PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced its weekly tennis honors for the week-ending Jan. 22.
 
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Constantin Schmitz • Sr. • Tulane • Remagen, Germany
Schmitz, who shared American Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors in 2017, began his 2018 spring season in impressive fashion as he registered wins in singles and doubles to lead Tulane to a 6-2 win against Miami (Fla.). Schmitz, ranked No. 21 nationally in singles play, clinched the match for the Green Wave with a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 1 singles against the No. 78-ranked player. He added a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles.
 
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Rebeka Stolmar • Fr. • UCF • Budapest, Hungary
Stolmar led UCF to dual match wins against No. 15 South Carolina and North Texas as she went 2-0 in singles play and split a pair of doubles matches. Playing at No. 4 singles against South Carolina, Stolmar battled through three match points, which would have delivered the match to the Gamecocks, and overcame a 5-1 deficit in the third set to take a 1-6, 6-1, 7-5 victory, giving the Knights a 4-3 win. She went on to earn a straight-set win at No. 3 singles in the Knights’  4-1 win against North Texas.
 
AROUND THE AMERICAN
Tulane’s remains at No. 22 in the Jan. 17 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Rankings. The 2018 rankings will be conducted by a national panel until the conclusion of the ITA Division I National Team Indoor Championships in February, after which the rankings are decided by computer.
 
Tulane’s Constantin Schmitz finished the fall season ranked No. 21 nationally in men’s singles. The Green Wave’s Luis Erlenbusch was No. 46, Tulsa’s Majed Kilani was No. 56, the Golden Hurricane’s Joshua Goodger was No. 82, Tulane’s Tyuler Schick was No. 107, and Tulane’s Ewan Moore was No. 112. Tulane’s doubles tandem of Shick/Erlenbusch led The American with a No. 16 ranking, while Wichita State’s tandem of MariusFrosa/Murkel Dellien was No. 27. Tulane’s Hamish Stewart/Tim Ruetzel was No. 47, while Memphis’ Felix Rauch/Jan Palleres was No. 58.
 
ECU’s Celia Ruiz was ranked No. 52 in the final fall ITA singles rankings. Ana Roman Dominguez of USF was No. 97, while Martina Okalova of Tulsa was No. 122. Wichita State had the highest-ranked doubles tandem as the pairing of Fatima Bizhukova/Gabriela Porubin was ranked No. 23.
 
Six American Athletic Conference men’s teams and four of the conference’s women’s teams will take part in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend this week. Teams from The American could face as many as six top-25 opponents in the Oracle/ITA men’s poll and six form the Oracle/ITA women’s poll in this week’s action.
 
The American Athletic Conference Men’s and Women’s Tennis Championships will be held in April at the SMU Tennis Complex in Dallas.
 
 

MEN’S TENNIS UPDATE
Despite a big result in doubles play, UCF (0-1) dropped a 6-1 decision to No. 9 Florida in the Knights’ spring opener. The doubles point went to the Gators despite the efforts of UCF’s top tandem of Korey Lovett/Ero Vasa, whch was a 6-4 winner against the nation’s top-ranked duo. Alan Rubio delivered the only team point for UCF as he battled for a three-set victory against the nation’s No. 39-ranked player at the No. 3 position. UCF heads to Los Angeles this week for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend as the Knights face Utah State Saturday before taking on either UC Davis or No. 6 UCLA Saturday.
 
UConn (2-0), which won its two fall dual matches, begins its spring season Jan. 26 at Delaware before the Huskies visit Villanova Jan. 27.
 
ECU (1-0) began its spring season with a come-from-behind win against Big South champion Presbyterian as the Pirates took a 4-3 decision. Senior Freddie McGeehan came up with the clinching point at No. 1 singles as he registered a three-set victory, while he also added a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles alongside partner Kasey Countee. ECU  hosts Navy Friday and plays matches against Winthrop and Chowan Sunday.
 
Memphis (1-0) handled Indiana 5-2 in its spring opener as the Tigers took the doubles point and four of six singles matches. Senior Ryan Peniston led the way in the singles ladder as he took a 7-6 (2), 6-4 decision against a top-125 player at the No. 1 spot. Memphis plays in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend this week as the Tigers face Arkansas Sunday and will meet either Iowa or No. 4 Georgia Monday in Athens, Georgia.
 
USF (0-2) looks to snap a two-game slide to start the spring season as the Bulls head to Gainesville, Florida, as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. USF will face Pepperdine Saturday and will take on either No. 9 Florida or South Alabama Saturday. The Bulls dropped a 5-2 decision to No. 14 Mississippi State and fell to Tulsa by the same score in last week’s action.
 
SMU (1-2) looks to snap a two-match slide as the Mustangs play in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Los Angeles this week. SMU will face UC Santa Barbara Friday and will be paired against either USC or Indiana Saturday. The Mustangs dropped 4-3 heartbreaker to Harvard and a 4-0 decision to No. 12 Texas in last week’s action.
 
Temple (1-1) came up short in its second match of the spring, but the result surely opened some eyes nationally as the Owls battled No. 12 Virginia to a 4-3 score in Charlottesville, Va. Virginia, which won the 2017 NCAA title, took four straight singles matches after the Owls had taken the doubles point and the first completed singles contest. Thomas Sevel was a 6-3, 6-3 winner at No. 1 singles and paired with Alberto Caceres Casas for a 7-5 decision at No. 1 doubles. The Owls host St. Francis (N.Y.) Friday. .
 
Tulane (1-0), which is ranked No. 22 in this week’s Oracle/ITA poll, scored a 6-1 win against Miami (Fla.) in its spring opener. The Green Wave got wins at No. 1 and No. 3 doubles and saw No. 21-ranked Constantin Schmitz defeat a top-100 player in straight sets at No. 1 singles to cruise to the victory. Tulane travels to Berkeley, California, for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend as the Green Wave faces No. 19 California Sunday and either Oregon or No. 13 Stanford Monday.
 
Tulsa (2-2) scored its most impressive win of the  young season as the Golden Hurricane claimed a 5-2 victory against USF, the four-time American Athletic Conference champion. Tulsa won five of the six singles matches after dropping the doubles point against the Bulls as Joshua Goodger and Louis Corker teamed for a 6-4 victory at No. 2 doubles and went on to take singles matches at No. 1 and No. 5, respectively. Tulsa plays in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, as the Golden Hurricane faces North Florida Saturday and either Ohio State or Yale Sunday.
 
Wichita State begins the spring portion of its schedule with a trip to the Northeast as the Shockers face Buffalo Jan. 23 and Cornell Jan. 24 in Ithaca, New York, before playing in the Crimson Kick-Off in Boston Jan. 27-28. The field in the Crimson Kick-Off includes Harvard, Auburn and Utah.
 


WOMEN’S TENNIS UPDATE
UCF (2-0) won its first two dual matches of the 2018 spring season as the Knights scored a 4-3 come-from-behind victory against No. 15 South Carolina before taking a 4-1 win against North Texas. South Carolina had a 3-2 lead against the Knights and had a 5-1 lead in the third set of what looked to be the clinching match, but freshman Rebeka Stolmar turned aside three match points and rallied for a three-set win at No. 4 singles before Natalia Serrano iced it for UCF with a three-set win at No. 6. UCF hosts Alabama Friday in its only match of the week.
 
Cincinnati (3-1) has won three straight matches as the Bearcats took a 6-1 victory against Wright State and a 5-2 decision against Dayton last week. Sophomore Caroline Morton is off to a 4-0 start in singles play, primarily at the No. 3 position. Cincinnati will visit Indiana Saturday in the Bearcats’ only match this week.
 
UConn (1-1), which split a pair of dual matches in the fall, begins its spring season Jan. 28 against Siena in East Hartford, Connecticut. Senior Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva earned all-conference honors for the Huskies in 2017 after she won eight of her last 10 singles matches to close the season.
 
ECU, which went 12-11 in the 2016-17 season, begins its 2018 spring campaign Tuesday with a dual match at No. 5 North Carolina. The Pirates are then off until Feb. 3.
 
Houston (1-0) opened its spring season with a 5-1 win against Lamar. Sophomore Tsveta Dimitrova, who was The American’s Freshman of the Year in 2017, led the way with a three-set win at No. 1 singles as the Cougars took five of the six singles contests. Houston has three matches on the docket for this week - a Friday match against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and Sunday contests against Sam Houston State and Incarnate Word.
 
Memphis (2-0) won a pair of dual matches to start its spring season as the Tigers took a 5-2 decision against UAB and a 7-0 victory against UT Martin. Senior Anki Wind returned to the lineup for the first time since she suffered a knee injury last spring and responded with a pair of straight-set victories at No. 3 singles. The Tigers play a pair of in-state opponents this week with a Saturday road match against Tennessee and a Sunday home date against East Tennessee State.
 
USF (0-2) dropped dual matches to North Texas (4-3) and No. 15 South Carolina (4-0) to start the 2018 spring season. Junior Nicole Dzenga was a combined 4-0 in the two matches as she won straight-set decisions at No. 6 singles as well as a pair of doubles contests. The Bulls head to Saturday Atlanta for the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. USF faces Georgia Tech Saturday and will take on either Denver or Dartmouth Sunday.
 
SMU (0-1) dropped its dual match opener as the Mustangs fell 5-2 to Wichita State in Dallas. SMU got wins at No. 3 singles from Anzhelika Shapovalova and at No. 5 from Sarai Monarrez Yesaki. The Mustangs resume competition Friday against Abilene Christian.
 
Temple (1-0) opened its spring season in impressive fashion as the Owls scored a 7-0 win against Morgan State. Temple took two of the three doubles matches and saw all six singles matches end in straight sets. Temple visits Princeton Saturday morning in its only match of the week.
 
Tulane (2-0) took both ends of its Opening Day doubleheader as the Green Wave scored 4-0 decisions against Northwestern State and New Orleans. Sophomore Ivone Alvaro took both of her singles matches in straight sets at the No. 3 spot to lead the way. Tulane plays as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Auburn, Alabama, this week as the Green Wave faces No. 14 Auburn Saturday and will take on either No. 19 Miami (Fla.) or UC Santa Barbara Saturday.
 
Tulsa (4-0) enjoyed  a productive two days at the Tulsa Invite as the Golden Hurricane capped the event with 11 individual victories on the second day of competition. Senior Ksenia Laskutova took a pair of straight-set singles victories and paired with Martha Matoula to win two doubles contests, playing in the top flights in both brackets. Tulsa resumes dual match competition this weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan, at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. Tulsa will face Brown Saturday before taking on either Gonzaga or No. 10 Michigan Sunday.
 
Wichita State (1-0) made its American Athletic Conference spring debut a successful one as the Shockers took a 5-2 win at SMU. The Shockers won four of the six singles matches and saw the No. 23-ranked doubles tandem of Gabriela Porubin/Fatima Bizhukova take a 6-2 win at the No. 1 spot. Wichita State will compete as part of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend as the Shockers head to Lubbock, Texas, to face Florida International Friday. The Shockers will face either No. 8 Texas Tech or Saint Mary’s Saturday.
 
 

This Week In The American

MEN
Wednesday, January 24	Wichita State vs. Buffalo (Ithaca, N.Y.)	4 p.m.
Thursday, January 25	Wichita State at Cornell	5 p.m.
Friday, January 26	St. Francis (N.Y.) at Temple	8 a.m.
	UConn at Delaware	9:30 a.m.
	Navy at ECU	2:30 p.m.
	SMU vs. UC Santa Barbara (Los Angeles, Calif.)	5 p.m.
Saturday, January 27	Tulsa vs. North Florida (Columbus, Ohio)	1 p.m.
	USF vs. Pepperdine (Gainesville, Fla.)	2 p.m.
	UCF vs. Utah State (Los Angeles, Calif.)	2:30 p.m.
	UConn at Villanova	6 p.m.
	SMU vs. USC/Indiana (Los Angeles, Calif.)	TBD
	Wichita State at Crimson Kick-Off (Boston, Mass.)	TBD
Sunday, January 28	Memphis vs. Arkansas (Athens, Ga.)	8 a.m.
	Winthrop at ECU	11 a.m.
	Tulane at California	1 p.m.
	Chowan at ECU	4 p.m.
	UCF vs. UC Davis/UCLA (Los Angeles, Calif.)	TBD
	USF vs. Florida/South Alabama	TBD
	Tulsa vs. Ohio State/Yale (Columbus, Ohio)	TBD
	Wichita State at Crimson Kick-Off (Boston, Mass.)	TBD
Monday, January 29	Memphis vs. Iowa/Georgia (Athens, Ga.)	TBD
	Tulane vs. Stanford/Oregon (Berkeley, Calif.)	TBD
WOMEN
Tuesday, January 23	ECU at North Carolina	2 p.m.
	Tulsa at Arkansas	2 p.m.
Friday, January 26	Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Houston	2 p.m.
	Wichita State vs. Florida International (Lubbock, Texas)	3 p.m.
	Alabama at UCF	5 p.m.
	Abilene Christian at SMU	6 p.m.
Saturday, January 27	Temple at Princeton	10 a.m.
	Cincinnati at Indiana	10:30 a.m.
	Memphis at Tennessee	11 a.m.
	USF at Georgia Tech	11 a.m.
	Tulane at Auburn	Noon
	Tulsa vs. Brown (Ann Arbor, Mich.)	2 p.m.
	Wichita State vs. Texas Tech/Saint Mary’s (Lubbock, Texas)	TBD
Sunday, January 28	Siena at UConn	10 a.m.
	East Tennessee State at Memphis	11 a.m.
	Sam Houston State at Houston	Noon
	Temple at Penn State	2 p.m.
	Incarnate Word at Houston	4 p.m.
	USF vs. Denver/Dartmouth (Atlanta, Ga.)	TBD
	Tulane vs. Miami (Fla.)/UC Santa Barbara (Auburn, Ala.)	TBD
	Tulsa vs. Gonzaga/Michigan (Ann Arbor, Mich.)	TBD
all times Eastern

 
 
 
 

Last Week’s Results

MEN
Friday, January 19	Temple 6, Morgan State 1
	Mississippi State 5, USF 2
	Tulane 6, Miami (Fla.) 1
	Harvard 4, SMU 3
Saturday, January 20	ECU 4, Presbyterian 3
	Memphis 5, Indiana 2
Sunday, January 21	Virginia 4, Temple 3
	Tulsa 5, USF 2
	Texas 4, SMU 0
Monday, January 22	Florida 6, UCF 1
WOMEN
Friday, January 19	Temple 7, Morgan State 0
	Wichita State 7, Stephen F. Austin 0
	Memphis 5, UAB 2
	North Texas 4, USF 3
	UCF 4, South Carolina 3
	Memphis 7, UT Martin 0
Saturday, January 20	Wichita State 5, SMU 2
	Cincinnati 6, Wright State 1
Sunday, January 21	UCF 4, North Texas 1
	South Carolina 4, USF 0
	Tulane 4, Northwestern State 0
	Cincinnati 5, Dayton 2
	Houston 5, Lamar 1
	Tulane 4, New Orleans 0