Photos by Mateen Sidiq | Multimedia Editor
Lady Govs found out today that they play Georgia Tech so they will be heading to Georgia

By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer

Another Lady Govs sports team has taken the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament Championship and earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. This time, however, these Lady Govs are carrying rackets.

After failing to make the cut to play in the OVC Tournament last season, the Lady Govs tennis team defeated Eastern Kentucky 4-2, Sunday, April 18, to capture the school’s fourth OVC tennis championship in its history. It is the first since 1989.

In addition to blazing a trail straight to the NCAA Tournament with red hot rackets, the Lady Govs earned several conference awards.

Leading the team to this season’s dramatic turnaround, first year Head Coach Malik Tabet was named OVC Co-Coach of the Year with Jacksonville State Head Coach Steve Bailey. According to APSU Sports Information, Tabet expected no less from his team.

“I always tell my players that when you get to college, your goal should be to leave a print into your program. To be able to make the conference tournament and be leaders on the team, they have done that,” Tabet said.

Sophomore Vanja Tomic was named OVC Player of the Year. She is the seventh woman to earn the honor for APSU.

Against Eastern Kentucky, Tomic dominated like she has done all year. She defeated her opponent in singles in straight sets to give the team one point. The win was her 17th in a row. Her overall record improved to 18-2 and she is still undefeated, 9-0, in conference play.

In addition to singles play, Tomic played with senior Mariana Pagan in doubles. Together they have won 12 straight matches. They have lost only one conference match, 8-1. Their team along with the team of Caroline Weikard and senior Michelle Liew, earned the doubles points for the team against EKU.

Liew and Pagan were selected to the All-OVC Second-Team. Tomic and Weikard were selected to the first-team. Weikard was also named Freshman of the Year. Weikard has been impressive this season and has won 12 straight before playing in singles against EKU. After her senior teammate Yuki Nakamura added another point to the teams total with her singles win, the Lady Govs needed only one more point to defeat EKU and win the championship.

Weikard lost her opening set in singles but recovered well to take the second. She was leading in the third set when she developed cramps. Her opponent, Jessica Albuquerque, took advantage and quickly made it a 6-5 score. However, Weikard made a stand and earned the championship point by defeating Albuquerque. The win also kept Weikard undefeated in the conference, 9-0.

“[The match] was full of ups and downs. I was exhausted and really tired,” Weikard said. “All the [Govs tennis team] supporting me helped me a lot. I had to fight and that’s what I did.”

The result of Weikard’s fight was the team holding the trophy that declares the Lady Govs the best in the OVC.

“I told our players to be careful and stick to what you do well. This is what you play for all year. When you carry that trophy, it makes it all worth while,” Tabet said. “I’m very excited that we have been able to put a print in this conference, and we’re going to build on it.”

The 2010 NCAA Division I Women’s Tennis Championships begin Friday, May 14.

EDITOR’S NOTE: The selection announcement will be made Tuesday, May 4.

By MARLON SCOTT
Senior Staff Writer

Take a poll of students asking them to list the most prevalent sports at APSU and tennis probably would not make the top five on anyone’s list. Some might not even know APSU has men and women’s tennis teams.

However, this season’s Lady Govs tennis team under first year head coach Malik Tabet, are playing well enough this season to change that perception.

Before the 2009-10 season, the Lady Govs had not earned a spot in the Ohio Valley Conference since 2001. This season, the Lady Govs are not only in the tournament, they finished the regular season ranked second in the conference with a 16-3, 8-1 OVC record. According to APSU Sports Information, Tabet is not satisfied with just earning a spot in the OVC tournament for the first time in nine years.

“The women have overcome a lot this season and now our focus is on being prepared for the tournament,” Tabet said. “We still have a few challenges ahead of us and our goal is to win the tournament.”

The Lady Govs will enter the OVC Tournament Saturday, April 17, after finishing the regular season with 11 straight wins. The most recent victory was a 7-0 sweep of Eastern Illinois Sunday, April 11. The last opponent they lost to was Jacksonville State on Saturday, March 6, (3-4). Jacksonville State is the only conference team they have lost to this season. They are also the team ranked first at the end of the regular season with a 13-8, 9-0 OVC record.

While the impressive record has many realizing the tennis courts next to the Foy Fitness and Recreation Center are for more than recreational purposes, there are several names on the Lady Govs seven-woman squad that have the rest of the OVC tennis coaches whispering in fear.

At the top of that list in singles competition is sophomore Vanja Tomic.

Tomic has won 15 straight singles matches. Tomic is currently ranked first in the OVC in No. 1 singles. She is one of two Lady Govs who finished the season with a perfect 8-0 singles record. The other is freshman Carolin Weikard. Weikard has won 11 straight singles matches.

This was both Tomic’s and Weikard’s first season with the Lady Govs. Tomic was part of a Blue Raider team in the Mid South conference that advanced to the NAIA final four last season before becoming a Lady Gov. Weikard played in the European junior tennis circuit while attending high school in St. Leon-Rot, Germany before coming to APSU.

Also turning some heads in singles and providing leadership for the team is senior Mariana Pagan. Last season Pagan had a 4-14 record with only two OVC wins. After a slow start, Pagan has rallied to a 17-4 finish in singles with a 6-2 OVC record. She has gone 8-2 in her last 10 matches and has won three straight singles matches.

In addition to their singles play, Tomic and Pagan are a formidable doubles team. The duo has won 10 straight doubles matches. They finished the regular season with a 14-3, 8-1 OVC record.

The only doubles team more impressive than Tomic and Pagan is the team of Weikard and senior Yuki Nakamura. Weikard and Nakamura are undefeated with a 7-0, 6-0 OVC record. Both teams top the doubles list in the OVC.

OVC Tournament play will take place in Paducah, Ky, Saturday, April 17, to Monday, April 19.