Both APSU tennis teams recognized a pair of seniors on Friday, April 9 against Eastern Illinois for senior day.
The two graduates for the women include the OVC’s No. 1 player in the conference’s preseason poll leading into the season in Fabienne Schmidt and the four-time OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll member Ana Albertson.
While the pair of future alum were celebrated for their achievements following their match on Thursday with flowers and a picture frame, they were also both vital in a much-needed victory for the Govs prior to the celebration and recognition for their time at APSU.
The team rolled through EIU en route to a 6-1 victory over the Panthers that was sparked by the No. 1 doubles duo of Schmidt and Danielle Morris, who picked up their ninth win as a pair to remain perfect on the season.
For Schmidt, the Hillscheid, Germany native has come a long way since arriving in Clarksville, Tenn. in 2017.
As a freshman, Schmidt was named as the OVC Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-OVC. While she has gone on to receive numerous awards both for her work on the tennis court and in the classroom throughout her career as a Gov, the two-time All-OVC selection says the proudest moment of her career this far was the magical 2018-19 season that saw the team post a perfect 22-0 record and both the OVC Regular Season and Tournament Championships.
“My number one memory would have to be my sophomore year when we went undefeated and won conference,” Schmidt said. “That was just amazing. For me, the season started bad because of my shoulder injury that took me out for six months. Then I came back just to play conference. It was just amazing. 22-0 and then we went to nationals. We were the only undefeated team in the nation, and it was just great.”
In her fifth year at APSU, Ana Albertson has helped the Govs capture numerous victories throughout the years. On Thursday, she captured the final point of the afternoon for her team after defeating her opponent in straight sets.
For the men, they picked up a 5-2 victory over the Panthers on Thursday afternoon in their final home match of the season. The win also solidified their spot in the OVC Tournament later this month.
The men graduate a pair of players as well following the season in Christian Edison and Jacob Lorino.
Edison led the Govs from the No. 1 singles position throughout his junior and senior seasons for APSU before being sidelined with an injury.
Following the 2019 season in which he captured an OVC Player of the Week award, Edison was named Second-Team All-OVC.
Lorino has served as a valuable piece for the men’s program throughout his four years at APSU. Currently playing in the No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles position, Lorino has played all throughout the program’s lineup over the years where he played No. 1 doubles throughout much of his junior campaign.
APSU head coach Ross Brown was proud of both of his tennis teams picking up wins on senior day and had the following to say about each of his four seniors:
Ana Albertson
“Ana has always been a significant part of what we have done. It’s more than her performance on the court, she has represented the team well. Academically, she is incredible. She means a lot. She has been here for five years and has been invested in what is going on. It’s a great day, but it’ll be sobering when it’s time for her to leave.”
Fabienne Schmidt
“Fabi has made an incredible difference to our program. Not only has she done a great job on the court but also off of the court. The honors she has won from OVC Freshman of the Year [and] the Arthur Ashe Award, which is an incredible national award that she won. She’s also helped in recruiting with other German girls, and it’s really opened the door for us to get more German players here. She’s a solid girl with a great work ethic and always gives her best effort.
Christian Edison
“[Christian’s] played at the top of the lineup for a couple of years here now. It’s unfortunate that he’s injured to finish out the last couple of matches. He’s played No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles for us, academically he’s a 4.0 student. The quality that [he] brings to the team is amazing.”
Jacob Lorino
“Jake’s the most improved player that we have got on our men’s team, in my opinion this year. He has worked exceptionally hard. Nobody worked harder than Jacob in the summertime to improve his tennis.”
