Peach Belt Announces Women’s Tennis All-Conference Team

MORROW, GA -- The Peach Belt Conference announced the 2009 women’s tennis All-Conference team at a banquet on the campus of Clayton State University, host of the 2009 tournament. Armstrong Atlantic State’s Sona Novakova was named both the PBC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year. AASU’s Simon Earnshaw was named the Coach of the Year.

The all-conference team was expanded this year and with double the number of award winners split into a first and second team. In all, 25 women’s tennis players were honored due to a tie for the final spot in second team singles.

Novakova becomes the first women’s tennis player to earn both the Freshman and Player of the Year titles in the same season since AASU’s Zsofi Golopencza in 2001 and the second overall. A true freshman from Slapanice in the Czech Republic, Novakova is the top-ranked singles player in Divsion II with a perfect 17-0 dual match record at #1 singles. She also won the ITA DII National Singles title in the fall and is 10-0 against nationally-ranked players this spring. She also helped lead Armstrong Atlantic State to their 15th PBC regular season championship and the top seed in the PBC Tournament.

Novakova continues a strong tradition of women’s tennis at Armstrong Atlantic State, becoming the seventh Lady Pirate to earn the Player of the Year honor. AASU women’s tennis players have been named Players of the Year 15 times in the 18-year history of PBC women’s tennis and Novakova’s award gives AASU the Player of the Year for the 11th consecutive year.

Earnshaw earns his seventh PBC Coach of the Year honor and third in a row after leading the Lady Pirates to their sixth straight PBC Championship. AASU has been the #1 team in the nation all season long after winning the 2008 national championship and enter the PBC Tournament with a 19-1 overall record. AASU was undefeated in PBC play once again, running their current conference win streak to 62 matches.

The 2009 All-Conference team is listed below. The team was selected by the league’s head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own players.

2009 Peach Belt Conference
Women’s Tennis All-Conference Team

First Team

Singles
Alida Muller-Wehlau, Armstrong Atlantic State
Sona Novakova, Armstrong Atlantic State
Eva Petschnig, Columbus State
Nathalia Rodrigues, Augusta State
Tereza Sykorova, Francis Marion
Katie White, Clayton State

Doubles Teams
Martina Beckmann & Alida Muller-Wehlau, AASU
Viktoriya Semyrodenko & Katie White, Clayton St.
Kristyna Horakova & Jitka Vavdunova, Francis Marion

Second Team

Singles
Martina Beckmann, Armstrong Atlantic State
Marjorie Ceppo, GCSU
Roxana Dondera, Columbus State
Gabriella Kovacs, Armstrong Atlantic State
Viktoriya Semyrodenko, Clayton State
Linda Tatala-Colin, UNC Pembroke
Hanane Toumi, Columbus State

Doubles Teams
Fernanda Chiaparini & Nathalia Rodrigues, ASU
Gabriela Kovacs & Sona Novakova, AASU
Eva Petschnig & Lindsey Groenwald, CSU

Player of the Year
Sona Novakova, Armstrong Atlantic State

Freshman of the Year
Sona Novakova, Armstrong Atlantic State

Coach of the Year
Simon Earnshaw, Armstrong Atlantic State