The South Atlantic Conference Announces Women's Tennis Annual Award Winners

Wingate’s Michela Verpelli was voted the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, while Yana Fleyer of Queens was voted the Conference’s Freshman of the Year.  In addition, Wingate head Michael Cabana was named the Coach of the Year, the SAC office announced today.

The South Atlantic Conference Announces Women's Tennis Annual Award Winners
April 18, 2018

ROCK HILL, S.C. (TheSac.com) – Wingate's Michela Verpelli was voted the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year, while Yana Fleyer of Queens was voted the Conference's Freshman of the Year.  In addition, Wingate head Michael Cabana was named the Coach of the Year, the SAC office announced today.

Verpelli, a sophomore from Milan, Italy, is ranked No. 20 in the Oracle/ITA Division II Women's Singles Poll and was a three-time SAC AstroTurf Women's Tennis Player of the Week this season. She was 13-2 overall at No. 1 singles and 13-6 overall at No. 1 doubles. In conference play, Verpelli went undefeated at No. 1 singles and lost just one match at No. 1 doubles. She helped lead the Bulldogs to their eighth-straight SAC Regular Season Title with wins over nationally ranked Tusculum, Queens and Newberry.

Fleyer, a freshman from Minsk, Belarus, is ranked No. 42 in the Oracle/ITA Division II Women's Singles Poll and was named SAC AstroTurf Women's Tennis Player of the Week on Feb. 26. Playing the majority of her matches at the No. 1 singles spot this season, Fleyer went undefeated with a prefect 15-0 overall record and was 10-0 in conference. In doubles play, she went 13-3 overall and was 8-2 in SAC play at the No. 2 position.

Cabana earns his eighth-straight South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year honor after leading the Bulldogs to their eighth-consecutive SAC Women's Tennis Regular Season Championship.  The Bulldogs finished the season 19-3 overall and 10-0 in the SAC.  The streak of eight-straight championships sets a new record for most consecutive regular-season championships in SAC history.  Wingate has won a record 69 straight SAC matches, and is currently ranked No. 20 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Rankings.

Joining Verpelli and Fleyer on the All-SAC First Team for singles were Katarina Majorova and Franzkisa Funke of Tusculum, Carlotta Nassi from Queens and Claudia De Andreis from Wingate.

The first team doubles honorees were Verpelli and Maria Garcia of Wingate, Funke and Majorova from Tusculum and Annie and Caitlin McCullough from Tusculum.

2018 SAC Women's Tennis Year Honors

First Team Doubles

Michela Verpelli/Maria Garcia, Wingate
Annie McCullough/Caitlin McCullough, Tusculum
Franziska Funke/Katarina Majorova, Tusculum

Second Team Doubles

Isabel Fornies/Carlotta Nassi, Queens
Amanda Carrillo/Marta Gomar, Newberry
Sasha Davidzenka/Yana Fleyer, Queens

Honorable Mention Doubles

Lucia Davila/Elisa Aguirre, Newberry
Oroma Womeodu/Chyi Lee, Wingate
Jill Corsato-Owsianka /Abby Reis, Carson-Newman

First Team Singles

Katarina Majorova, Tusculum
Michela Verpelli, Wingate
Carlotta Nassi, Queens
Franziska Funke, Tusculum
Claudia De Andreis, Wingate
Yana Fleyer, Queens

Second Team Singles

Amanda Carrillo, Newberry
Annie McCullough, Tusculum
Laura Dean, Anderson
Elisa Aguirre, Newberry
Chyi Lee, Wingate
Caitlin McCullough, Tusculum

Honorable Mention Singles

Erisa Onchi, Catawba
Jill Corsato-Owsianka, Carson-Newman
Sophie Hirsch, Catawba
Sasha Davidzenka, Queens
Jasha Geerdink, Mars Hill
Ivey Welborn, Anderson

Player of the Year

Michela Verpelli, Wingate 

Freshman of the Year

Yana Fleyer, Queens 

Coach of the Year

Michael Cabana, Wingate

- #makeSACyours -