TicketSmarter WAC Tennis Women’s and Men’s Athletes of the Week Announced
ARLINGTON, Texas – Tarleton’s women’s singles player Martha Makantasi and Grand Canyon’s women’s doubles team Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Players of the Week. UTRGV’s men’s singles playerChris Lawrance has been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men’s Tennis Players of the Week, for the competition week ending on Jan. 30.
Makantasi, a junior from Metamorfosi, Greece went 1-0 in the No. 1 flight this past week, defeating Cowley College’s Arina Babenko in straight sets, 7-5 7-5(2). Tarleton swept Cowley 7-0 at home. Makantasi has won five straight singles matches at home, dating back to last season. Playing in the top flight this year, Makantasi won her first match at No. 1 since Feb. 18, 2022.
Puehse, a senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., and Strombacha, a junior from Berlin, Germany, defeated Lauer Duhl and Elinor Beazley 6-2 at Northern Arizona on January 27.
Lawrance, a senior from York, Western Australia, competed in a back-and-forth battle that lasted 2 hours and 20 minutes with Lawrance trying to force doubles to keep UTRGV in the hunt for the victory. Lawrance lost his opening match before claiming a super well-earned 6-4, 6-7 (3-7), 1-0 (10-6) victory to tie the match between UTRGV and Lamar at 3-3.
2023 TicketSmarter WAC Tennis Weekly Awards
WAC Women's Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Martha Makantasi, Tarleton (Jan. 31)
Isabelle Bahr, UTRGV (Jan. 24)
WAC Women's Tennis Doubles Players of the Week
Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha, Grand Canyon (Jan. 31)
Isabelle Bahr and Yaiza Vazquez, UTRGV (Jan. 24)
WAC Men's Tennis Singles Player of the Week
Chris Lawrance, UTRGV (Jan. 31)
Martim Marujo, Grand Canyon (Jan. 24)
WAC Men's Tennis Doubles Players of the Week
Emilien Burnel and Borna Devald, UTRGV (Jan. 24)