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Ogden, Utah (April 17, 2012) - The Big Sky Conference has selected the tennis Players of the Week for matches played between April 10 - 16. Sacramento State’s Tatsiana Kapshai is the women’s Player of the Week and Montana’s Mikolaj Caruk is the men’s Player of the Week.
Sacramento State’s Tatsiana Kapshai, a senior from Minsk, Belarus, improved to 13-11 overall and 13-4 against non-ranked foes this season with three straight-set wins at No. 1 singles versus No. 66 UC Irvine, Denver and Northern Colorado. She dropped just 10 games combined in her three wins.
On Sunday versus NC, Kapshai won 6-1, 6-0 to help the Hornets to their 11th straight Big Sky regular-season title and 90th consecutive conference match win. Kapshai combined with Rebeca Delgado, the No. 82 ranked team in the nation, to win both of their matches at No. 1, as well. The Hornets did not play doubles against UC Irvine.
Montana’s Mikolaj Caruk, a sophomore from Warsaw, Poland, recovered from a mid-season emergency appendectomy and has been very strong at No. 2 singles. Caruk has teamed up with Andrew Warren to lead the Griz at No. 1 doubles.
Caruk and Warren were trailing 6-2 against Eastern Washington but stormed back to take the match 9-8 giving the Griz the doubles point. Caruk set the tone for the Griz in the singles point with a quick 6-1, 6-0 win.
Against Montana State Caruk and Warren again won a tough match 8-6 to seal the doubles point for Montana. His singles match was a three-set marathon but he pulled out the 7-6, 4-6, 6-2 win.
These two conference wins gave the Montana men its first ever regular-season Big Sky title and first ever 8-0 conference record in school history.
Others Nominated:
MEN
Ilija Cuic - Eastern Washington
Krzysztof Stempien - Idaho State
Shaun Waters - Northern Arizona
Marek Marksoo - Sacramento State
WOMEN
Chrissy Uriarte - Eastern Washington
Laura Porras - Idaho State
Precious Gbadamosi - Montana
Johana Vang - Northern Arizona
Chrissie Hoolahan - Northern Colorado