Date Posted: 2/20/2007

Macon, Ga. -- Tara Byrne won her match and clinched the victory for ETSU against No. 73 Michigan State on Sunday. Her No. 4 singles win not only earned the Lady Bucs a mark in the win column, it also earned Byrne A-Sun Player of the Week honors, league officials announced today.

The Johnson City, Tenn., native handed Sarah Andrews a three-set loss (6-3, 5-7, 6-2) to clinch the match over the Spartans. Byrne and the Lady Bucs handed Michigan State its first loss of the season and brought a seven-match winning streak to an end for the Spartans.

ETSU also snapped a streak of its own, having dropped the six matches prior to playing Michigan State. Five of the six previous losses had come to ranked opponents.

The award is the first of its kind for Byrne, who becomes just the third member of the ETSU women's tennis team to be honored as the A-Sun POTW. She follows Sandie Knight (Feb. 7, 2006) and Elena Volobueva (March 28, 2006).

Byrne was previously recognized by the Atlantic Sun as the conferences 2006 Freshman of the Year following a 27-11 rookie campaign which included a perfect 7-0 record in conference play. At the conclusion of the 2005-06 season, Byrne was named to both the All-Conference second team and All-Conference freshmen team.

The Atlantic Sun Player of the Week is announced every Tuesday during the 2007 tennis season.

The 12-member league headquartered in Macon, Ga., consists of Belmont, Campbell, ETSU, Gardner-Webb, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, Mercer, UNF and Stetson with Florida Gulf Coast and USC Upstate beginning competition in 2007-08.

Other Top Performers:

• Carol Pancia, Gardner-Webb
[Jr. -- Sao Paulo, Brazil -- Business]
Alfonzo clinched the 4-3 win over East Carolina on Wednesday with a 2-6, 7-5, 6-1 victory at the No. 1 spot.

Related Links:
 • A-Sun Women's Tennis
 • College Tennis Online Bio