DENVER – Idaho’s Jose Bendeck and Grand Canyon’s Priscilla Annoual have been named the Western Athletic Conference men’s and women’s Tennis Athletes of the Month, respectively, for the month of September.
Bendeck, a senior from Barranquilla, Colombia, went 5-1 in singles play and 4-1 in doubles play on the month, and won a top-flight main draw in both singles and doubles. He won four consecutive singles matches in the top flight at the EWU Invitational to clinch the singles championship and teamed up with Cristobal Ramos Salazar to win three doubles matches to claim the top-flight doubles championship. Four of his five singles victories during the month were in straight sets. Bendeck’s only singles loss during the month was as close as they come, a 7-5, 6-4 loss to the No. 38 player in the nation, Baylor’s Julian Lenz, who went on to win the top-flight singles draw at the Baylor Invitational after beating Bendeck. Likewise, in doubles his only loss of the month was a narrow miss. He and Cristobal Ramos Salazar fell 8-7(7) in the top doubles flight at the Baylor Invitational.
Annoual, a junior from Peoria, Ariz. (Primavera HS), had a 5-1 record in singles play during the month, winning her flight of the SDSU Invite and finishing second in her flight at the Aggie Invitational. In her second Division I tournament, Annoual didn’t lose a set at the SDSU Invite and claimed the title over her teammate Silvia Tumova. She only lost two sets in the entire month, only falling in the finals of the Aggie Invitational to the University of Arizona's Laura Oldham, despite winning the opening set and serving for the title in the third set.
Other Men’s Nominees: Liam Goldberg, New Mexico State … Jason Bediones, Seattle U … Sebastien Job, Texas-Pan American.
Other Women’s Nominees: Galina Bykova, Idaho … Brittany Collens, New Mexico State … Kristen James, Seattle U.