ARLINGTON, Texas – Grand Canyon’s Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha have been named the TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Women’s Tennis Players for the Week ending on Monday, Jan. 15.
 
Puehse (Gr.) is awarded the Women’s Single Player of the Week after starting her singles season undefeated at 3-0. Puehse started the week off with a hard fought three-set battle with Mae Canete of Missouri. Puehse dominated the first set 6-1, surrendered the second set 7-5, but fought back and delivered a 6-3 win in the third set. Puehse’s win against Canete and Mizzou contributed to the Lopes’ first Power 5 win since 1990 and the first SEC win in program history. Puehse then continued her domination against UC Davis where she blanked Arianna Stavropoulos in a 6-0, 6-0 shutout win. She followed that performance with another outstanding showing, taking a 6-1, 6-1 victory against UC San Diego’s Kelly Leung.
 
Strombacha (Sr.) links up with Puehse to collect the Women’s Doubles Players of the Week as the pair went 2-1 in their opening week. The team dropped their first match of the year to Mizzou’s Mae/Christine Canete 7-5 but bounced back for two strong wins against UC Davis’ Arianna Stavropoulos/Kaia Wolfe, 6-0 and UC San Diego’s Gabriella Pachl/Katelyn Vu, 6-1. Strombacha and Puehse’s two wins contributed to back-to-back 7-0 sweeps for Grand Canyon.
 
2024 TicketSmarter WAC Women’s Tennis Players Weekly Awards
 
WOMEN’S SINGLES PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Natasha Puehse, Gr., Grand Canyon (Jan. 16)
 
WOMEN’S DOUBLES PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Natasha Puehse, Gr., and Santa Strombacha, Sr., Grand Canyon (Jan. 16)