Conway – The Southland Conference announced its All-Conference teams for women's tennis on Wednesday, and the Central Arkansas Sugar Bears closed out the most-successful regular season in program history by picking up four league honors. Sophomore QiLi Ma and junior Rada Manataweewat were named All-SLC First Team at number two doubles, while junior Amiru Shimoguchi and sophomore Marli Van Heerden earned Second Team honors at number four singles and number five singles, respectively. Ma also took home Honorable Mention at number three singles.

"I was really excited to find out that so many of the players on our team were acknowledged for how they've been playing this year," said UCA head coach Casey Wharton. "I thought for sure that we as a program, have been playing well, but it's nice to see individuals appreciated."

Ma and Manataweewat, who were partnering for the second consecutive year, were nearly unbeatable on the year, setting a program record for wins in a season with a 19-2 record. The pair was even better in conference play, going 10-1 to against league opponents to lead the Southland Conference.  The pair won 10 of their matches by at least four games and did not lose by more than three.

"QiLi and Rada are just an excellent fit in doubles," said Wharton. "There's really nothing unique about how they play, but the chemistry that they play with is very unique. They somehow, every day, help each other find the best they have by being together on the court, which is not something you find easily as a coach. They have found a way to consistently bring out the best in each other."

Shimoguchi, from Yokohama-shi, Japan, finished the regular season with a record of 16-9 while going 8-3 against SLC opponents. Her eight wins tie her for first in the league at the number four slot. Shimoguchi won 13 of her matches in straight sets and forced a third set in three of the matches she dropped.

"Amiru had a phenomenal year last year, setting the wins record for us, but because she is so excited to get better, she came back and started making some big changes to her game, which is something I love as a coach," said Wharton. "To not be content and to make those kinds of changes is hard to do at this point in your career, especially when you're having that level of success, but she just came into this year looking for ways to improve. So I was really excited to see how she came on as the season progressed."

Van Heerden, a native of George, South Africa, was a force for Central Arkansas at the number five, tallying a record of 17-5 overall and 8-2 in league play, a number which ties for highest in the league at the position. She picked up 14 sweeps on the season, while forcing a third set in all five losses.

"Marli has shown extreme resilience and has faced a lot of obstacles," said Wharton. "She's had surgery twice on the same shoulder in the last two years, she was serving underhanded in the fall, and she was finding a way to win matches. She had a pretty successful year last year, but she also came into the year looking for ways to improve.
And you can definitely see the changes that she's made to her game. She trains with an intensity, an intentionality, and a focus that are as high as any player I've coached."

Ma, from Tainan, Taiwan, carried her remarkable doubles play into the singles game, setting a program record for wins in a season by going 19-3 on the year and 8-3 in league play. Her eight conference wins led the Southland Conference. She tallied 16 sweeps on the year.

"I was really encouraged by QiLi's year," said Wharton. "That she was able to win 19 matches is impressive, not only because that's such a high number, but because of the fact that to win that many matches, you just can't take any days off. You have to be focused every day."

The Sugar Bears, who finished the regular season with a program-best 19-6, 8-3 SLC record, earned the number three seed in the Southland Conference Tournament, which begins Friday in Beaumont, Texas. Central Arkansas takes on sixth-seeded Northwestern State at 10:00 AM, with the winner moving on to face either second-seeded Lamar or seventh-seeded Sam Houston State at 10:00 AM on Saturday. The championship match is scheduled for 2:00 PM on Saturday.