Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Athletics

2013 tennis ita national champions

ERAU Tennis Tops ITA National Rankings

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle tennis program finished at the top of both the men's and women's doubles rankings, as well as the men's singles national rankings, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced on Thursday. Deni Zmak finished as the top-ranked NAIA men's singles player and he and Simon Felix were top-ranked doubles pair. On the women's side, Kristina Marova and Hui-I Huang were the top-ranked NAIA tandem.

Felix and Zmak went wire-to-wire as the No. 1 doubles team in the nation after winning the 2013 ITA/NAIA National Doubles Crown. The duo became the first in program history to win an ITA Super Bowl title and further added to their legacy by registering an upset of the NCAA I third-ranked team from UCLA at the NCAA I Indoor National Championships last fall. Named The Sun Conference Doubles Team of the Year, the duo also set a program record for single season doubles wins with a 33-5 mark and Felix graduated as the Eagles' career doubles wins leader with 116.

Zmak was also ranked No. 1 in singles for the entire season after he captured the ITA/NAIA and Super Bowl titles, becoming the first ERAU player to win Super Bowl titles in both singles and doubles. He closed out his sophomore campaign with an ERAU single-second singles record 32-4 ledger and was named The Sun Conference Player of the Year for the second straight season.

Marova and Huang became only the second pairing to win a national title in women's doubles. The duo capped an improbable fall season by battling out of the play-in game to win the 2013 ITA/NAIA crown. Voted The Sun Conference Doubles Team of the Year, the duo was 26-7 overall. Marova also closed out an impressive four-year career as the Eagles' all-time leader in doubles wins with 89.

The men's singles rankings also included the Eagles' Jaime Sanchez-Canamares Rios and Patrick Besch. Sanchez-Canamares finished ranked 33rd with a 12-7 singles record, while Besch bounced back from injury to finish at 16-6 with a No. 47 ranking. The duo was also ranked in the doubles poll as their 19-4 record put them at No. 19.

Huang, Marova and Anna Gotz were also featured in the women's singles listing. Huang was ranked 15th in the after finishing the season with a 10-16 singles record, playing all of her matches at the top spot in the Eagle lineup. Gotz anchored the No. 2 position in the Eagle lineup and ended her freshman campaign at 16-10, earning first team All-Conference and first team All-America recognition along the way. She and Paola Montero were 13-10 in doubles and were ranked No. 11 in the doubles poll.

Marova was named to the All-America second team for the second time in as many seasons, adding to her list of career accolades, which include being a three-time first team All-Conference selection. Marova was 17-11 overall in singles and ranked No. 33 in the final singles poll.
 

 
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