Wednesday, March 10, 2010

MACON, Ga. – UNF’s Aline Berkenbrock claimed her second Atlantic Sun Player of the Week award after leading the Ospreys to six victories in the past week, including going 3-0 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 in No. 1 doubles, the conference office announced Wednesday.

Berkenbrock won three singles matches this week including a win over Atlantic Sun preseason favorite Stetson. The sophomore from Sao Bernardo de Campo, Brazil teamed up with senior Raquel Castro to defeat Stetson’s No. 37 ranked pair of Valentina Galbarini and Carolina de los Santos, 8-5.

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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
Morgan Bechtel, FGCU (Fr. - Toledo, Ohio - No. 6 Singles - Resort & Hospitality Management) – Bechtel had a perfect week, going 3-0 at No. 6 singles for FGCU. The freshman picked up the Eagles’ only point against the UNF Ospreys, defeating Heather St. John, 6-3, 6-4. In FGCU’s 5-2 win against Jacksonville, Bechtel knocked off Fernanda Carrero, 6-3, 6-4. The Toledo, Ohio native capped the week with a 6-2, 6-2 win versus Kennesaw's Therese Lagerkuist, helping the Eagles to a 5-2 win against the Owls.

Simona Cacciuttolo, USC Upstate (Fr. - Los Andes, Chile - No. 3/2 - Undeclared) – Cacciuttolo posted four impressive singles wins during a busy three days in Tennessee and added three more doubles wins with partner Emilia Milovanovic. The Los Andes, Chile native started the week with a three-set win at Tennessee Tech, helping put USC Upstate in control in a 4-2 win. Cacciuttolo beat Laura Porras, 6-3, 6-7, 6-4 at No. 3 singles to give the Spartans a 2-1 lead and added a 6-2, 6-3 win against Catherine Holliday at No. 3 singles on Friday at Belmont. The freshman also added an 8-4 win with Emilia Milovanovic versus Holliday/Lindsay Bennett at No. 3 doubles. Cacciuttolo added an 8-0 win with Milovanovic at No. 3 doubles at Lipscomb on Saturday to kick off the match and moved up to No. 2 singles due to an injury in the lineup, defeating Elizabeth Keevil, 6-1, 6-1. She wrapped up Saturday by winning two more matches against Murray State despite playing injured, posting an impressive 8-4 doubles win at No. 3 doubles with Milovanovic, before posting a 6-0, 6-1 win against Lindsey Wiseman at No. 3 singles.

Yevgeniya Stupak, ETSU (Sr. - Singles/Doubles - Kyiv, Ukraine - Business) – Stupak still leads the A-Sun as the only singles player to be ranked by the ITA at No. 117. Last week the Kyiv, Ukraine native posted a pair of wins against Mercer and Kennesaw State at No. 1 singles. Against the Owls Friday, Stupak dropped KSU's Vera Shkundina in straight sets 6-3, 6-3, and Saturday against the Bears, Stupak closed out the ETSU win with a strong 6-2, 6-1 victory versus the Bears' Jennifer Lada. Along with junior doubles teammate Kelly Holtzhausen, the ETSU duo blasted past Swindall/Holton, 8-3, Friday, before dismissing Bugge/Lada by the same score Saturday afternoon. Overall, Stupak and Kelly have won their last four doubles matches. In singles, the Kyiv, Ukraine native has won her last three contests.

Lisa Sutton, Campbell (Jr. - No. I Singles/No. 2 Doubles - Kelsall, England - Journalism) – Sutton helped lead Campbell to a perfect 2-0 record in conference play on the week. Friday, the Kelsall, England native defeated Mackenzie Bishop of Lipscomb, 6-2, 6-3, at No. 1 singles. Sutton teamed with Borislava Nikolova to defeat Kara Jackson/Danielle Hansen, 8-1, to cap off a 7-0 defeat of the Bisons. On Saturday, Sutton defeated Abby Leatherwood in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3, to earn her fourth singles victory in a row. The junior journalism major teamed with Nikolova to defeat Abigail Hogan/Natalia Nunes, 8-2, in defeating Belmont, 7-0. Sutton/Nikolova own a 7-0 mark in doubles play on the dual season.