Women's Tennis Garners Multiple West Coast Conference Honors
4/22/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
San Bruno, CA – The West Coast Conference announced the 2009 women's tennis all-conference teams, with multiple Gaels garnering top honors. Headlining the group was head coach Lisa Alipaz and freshman Anna Chkhikvishvili, as they were named the Coach of the Year and Freshman of the Year respectively. Also receiving recognitions were Alex Poorta, Claire Soper, Nienke Strijbis and Marah Calvo.
Alipaz, was named 2009 WCC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season, after leading the Gaels to another second place finish at the 2009 WCC Championships. The Gaels finished with a 10-10 overall record, playing nine ranked teams throughout the year. Against WCC opponents the Gaels were near perfect, posting a 7-1 record, with their only loss coming to No. 41 Pepperdine in the conference championships.
Chkhikvishvili was named the freshman of the year after going 8-7 at the No. 2 singles position for the Gaels and 10-8 overall. Chkhikvishvili recorded notable wins over ranked teams Michigan State, UC Irvine and Boise State. In addition, the newcomer was also named to the All-WCC first team.
Joining Chkhikvishvili on the All-WCC first team was sophomore Alex Poorta. Poorta played the No. 1 singles spot for the Gaels in all but one match this season and was named to the All-WCC second team last year. Poorta garnered ITA individual rankings throughout the season, and compiled a 4-2 record against WCC opponents all at the No. 1 position.
Claire Soper and Marah Calvo rounded out the Gaels' individual awards, each making their way onto the WCC Honorable Mention list. Soper finished the year with a 13-7 overall record, while Calvo tallied an 11-5 mark.
The Gaels were represented by two pairs in doubles, with Poorta and Soper making the first team and Strijbis and Chkhikvishvili being named to the second. Poorta and Soper earned ITA rankings in doubles throughout the season, and compiled an 11-9 record playing the majority of their matches at the No. 1 position. Strijbis and Chkhikvishvili spent most of their time at the No. 2 spot, but bumped up to court one on four different occasions on the year.
2009 INDIVIDUAL POSTSEASON AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Heinser, USF
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Anna Chkhikvishvili, SMC
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lisa Alipaz, SMC
2009 WOMEN'S SINGLES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
First Team
Alex Liles, PEP
Alex Poorta, SMC
Anamika Bhargava, PEP
Anna Chkhikvishvili, SMC
Jennifer Heinser, USF
Juliette Coupez, USD
Second Team
Ali Walters, PEP
Kristina Zauere, GON
Lacey Pflibsen, POR
Mylene Martin, USF
Tammy Kevey, USD
Tina Razloznik, LMU
Honorable Mention
Aglaya Kokurina, GON
Andrea Oates, PEP
Claire Soper, SMC
Elisaveta Pironkova, LMU
Jasmin Heckel, LMU
Kacie Wagner, SCU
Marah Calvo, SMC
Maria Raygada, USD
Megan Sporndli, POR
Rika Mehndiratta, GON
Stephanie Galainena, SCU
2009 WOMEN'S DOUBLES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
First Team
Alex Liles/Anamika Bhargava, PEP
Alex Poorta/Claire Soper, SMC
Maja Sujica/Tammy Kevey, USD
Second Team
Anna Chkhikvishvili/Nienke Strijbis, SMC
Jennifer Heinser/Cecilia Gratian, USF
Lacey Pflibsen/Megan Sporndli, POR
Honorable Mention
Aglaya Kokurina/Kristina Zauere, GON
Jasmin Heckel/Elisaveta Pironkova, LMU
Kimmi Cox/Kacie Wagner, SCU
Shauna Morgan/Tina Razloznik, LMU
Stephanie Galainena/Ashley Pane, SCU
BSB | Saint Mary's at UC Davis Highlights, 4-6-26
Monday, April 06
SB | Saint Mary's at Stanford Highlights, 4-4-26
Saturday, April 04
BSB | Saint Mary's vs. Pacific Highlights, 4-4-26
Saturday, April 04
SB | Saint Mary's at No. 24 Stanford Highlights, 4-3-26
Friday, April 03
