Wednesday, February 04, 2009

MACON, Ga. - USC Upstate senior Anna Novo remained unbeaten in singles play for 2009 over the weekend, setting a new school wins standard along the way. The senior added a third career Player of the Week honor to her growing list of accomplishments Wednesday afternoon, the conference office announced.

Novo helped her team to a 1-1 mark for the week and posted a perfect 2-0 record at No. 1 singles for the Spartans. The Venezuelan broke the school's combined wins mark for a career, thanks to a tough, super-set tiebreaker win against Troy's Rawia Elsisi, 6-2, 4-6 (10-5) on Friday afternoon. Novo broke Diana Martinez's mark of 137 career combined (singles and doubles) wins set from 2004-08, as she notched her school-record 76th career singles win, three better than Martinez's mark of 73. The information management major also added a 6-0, 6-0 singles win and an 8-0 doubles win at the No. 1 slots to help the Spartans to a 7-0 win over Alabama State on Saturday.

The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.

Other Top Performers:

Aline Berkenbrock, UNF (Sao Bernardo do Camp, Brazil – Fr. – Business Management) – Berkenbrock opened her collegiate career by playing at the No. 1 slot in singles and doubles, posting wins in both. Teamed with junior Raquel Castro, Berkenbrock helped the duo storm back from a 6-5 deficit to take an 8-6 decision. In singles play, she notched a straight-set win, moving past Georgia Southern's Kristi Kegerreis 6-4, 6-3.

Elizabeth Keevil, Lipscomb (Toronto, Ontario – Fr. – Exercise Science) – Against Alabama A&M, Keevil defeated M. Jelks 8-2. In doubles, she and Olivia Ellis defeated Nixon & Muskwe 8-2. Against Austin Peay State University, Keevil defeated Y. Nauamura 4-6, 6-0, 6-0. In doubles, she and Ellis defeated Liew & Georgauopolous 8-5.