Northwood's Suzana Alcaraz Named GLIAC Women's Tennis "Athlete of the Week"

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BAY CITY, Mich. - Northwood University freshman Suzana Alcaraz (Aguascalientes, Mexico) earned GLIAC Women's Tennis "Athlete of the Week" honors after posting a combined 4-0 record in two GLIAC matches and leading the Timberwolves to the 2011 GLIAC Women's Tennis Championship.

GLIAC Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week:

Suzana Alcaraz - Northwood
Freshman/Aguascalientes, Mexico
 

Susana Alcaraz led Northwood to a GLIAC Championship, going 4-0 at No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles against Findlay and Tiffin.  In her four victories, she dropped a total of just seven games.  Alcaraz was perfect in GLIAC play this season, going 11-0 at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles.  She was the top player for the Timberwolves, leading them to their eighth GLIAC Championship over the last nine seasons.

GLIAC Women’s Tennis Weekly Honor Roll:  Paige Cooper - AU, Mary Coleman - FS, Morgan Delp - HC, Tess Marton - LS, Charlotte Wong - SV, Malaika Messi - TU, Kristina Goranskaya - WS.

2011 GLIAC Women’s Tennis Athletes of the Week: (9/7) K. Goranskaya - WS; (9/13) Y. Moore - WS; (9/20) E. Zhukoven - NU; (9/28) P. Suthijinddawong - MT; (10/5) A. Mariano - OD; (10/11) L. Rice - GV;(10/18) S. Alcaraz - NU.

 Ashland Eagles

The Eagles were 2-0 last week over Cedarville and Ohio Dominican at the AU Tennis Courts to clinch the fourth seed at the GLIAC Tournament to be played this week. The Eagles lost just one of the 18 matches contested last week. The first doubles pairing of Torrie Goudy and Paige Cooper won both matches last week and are now 64-27 all-time, all at first doubles. Cooper, Erika Sullivan, Zdenka Pozo, Kira Kotova and Sally Trout were all unbeaten in singles play last week. The pairings of Kotova-Trout and Sullivan-Pozo were also 2-0 last week. The Eagles are in Midland, Mich. for the GLIAC Tournament this weekend. They play Ferris State in the opening round on Friday at 6 p.m.

Ferris State Bulldogs

The Ferris State University women’s tennis team picked up a forfeit win over Lake Erie on Saturday (Oct. 8) in Painesville, Ohio. The Storm had to forfeit the match as they did not have enough players to compete against the Bulldogs.  No individual or doubles contests were held... The Bulldogs also defeated Ohio Dominican by a 7-2 score on Friday (Oct. 7), but suffered a 7-2 loss to open the trip at Ashland on Thursday (Oct. 6)... Ferris State improved to 8-3 overall and in conference play with the forfeit victory... FSU will next host rival Grand Valley State in a rescheduled match on Thursday, Oct. 13, at 2 p.m. (ET) at the FSU Racquet and Fitness Center... It is the final regular-season match until Oct. 21-23 when the Bulldogs take part in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament in Midland, Mich.

Findlay Oilers

The University of Findlay women's tennis team fell at home by a score of 9-0 to Northwood University on Monday, October 17 to end their fall season... he Oilers, who are now 2-11 on the year, end their conference season with a 1-11 mark in the GLIAC.

 Grand Valley State Lakers

GVSU picked up an 8-1 win at Ferris State after having the match rescheduled.  Last week, sophomore Lexi Rice was named the GLIAC Athlete of the Week for the first time in her career. The Lakers sit in third place in the conference heading into the GLIAC Championship beginning on Friday, Oct. 21... Senior Tara Hayes (Shelby Township, Mich.) defeated Ferris State’s Tabitha Simpson, 6-0, 6-1, in the No. 2 spot in Grand Valley State’s only match of the week.  Hayes also picked up an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles with partner Alyssa Lucas.  Hayes is 8-2 in the No. 2 spot in the GLIAC while picking up a 10-3 record overall.  In doubles she has a combined record of 6-5 in the GLIAC, pairing with Anne Marie Morin and Alyssa Lucas, both at the No. 1 doubles spot.

Hillsdale Chargers

The Hillsdale College women’s tennis team finished up its first season as a program in the modern era this week, losing road matches at Wayne State and Saginaw Valley State…Freshman Morgan Delp rolled to wins at No. 2 singles, and teamed up with junior Brittany Parks for a decisive 8-2 win at No. 1 doubles. Delp improved throughout the season, and with three more years in front of her, the Chargers figure to look forward to many more victories from her in the future. She won five of her last singles matches to end the season…Brittany Parks went 10-5 at both singles and doubles this season.

Lake Erie Storm

Lake Superior State Lakers

Freshman Meagan Grey (Munising, Mich.) won by default at No. 6 singles. Sophomore’s Marton, Kaitlynn Hutchinson (Cadillac, Mich) 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 at No. 4 singles, and Holly Daniel (Zeeland, Mich.) 6-1, 6-0 were all victorious for the Lakers. The Lakers were 2-1 in doubles with Daniel and Teodora Gavric (Windsor, Ont.) winning by default at No. 3 while Marton and DiVito won at No. 1 doubles 8-5.

Michigan Tech Huskies

Michigan Tech wrapped up its 2011 fall women’s tennis schedule today with a 6-3 loss at Lake Superior State. The Huskies conclude their fall campaign with a 3-9 record (3-9 in GLIAC play). The Lakers improved to 12-5 (7-5 GLIAC) with their win... Tech trailed 2-1 after doubles. Ploy Suthijindawong and Chelsea Uganski combined for an 8-5 victory at No. 2 doubles, accounting for the Huskies’ point... Suthijindawong went 2-0 on the day by winning her singles match as well. She cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 triumph at No. 2. Tech’s No. 1 player Natalia Lebedeva capped a 9-5 fall season with a 6-3, 6-1 victory in her match... Uganski battled back from a 7-5 first-set setback with a 6-4 win in set two. LSSU’s Kaitlynn Hutchinson beat Uganski 10-8 in the third-set super tiebreaker... Lake Superior State won matches at Nos. 3, 4, 5 and 6 singles... Michigan Tech, which did not qualify for the GLIAC Tournament, will wait to compete again until the spring season.

Northwood Timberwolves

Northwood claimed its eighth GLIAC Championship over the last nine years thanks to wins over Findlay and Tiffin on Monday … NU finished the regular season 11-0 … Northwood’s regular season concludes with the Timberwolves going 92-7 overall (.929) in GLIAC play in singles and doubles combined … NU went 32-1 in doubles (.970) and 60-6 in singles (.909) … taking out the Grand Valley State match, Northwood went 87-3 overall (.967) in GLIAC play … freshman Susana Alcaraz (Aguascalientes, Mexico) posted a perfect record at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in conference play, going 11-0 at both.

Ohio Dominican Panthers

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

SVSU would grab the final spot in the GLIAC Tennis Tournament this past week by going undefeated in their three matches winning 7-2, 8-1, and 9-0. On Thursday (Oct. 13), Saginaw Valley would grab itsfirst win with a score of 7-2 over Hillsdale College.  The Cardinals would take two of the three matches in the doubles, with the teams of Charlotte Wong and Theresa Frederick picking up an 8-2 win at No. 2 doubles. The tandem of Bobbi Enos and Katie Piorkowski would also pick up an 8-2 win at no. 3 doubles.  Yunjiao Shangguan would win a three set thriller at No. 1 singles, 4-6, 7-6(3), 10-8... The next day, Saturday (Oct. 14), the Cardinals would earn another win defeating the Tiffin Dragons, 8-1.The team of Shangguan and Woody would get the Cardinals off to a good start winning their No. 1 doubles match 9-7. Wong and Campian would keep the Cardinals going, winning at No. 2 doubles 9-8 while Enos and Piorkowski would also finish with a win in No. 3 doubles, 8-2... Saginaw Valley will return to action this Friday (Oct. 21) to face Northwood University at the Midland Community Tennis Center for the first round in GLIAC tournament play.

Tiffin Dragons

TU defeated Huntington on the road 6-3. Malaika Messi won 6-0, 6-1 while Taylor Cooper also won in straight sets 6-1, 6-3. Anna Scherting continued the streak with a 6-0, 6-1 win, while Nicole Ardner battled to a 6-0, 3-6, 6-0 three set victory. Chelsea Beck got the final singles win with a 6-0, 6-0 shutout. In doubles play, Scherting/Beck posted an 8-0 shutout…Tiffin University had two separate match points in two doubles matches, and two other defeats in singles play went three sets, as the Dragons fell in a closer-than-it-sounds 8-1 loss to Saginaw Valley State. At first doubles, Malaika Messi/Taylor Cooper fell 7-9 despite having a chance to serve for the match. At second doubles, Anna Scherting/Chelsea Beck also lost the day’s closest match 8-9, failing to convert a match point. Cassie Dye/Nicole Ardner lost the third doubles match 2-8. In singles, Messi posted a tough 3-6, 6-2, 10-3 first singles win. But TU dropped matches at fifth and sixth singles, with both matches going three sets. Beck fell 6-4, 2-6, 6-10, while Dye lost 6-3, 3-6, 7-10.

Wayne State Warriors

The Wayne State University women’s tennis team (11-1, 11-1 GLIAC) ended its regular season conference schedule with a 9-0 victory over visiting Hillsdale College (3-11, 2-9 GLIAC) on Senior Day. Kristina Goranskaya (Thornhill, Ontario / Northview Heights Secondary School), the lone senior, battled to a tiebreaking win over Brittany Parks at one singles, 6-0, 5-7 (10-7). The win put her eight victories away from tying Sharon Gill as WSU’s career singles wins leader. In one doubles, Goranskaya paired with freshman Daniel Garcia-Diaz (Cali (Valle, Colombia) / Gimnasio, Britanico) to pick up her 75th career win, prevailing in a comeback effort over Parks and Morgan Delp, 9-8 (10-5). The senior sits five wins from equaling Gill’s school record mark of 80 career doubles wins. The Warriors earned decisive victories in the rest of the matches, garnering shutout wins in three of the six singles matches, while the two and three doubles bouts were both 8-1 triumphs.