Tournament Highlights
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Georgia Southern senior Kelli Helms was victorious in the C-3 singles flight at the Southern Intercollegiate Championships Sunday afternoon in Columbia, S.C.
The Cairo, Ga. native reeled off two straight wins to claim the championship. It wasn’t easy for Helms, as it took a tremendous effort to defeat Joana Tudor of Erskine College 5-7, 6-4, (10-3). She then downed East Carolina’s Zandy Overcash in three sets 5-7, 6-4, 6-2 earning the championship.
“This was a great tournament to end our fall season,†said coach Amy Bonner. “I am really proud of the way Kelli competed. Her leadership should really help us as we head into our season this spring.â€Â
In the C-2 singles division, sophomore Christine Caforio (Acworth, Ga.) advanced to the championship match by defeating Ali Gores of Davidson College 6-2, 6-4. Caforio then faced Gores’ teammate Samantha Galainena where she fell in straight sets 6-3, 6-2.
Freshman Ali Beavers (Kingsport, Tenn.) advanced to the second round of the B-3 singles flight by defeating Brooke Walter of East Carolina in three sets 4-6, 7-5, 6-2, before falling to College of Charleston's Keely Mulligan 6-4, 6-2.
The doubles tandem of junior Shea Huxtable (Winter Springs, Fla.) and sophomore Jessica Fuller (Cartersville, Ga.) cruised all the way to the championship match of the C-2 doubles flight. The duo advanced to the semifinal round with a victory on Friday over Katie Holmes and Hannah Howerton of Erskine College 8-6. They defeated Wofford’s Betsy Hauer and Mary Elston Heaner in the semifinals 8-0 before falling in the finals 8-3 to Luiza Borges and Hannah Priest.
The Southern Collegiate Championships concludes fall play. The Eagles return to the court Saturday, January 26, 2008 in Statesboro where they will host Jacksonville University. The match will be GSU’s season opener. Match play is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
Individual Achievements
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Sophomore Eagle Melanie Rolle was selected second team all-conference for singles competition by the Southern Conference as announced by the league Thursday morning (April 23). Second team all-conference selections were awarded based on position.
A native of Gainesvile, Fla., Rolle went undefeated at the No. 4 singles position in the regular season. The Eagle faced 13 opponents, conquering all in straight set victories. She went on a 12-match win streak that extended from Feb. 14 through April 15. The streak was snapped in the last regular season match against Samford when Rolle competed at the No.3 seed.
Rolle posted a 15-3 dual match singles record including a 9-1 conference mark. The lone conference loss came from the three position as Rolle went 9-0 from No. 4 against conference opponents.
Rolle’s all-conference nod marks the first all-conference honoree for head coach Amy Bonner in her five years at the helm of the women’s tennis program. “I am so proud of Melanie for gaining all-conference honors. It is so great that she was chosen to be recognized for her accomplishments at her singles position,†said Bonner.
“Melanie has worked so hard the past two years and is such a fierce competitor. I believe that it is the team aspect of college tennis that motivates her though. She is such a catalyst for our team. We feed off of her energy and enthusiasm and you can tell that she enjoys coming through for her teammates.â€
Coaching Achievements
STATESBORO, GA – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) released the ITA All-Academic Teams for 2009 and the Georgia Southern women’s tennis team was named to the list for Division I women’s athletics. This marks the second time Georgia Southern received the accolade in head coach Amy Bonner’s reign as the team earned the award in 2004; Georgia Southern also earned the award in 2003.
To receive the accolade, an ITA program must have a cumulative team grade point average of 3.20 or higher (on a 4.00 scale) for the academic year. All student-athletes who are NCAA eligible and have appeared in one or more varsity matches must average into the GPA for the academic year, which included the fall 2008 and spring 2009 semesters.
The women’s tennis team earned a cumulative GPA of 3.58 for the 2008-09 academic year. In addition, for the spring 2009 semester, seven Eagles individually sported a GPA of 3.0 or higher.
Christine Caforio (Acworth, Ga.) and Emma Knight (Duluth, Ga.) each earned a GPA above a 3.0, while Ali Beavers (Kingsport, Tenn.), Molly Maddox (Rome, Ga.) and Melanie Rolle (Gainesville, Fla.) were named to the Dean’s List for sporting a GPA between 3.5-3.99. In addition, the Eagles placed two representatives on the President’s List as Shea Huxtable (Winter Springs, Fla.) and Kristi Kegerreis (Fairfax, Va.) both earned a perfect 4.0 GPA during the semester.
“I am very proud of our team for achieving the All-Academic Team Award through the ITA,” said Bonner. “Academic success is a priority of ours and it shows the commitment of our team to not only be winners on the court but in the classroom as well. The entire team contributed to this and it’s great for them to be recognized for their hard work.”
