PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The American Athletic Conference has announced its weekly tennis honors for the week-ending Jan. 29.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE MEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Ryan Peniston • Sr. • Memphis • Great Wakering, England
Peniston won a pair of straight-set decisions in singles play to lead Memphis in dual matches against Arkansas and No. 4 Georgia in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. He was a 6-1, 6-2 winner at No. 2 singles in a 4-3 victory against the Razorbacks, sending Memphis to the championship match against the Bulldogs. Peniston provided the Tigers’ only team point against the Bulldogs with a 6-4, 6-0 victory at No. 2 against an opponent who is No. 25 in the Oracle/ITA rankings. Peniston is 3-0 in singles play on the spring season, with two wins against ranked opponents.
AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Fatima Bizhukova • So. • Wichita State • Balashiha, Russia
Bizhukova led Wichita State to a 4-2 win against Florida International in the Shockers’ opening match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend as she scored a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles against the Panthers’ top player, who is ranked No. 3 in the Oracle/ITA rankings. Bizhukova was on the cusp of another victory against one of the nation’s top players as she built a 6-2, 5-2 lead against Texas Tech’s top player, who is ranked No. 5 nationally, before the match went unfinished. Bizhukova is off to a 3-0 start to the spring season in singles play.
AROUND THE AMERICAN
Tulane’s moved up to No. 21 in the Jan. 24 Oracle/ITA Collegiate Rankings. UCF’s women’s team received votes in the last national poll. 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. Tsveta Dimitrova was No. 82. 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.
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
UCF (1-2) gained a split of its two matches in the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Los Angeles as the Knights were 4-1 winners against UC Davis in the consolation match. Utah State took a 4-2 decision in UCF’s opening match of the event. Gabriel DeCamps leads the Knights with a 2-1 record at the No. 2 singles position, while the doubles tandem of Korey Lovett/Eero Vasa is off to a 2-0 start at No. 1. UCF takes to the road Sunday to face Auburn.
UConn (2-2), which won its two fall dual matches, dropped its first two contests of the spring as the Huskies fell to Delaware (5-2) and Villanova (4-0). Yili Zheng has gone 3-1 in dual matches for the Huskies, playing at the top three spots on the ladder. UConn hosts Siena Saturday at the East Hartford Tennis Club.
ECU (4-0) is off to a perfect start through four matches after the Pirates scored three dual match wins last week. ECU was a 6-1 winner against Navy, a 5-2 winner against Winthrop and took a 6-1 decision against Chowan. The Pirates are back on the court Saturday at Davidson.
Memphis (2-1) advanced to the championship match of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Athens, Georga, as the Tigers were 4-3 winners against Arkansas in their opening match. Memphis fell 4-1 to No. 4 Georgia in the championship as senior Ryan Peniston delivered the lone team point for the Tigers. Peniston capped a 2-0 week at No. 2 singles with a win against the No. 25-ranked player nationally. Memphis will host No. 25 Texas Tech Saturday.
USF (1-3) picked up its first win of the season as the Bulls were 4-3 winners against Pepperdine in the first round of the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Gainesville, Florida. USF fell 4-0 to No. 9 Florida in the championship match. Peter Bertran has gone 2-1 through three matches at No. 3 singles to lead the Bulls, who head to Boston this week for a pair of matches at Harvard. USF will face Boston College Friday before taking on the Crimson Saturday.
SMU (1-4) dropped a pair of matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Los Angeles last week. UC Santa Barbara and Indiana both took 4-0 wins against the Mustangs. SMU looks to snap a four-match slide with a pair of dual matches Sunday. The Mustangs face UT Permian Basin in a morning match before a nightcap against Midwestern State.
Temple (2-1) scored a 6-1 win against St. Francis (N.Y.) in the Owls’ only match of the week. Five Temple players registered straight-set wins in both singles and doubles. The Owls have a pair of matches on tap for this week as they host Villanova Friday and visit Penn State Saturday.
Tulane (2-1), which is ranked No. 21 in this week’s Oracle/ITA poll, split a pair of matches against nationally ranked opponents at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Berkeley, California, last week. Tulane was a 4-3 winner against No. 19 California, but fell 4-1 to No. 12 Stanford in the championship match. The team point against Stanford came from Tyler Schik at the No. 5 singles spot. Tulane visits Tulsa Friday and is at No. 14 Oklahoma State Sunday.
Tulsa (3-3) split its two matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Columbus, Ohio, as the Golden Hurricane fell 4-3 to North Florida in its opener, but bounced back for a 4-3 win against Yale in the consolation match. Tulsa begins a stretch of eight straight home matches with two contests against nationally ranked teams this week. The Golden Hurricane hosts No. 7 Texas A&M Wednesday and No. 21 Tulane Friday before taking on Alabama Sunday.
Wichita State (1-3) had a busy trip to the Northeast with four matches in five days. The Shockers began their season with a 5-2 win against Buffalo, but have dropped three straight following a 6-1 setback to Cornell, a 5-2 loss to Utah and a 4-3 decision against Auburn. The lone match on this week’s docket is a road contest against Arkansas.
WOMEN’S TENNIS UPDATE
UCF (2-1), which received votes in the Jan. 24 Oracle/ITA national poll, suffered its first loss of the spring season as the Knights fell 4-3 to Alabama last week. The Knights claimed the doubles point and held a 3-2 lead in singles play before the Crimson Tied won a pair of three-seet decisions to clinch it. UCF plays a pair of matches Sunday at the USTA National Campus as the Knights face Troy and North Florida.
Cincinnati (3-2) saw its three-match winning streak end as the Bearcats fell 4-1 at Indiana last Saturday. The Bearcats’ team point came the doubles round as Cincinnati took wins at No. 1 and No. 3. Cincinnati hosts Miami (Ohio) Friday in its only match of the week.
UConn (2-1), which had split a pair of dual matches in the fall, began its spring season with a 6-1 win against Siena last Sunday. Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva led the way at No. 1 singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory that lifted her individual record to 13-4 in the 2017-18 season. UConn will host Marist Sunday at the Manchester Racquet Club before beginning a stretch of six straight road matches.
ECU (0-1) dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 5 North Carolina in the Pirates’ 2018 opener. Junior Celia Ruiz, ranked No. 52 in the ITA singles rankings, had two match points in her contest at No. 1 singles, but was unable to get the win against the Tar Heels’ top player, who is ranked No. 9. The Pirates host North Carolina Central Thursday and visit Campbell Saturday.
Houston (4-0) won three matches last week to remain unbeaten in the 2017-18 season as the Cougars rolled to wins against Texas A&M Corpus Christi (6-1), Sam Houston State (6-1) and Incarnate Word (6-1). Sophomore Tsveta Dimitrova was a combined 6-0 in singles and doubles, including three straight-set victories at No. 1 singles. Houston has a pair of matches Saturday as the Cougars welcome Southern and Prairie View A&M to the Barbara Wallace Winston Tennis Facility.
Memphis (3-1) split a pair of matches against in-state opponents as the Tigers dropped a 6-1 decision to Tennessee before bouncing back for a 4-0 victory against East Tennessee State. Anki Wind, Katherine Cao and Josephine Cao delivered singles wins in straight sets against East Tennessee State. Memphis returns to the road Saturday for a dual match at Mississippi.
USF (0-4) remains in search of its first win of the spring season after the Bulls fell to No. 7 Georgia Tech (4-1) and Dartmouth (4-3) at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Bulls’ point against the Yellow Jackets came from Alexandria Mjos at No. 6 singles in straight sets, while Evelyne Tiron and Vanja Klaric were winners in both singles and doubles against the Big Green. USF hosts Troy Saturday in its only match of the week.
SMU (1-1) evened its official 2018 spring record with a 4-1 win against Abilene Christian last Friday. Anzhelika Shapovalova and Ana Perez-Lopez were straight-set winners in singles and paired for a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles to lead the Mustangs, who face Texas A&M Corpus Christi Friday.
Temple (1-1) fell 4-0 to Penn State in its only match of last week as the shorthanded Owls also found themselves battling injury and illness, leaving only four available players against the Nittany Lions. Temple is back in action Thursday at Princeton.
Tulane (2-2) dropped both of its matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend as No. 14 Auburn and UCSB scored 4-0 wins against the Green Wave. Tulane returns to action Saturday at UAB.
Tulsa (5-1) split its two matches at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend. The Golden Hurricane advanced to the championship match with a 4-0 win against Brown last Saturday, but 10th-ranked Michigan denied Tulsa a trip to the ITA National Indoor Championship with a 4-1 win in the final. Tulsa’s point against the Wolverines came in the doubles round as the Golden Hurricane got wins at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions. Tulsa heads to Murfeesboro, Tennessee, this week for a Saturday match against Louisville and a Sunday battle against Middle Tennessee.
Wichita State (2-1) went 1-1 at the ITA Kick-Off Weekend in Lubbock, Texas, as the Shockers scored a 4-2 win against Florida International before falling 4-0 to Texas Tech in the championship match. Fatima Bizhukova was the story of the event for Wichita State as the sophomore scored a 6-1, 6-2 win against FIU’s Andrea Lazaro, the No. 3-ranked player nationally. Bizhukova was on the cusp of another win against a top-five player as her match against No. 5 Gabriela Talaba of Texas Tech went unfinished with Bizhukova ahead, 6-2, 5-2. The Shockers host North Carolina State Friday and UT Arlington Sunday.
This Week In The American
| MEN |
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| Wednesday, January 31 |
Texas A&M at Tulsa |
7 p.m. |
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| Friday, February 2 |
Villanova at Temple |
8 a.m. |
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Tulane at Tulsa |
7 p.m. |
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| Saturday, February 3 |
Wichita State at Arkansas |
Noon |
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ECU at Davidson |
1 p.m. |
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Siena at UConn |
4 p.m. |
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Temple at Penn State |
4 p.m. |
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Texas Tech at Memphis |
7 p.m. |
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| Sunday, February 4 |
USF vs. Boston College (Boston, Mass.) |
10 a.m. |
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UT Permian Basin at SMU |
10:30 a.m. |
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UCF at Auburn |
Noon |
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USF at Harvard |
2 p.m. |
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Alabama at Tulsa |
2 p.m. |
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Midwestern State at SMU |
5:30 p.m. |
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Tulane at Oklahoma State |
TBD |
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| WOMEN |
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| Thursday, February 1 |
Temple at Princeton |
11 a.m. |
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North Carolina Central at ECU |
3 p.m. |
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| Friday, February 2 |
North Carolina State at Wichita State |
4 p.m. |
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Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati |
5 p.m. |
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| Saturday, February 3 |
Temple at George Washington |
9 a.m. |
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Southern at Houston |
11 a.m. |
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ECU at Campbell |
Noon |
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Troy at USF |
Noon |
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Memphis at Mississippi |
1 p.m. |
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Tulane at UAB |
1 p.m. |
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Lipscomb at Cincinnati |
3 p.m. |
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Tulsa vs. Louisville (Murfeesboro, Tenn.) |
3 p.m. |
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Prairie View A&M at Houston |
4 p.m. |
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Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at SMU |
1 p.m. |
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| Sunday, February 4 |
Troy at UCF |
10 a.m. |
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Marist at UConn |
11 a.m. |
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UT Arlington at Wichita State |
Noon |
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Iowa at SMU |
1 p.m. |
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Tulsa at Middle Tennessee |
1 p.m. |
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UMKC at Wichita State |
3 p.m. |
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North Florida at UCF |
4 p.m. |
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Temple at Georgetown |
TBD |
all times Eastern
Last Week’s Results
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| Wednesday, January 24 |
Wichita State 5, Buffalo 2 |
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| Thursday, January 25 |
Cornell 6, Wichita State 1 |
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| Friday, January 26 |
Temple 6, St. Francis (N.Y.) 1 |
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Delaware 5, UConn 2 |
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ECU 6, Navy 1 |
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UC Santa Barbara 4, SMU 0 |
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| Saturday, January 27 |
North Florida 4, Tulsa 3 |
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USF 4, Pepperdine 3 |
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Utah State 4, UCF 2 |
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Villanova 4, UConn 0 |
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Indiana 4, SMU 0 |
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Utah 5, Wichita State 2 |
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| Sunday, January 28 |
Memphis 4, Arkansas 3 |
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ECU 5, Winthrop 2 |
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Tulane 4, California 3 |
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ECU 6, Chowan 1 |
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UCF 4, UC Davis 1 |
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Florida 4, USF 0 |
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Tulsa 4, Yale 3 |
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Auburn 4, Wichita State 3 |
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| Monday, January 29 |
Georgia 4, Memphis 1 |
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Stanford 4, Tulane 1 |
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| WOMEN |
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| Tuesday, January 23 |
North Carolina 7, ECU 0 |
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Arkansas 4, Tulsa 3 |
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| Friday, January 26 |
Houston 6, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1 |
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Wichita State 4, Florida International 2 |
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Alabama 4, UCF 3 |
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SMU 4, Abilene Christian 1 |
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| Saturday, January 27 |
Indiana 4, Cincinnati 1. |
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Tennessee 6, Memphis 1 |
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Georgia Tech 4, USF 1 |
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Auburn 4, Tulane 0 |
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Tulsa 4, Brown 0 |
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Texas Tech 4, Wichita State 0 |
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| Sunday, January 28 |
UConn 6, Siena 1 |
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Memphis 4, East Tennessee State 0 |
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Houston 4, Sam Houston State 1 |
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Penn State 4, Temple 0 |
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Houston 6, Incarnate Word 1 |
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Dartmouth 4, USF 3 |
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UC Santa Barbara 4, Tulane 0 |
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Michigan 4, Tulsa 1 |