3 and ranked as high as No. 8 in the Southeast Region. Her doubles team lost just two games or less in 10 of their 18 victories.
Cabana earns his seventh-straight South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honor after leading Wingate to its seventh-consecutive South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Regular Season Championship. The Bulldogs finished the season 16-3 overall and 11-0 in the South Atlantic Conference. The streak of seven-straight championships ties the record for most consecutive regular-season championships in SAC history as former member Presbyterian College won the SAC title seven times from 1996-2002. Wingate has won 59 straight SAC matches and 70 of its last 71 South Atlantic Conference matches.
Joining Nassi on the first team singles squad were Elizabeth Williamson from Newberry, Majorova of Tusculum, Anderson's Laura Dean and Rebecca Bruning and Franzkisa Funke from Tusculum.
The first team doubles honorees were Bruning and Dean of Anderson, Funke and Majorova from Tusculum and Newberry's Williamson and Amanda Carrillo.
2017 SAC Women's Tennis Year Honors
First Team Doubles
Laura Dean/Rebecca Bruning, Anderson
Franziska Funke/Katarina Majorova, Tusculum
Elizabeth Williamson/Amanda Carrillo, Newberry
Second Team Doubles
Carlotta Nassi/Marta Gonzalez, Queens
Maria Garcia/Oroma Womeodu, Wingate
Sydney Homan/Andrea Ternera, Wingate
Honorable Mention Doubles
Johanna Delisse/Julia Loos, Lincoln Memorial
Layla Tanik/Claudia DeAndreis, Wingate
Alisa Liashova/Klara Vuckovic, Carson-Newman
First Team Singles
Carlotta Nassi, Queens
Elizabeth Williamson, Newberry
Laura Dean, Anderson
Rebecca Bruning, Anderson
Katarina Majorova, Tusculum
Franziska Funke, Tusculum
Second Team Singles
Claudia De Andreis, Wingate
Elena Pellegrini, Wingate
Marta Gonzalez, Queens
Ivey Welborn, Anderson
Iulia Ponomareva, Lenoir-Rhyne
Amanda Carrillo, Newberry
Honorable Mention Singles
Marta Pinol, Lincoln Memorial
Ali Harris, Carsion-Newman
Annie McCullough, Tusculum
Caroline Nielsen, Queens
Jill Corsato Owsianka, Carson-Newman
Melissa Laing, Queens
Player of the Year
Carlotta Nassi, Queens
Freshman of the Year
Katarina Majorova, Tusculum
Coach of the Year
Michael Cabana, Wingate