FRISCO, Texas – The Central Arkansas tennis team was awarded for their impressive season when the league announced that they had won five SLC awards on Tuesday afternoon. Freshman Chunxi Xin highlighted the Central Arkansas awards as she was voted Freshman of the Year, Second-Team Singles at the No. 1 position and First-Team Doubles at the No. 1 position with teammate Marli Van Heerden.
The awards were announced just two days before the Bears open SLC Tournament play against the McNeese Cowgirls at Corpus Christi, Texas at 10 a.m.
Chunxi Xin – Freshman of the Year, Second-Team Singles at the No. 1
If you would have told Xin at the beginning of the year that she was going to win these two awards, she would not have believed you. Xin missed the first seven matches with injuries and was thrown right into the fire when she returned. Out of the 14 matches played, Xin played 12 of them at the No. 1 position. She finished 11-3 overall and shined at the No. 1 spot with a 9-3 record, 8-3 in SLC play. She closed the year winning eight of her last nine matches and probably could have been named first-team had she not missed the beginning of the year. Her solid play led her to winning two SLC Player of the Week awards.
If the Bears make a run in the SLC Tournament, do not be surprised to see Xin leading the pack.
Fuka Nonoyama – First-Team Singles at the No. 2
Nonoyama did not play like a freshman in her first season as she finished with 14 wins, third-most of the team. While Xin was on the shelf with injuries, Nonoyama started the year at the No. 1 spot and played nine matches there. Once Xin returned, Nonoyama slid over to the No. 2 spot and dominated. She boasted a conference-best eight wins at the No. 2 spot and won seven of her last eight matches.
The Bears 1, 2 punch may be a huge reason why the Bears advance on Thursday.
Xin and Van Heerden – First-Team Doubles at the No. 1
The freshman/senior duo proved to be special as they finished with a conference-best 8-2 record at the No. 1 spot. They finished the year on a six-game SLC win streak with wins over Sam Houston State, Abilene Christian, Corpus Christi and McNeese. On April 14, they helped hand the Wildcats their first doubles point loss since March 1.
Look for the strong pairing to ride their hot win streak into the tournament.
Mei Ishimura and Yada Vasupongchai – First-Team Doubles at the No. 2
The freshman/sophomore pairing played near perfect tennis in SLC play as they finished 6-1. Although two other pairings in the conference finished with seven wins, the one loss was a conference-best mark. They finished with an overall record of 12-5 and closed the year winning eight of their last 10 matches.
Central Arkansas will enter the tournament with the most respected 1, 2 doubles teams in the conference.
Vasupongchai was also recognized as an honorable mention for her singes play at the No. 5 position. She finished with an impressive record of 14-5 overall and posted a 6-1 SLC record at the No. 5 spot. She spent the first half of the year at the No. 4 spot before thriving at the No. 5.
