The University of Akron Athletics
Three Zips Honored With Women’s Tennis Awards
March 31 | Women's Tennis
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AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron interim women's tennis head coach Brian Peters announced his team's 2020 end-of-season awards on Tuesday.
Sophomore Claudia Cecilia Rosas Garcia (Guadalajara, Mexico) was named the team's Most Valuable Player.
The team's Most Improved Player honor went to true freshman Tanja Derowski (Burckmuehl, Germany).
Senior captain Rita Pedroso (Porto, Portugal) earned the Coaches' Award.
Rosas had an outstanding fall campaign. She went 9-2 in singles action. Rosas also played well in doubles action, recording a 7-4 record with three different partners. This spring, she finished the year at 12-7 overall and (3-5 in spring) in singles action. Rosas started out at No. 2 position and moved up to No. 1. In doubles action, she went 4-3 in doubles action, playing mostly No. 2 with Pedroso and junior Jemi Aguilar.
"What an improvement over the last year! Ceci really deserves this," Peters said. "She has worked very hard on her game, her fitness, and her mental toughness. Her willingness to grind out points moved her all the way up to our number 1 position and had the most wins on our team. This was awesome to see! Ceci is a great teammate, fun to be around, and is a joy to have on our team. As great a year as she had, it is only going to get better in the future. Congratulations to Ceci!"
Derowski opened her freshman campaign with a 4-5 singles mark in tournament play last fall. She won four consecutive matches in October. The freshman also went 4-2 in doubles action, including perfect 3-0 with partner Ceci Rosas. In the spring, Derowksi went 2-5 in singles action in a shortened season. She played at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. In doubles action, she went 2-5 overall with various partners, playing at the No. 3 position.
"The gains Tanja made this year were phenomenal!" Peters said. "We give a ton of credit to her for her willingness to listen and improve. You will not find another player, anywhere, that works harder than Tanja in everything she does. We (Sophia and I) have an absolute blast working with her. We have no doubt that she will be twice as good next year as she was this year. Tanja also has a high entertainment value which doesn't hurt!"
Pedroso, a two-year team captain, went 5-6 in singles action last fall. She paired with sophomore Miruna Vasilescu in doubles action, going 5-6 overall. This spring, Pedroso recorded a 4-4 singles record during a shortened season, playing at the No. 3 position. In doubles action, she went 4-4 overall. Pedroso went 2-2 at No. 2 with Ceci Rosas and 2-2 at No. 1 with Vasilescu. Pedroso and Vasilescu were named MAC Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 19.
"This is well deserved for Rita! She was an amazing captain this year which really helped our team tremendously," Peters said. "Her ability to communicate with her teammates as well as the coaching staff was invaluable. Rita has the ability to lead, which will be of great use to her not only during her tennis career, but also in her professional life after college. She had a great season on court, singles and doubles, contributing to several great wins. Rita is also one of the funniest people you will ever meet. You just have to laugh once you see her!"
Akron's spring schedule was cut short due to the COVID-19 virus. The Zips, which suffered injuries to members of their starting line-up, started out dual play at 2-6 overall. On March 12, the last four non-conference matches and the entire Mid-American Conference schedule were cancelled. Akron captured wins over Seton Hall (7-0) and at Cleveland State (4-3) and expected to be back to full strength by the start of MAC play on March 22.
AKRON, Ohio – University of Akron interim women's tennis head coach Brian Peters announced his team's 2020 end-of-season awards on Tuesday.
Sophomore Claudia Cecilia Rosas Garcia (Guadalajara, Mexico) was named the team's Most Valuable Player.
The team's Most Improved Player honor went to true freshman Tanja Derowski (Burckmuehl, Germany).
Senior captain Rita Pedroso (Porto, Portugal) earned the Coaches' Award.
Rosas had an outstanding fall campaign. She went 9-2 in singles action. Rosas also played well in doubles action, recording a 7-4 record with three different partners. This spring, she finished the year at 12-7 overall and (3-5 in spring) in singles action. Rosas started out at No. 2 position and moved up to No. 1. In doubles action, she went 4-3 in doubles action, playing mostly No. 2 with Pedroso and junior Jemi Aguilar.
"What an improvement over the last year! Ceci really deserves this," Peters said. "She has worked very hard on her game, her fitness, and her mental toughness. Her willingness to grind out points moved her all the way up to our number 1 position and had the most wins on our team. This was awesome to see! Ceci is a great teammate, fun to be around, and is a joy to have on our team. As great a year as she had, it is only going to get better in the future. Congratulations to Ceci!"
Derowski opened her freshman campaign with a 4-5 singles mark in tournament play last fall. She won four consecutive matches in October. The freshman also went 4-2 in doubles action, including perfect 3-0 with partner Ceci Rosas. In the spring, Derowksi went 2-5 in singles action in a shortened season. She played at the No. 5 and No. 6 spots. In doubles action, she went 2-5 overall with various partners, playing at the No. 3 position.
"The gains Tanja made this year were phenomenal!" Peters said. "We give a ton of credit to her for her willingness to listen and improve. You will not find another player, anywhere, that works harder than Tanja in everything she does. We (Sophia and I) have an absolute blast working with her. We have no doubt that she will be twice as good next year as she was this year. Tanja also has a high entertainment value which doesn't hurt!"
Pedroso, a two-year team captain, went 5-6 in singles action last fall. She paired with sophomore Miruna Vasilescu in doubles action, going 5-6 overall. This spring, Pedroso recorded a 4-4 singles record during a shortened season, playing at the No. 3 position. In doubles action, she went 4-4 overall. Pedroso went 2-2 at No. 2 with Ceci Rosas and 2-2 at No. 1 with Vasilescu. Pedroso and Vasilescu were named MAC Doubles Team of the Week on Feb. 19.
"This is well deserved for Rita! She was an amazing captain this year which really helped our team tremendously," Peters said. "Her ability to communicate with her teammates as well as the coaching staff was invaluable. Rita has the ability to lead, which will be of great use to her not only during her tennis career, but also in her professional life after college. She had a great season on court, singles and doubles, contributing to several great wins. Rita is also one of the funniest people you will ever meet. You just have to laugh once you see her!"
Akron's spring schedule was cut short due to the COVID-19 virus. The Zips, which suffered injuries to members of their starting line-up, started out dual play at 2-6 overall. On March 12, the last four non-conference matches and the entire Mid-American Conference schedule were cancelled. Akron captured wins over Seton Hall (7-0) and at Cleveland State (4-3) and expected to be back to full strength by the start of MAC play on March 22.
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