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Pac-12 announces tennis players of the week

Apr 23, 2019

Pac-12 Men's Tennis Player of the Week: Keegan Smith, So., UCLA (San Diego, Calif.)
• Smith, the nation’s No. 37 ranked singles player, helped No. 14 UCLA clinch its fourth-consecutive undefeated Pac-12 regular-season record and the No. 1 seed in the Pac-12 Men’s Tennis Championship. UCLA swept the Arizona schools to secure the league regular-season title, defeating No. 27 Arizona State, 4-2, and No. 24 Arizona, 4-1.
• The doubles team of Smith and Maxime Cressy, the No. 5 doubles team in the country, knocked off two ranked doubles teams last week to complete an undefeated season in doubles play, 13-0.
• After beating No. 11 Dominik Kellovsky/Nathan Ponwith of ASU (6-4) and No. 71 Igor Karpovets/Jonas Ziverts of Arizona (6-2), Cressy and Smith are now 8-0 versus nationally-ranked opponents this season.
• Also went undefeated at the second singles spot last week, including the match clincher against ASU. It marked his ninth singles victory in a row, dating to March 14.
• Smith, a history major and last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, earns his second-career Pac-12 weekly honor and the 43rd all-time for the Bruins. A Bruin has won the men’s weekly award in three of the last four weeks heading into the Pac-12 Tennis Championships.

ALSO NOMINATED: Andrea Bolla, ARIZONA STATE; Ben Draper, CALIFORNIA; Alex Rotsaert, STANFORD; Laurens Verboven, USC.

Pac-12 Women's Tennis Player of the Week: Abi Altick, So., UCLA (Monroe, La.)
• Altick clinched the 4-2 victory for No. 10 UCLA over crosstown rival No. 15 USC and locked up the No. 2 seed for the Bruins at the Pac-12 Women’s Tennis Championship.
• Claimed both sets at the fifth singles spot against USC’s Danielle Wilson via tiebreaker with a final result of 7-6 (4), 7-6 (4).
• The match deciding singles victory represents her team-high fifth of the season.
• Also teamed with Alaina Miller, the No. 49 duo in the nation, to defeat 90th-ranked Constance Branstine and Estella Jaeger by a 6-2 score.
• The sophomore is a sociology major boasting a 3.77 grade-point average and a four-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. She claims her first-career Pac-12 weekly honor and the 25th all-time for the Bruins.

ALSO NOMINATED: Anna Bright, CALIFORNIA; Emily Dush, UTAH; Stacey Fung, WASHINGTON.

The Pac-12’s nine men’s teams and 11 women’s teams head to Ojai, Calif., Wednesday, April 24 - Saturday, April 27 to decide the Pac-12 men’s and women’s tennis team champions. Pac-12 competition will be held in conjunction with the 119th Annual Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament. Fans can buy five-day, weekend and single day passes online at www.ojaitourney.org/tournament-info/tickets/buy-tickets-online.

2018-19 PAC-12 MEN'S AND WOMEN'S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK

 Week of Men's Women's
Jan. 22 Tim Ruehl, Arizona State Stacey Fung, Washington
Jan. 28 Brandon Holt, USC Angela Kulikov, USC
Feb. 5 Thomas Laurent, Oregon Elysia Bolton, UCLA
Feb. 12 Dan Little, Utah Emily Arbuthnott, Stanford
Feb. 19 Axel Geller, Stanford Julia Rosenqvist, California
Feb. 26 Thomas Laurent, Oregon Melissa Lord, Stanford
March 5 Russell Benkaim, Utah Angela Kulikov, USC 
March 12 Maxime Cressy, UCLA Lauryn John-Baptiste, Arizona State
March 19 Brandon Holt, USC Julia Rosenqvist, California
March 26 Mor Bulis, USC Monica Malinen, Colorado
April 2 Maxime Cressy, UCLA Jada Hart, UCLA
April 9 Dan Little, Utah Melissa Lord, Stanford
April 16 Govind Nanda, UCLA Michaela Bayerlova, Washington State
April 23 Keegan Smith, UCLA Abi Altick, UCLA