Two nationally ranked singles players – Cal Poly senior Andre Dome and UC Irvine senior Kristina Smith – provided further evidence for their position as the Big West Men's and Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week crushed their opponents.
Dome Knocks Off Nation's Fourth Ranked Singles Player
Cal Poly senior Andre Dome (Arroyo Grande, Calif./Arroyo Grande HS) was selected the Big West Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week after disposing of two nationally ranked singles players, including No. 4 Matija Pecotic of Princeton.
Dome, who is ranked No. 30 in singles by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, surely will rise in the rankings after a dominating straight set 6-2, 6-2 victory over Pecotic in Cal Poly tough 4-3 loss to No. 56 Princeton. Partnering with Jordan Bridge, the Mustang duo nearly pulled off the upset at No. 1 doubles against the 32nd-ranked Tiger tandem of Pecotic and Zack McCourt, barely falling 9-7.
Earlier in the week, Dome blasted No. 92 Ben Davis of Middle Tennessee State by a 6-1, 6-2 score. Although the Mustangs lost the match 5-2 to the nation's No. 35-ranked squad, Dome and Bridge also won their doubles match against Yannick Born and Marlon Brand, 8-4.
Dome, the 2012 Big West Men's Tennis Player of the Year, improved to 9-2 in singles dual matches and 8-1 in doubles.
Others nominated: Tyler Pham (UC Irvine); Luis Gastao (UC Riverside); Benjamin Recknagel (UC Santa Barbara)
Smith Extends Winning Streak In Singles To Nine
Senior Kristina Smith (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) played a major role in UC Irvine's continued success with five victories in six matches, earning her Big West Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week.
The Anteaters dispatched Marquette (5-2), No. 71 Louisville (4-3) and Big West foe UC Davis (4-0) to run their winning streak to 11 straight matches.
Smith put points on the board for UCI in all three matches, defeating all singles opponents in straight sets. The No. 101-ranked singles player by the ITA, Smith downed Marquette's Ana Pimienta 6-3, 6-1 and Julia Fellerhoff of Louisville 7-6, 6-2 in nonconference action.
Smith then registered a 6-2, 6-3 win against Megan Heneghan of UC Davis that helped the Anteaters improve to 4-0 in league play.
Forming the nation's No. 55-ranked doubles team with partner Franziska Goettsching, Smith won two of her three doubles matches at No. 1. The UCI duo won impressively, 8-1, against the UCD pairing of Ellie Edles and Tiffany Pham, which solidified their seventh win in the last eight matches.
In singles, Smith has won nine straight matches, including three over ranked players.
Others nominated: Alexa Lee (Cal Poly); Morgan McIntosh (Cal State Fullerton); Lorraine Cheung (Cal State Northridge); Klaudia Malenovska (Long Beach State); Megan Heneghan (UC Davis); Christiana Ferrari (Pacific)