PhilaU's Daniela Rodriguez Named CACC All-Conference
NEW HAVEN, CT (November 12, 2009) - Concordia College senior Cristina Oliveira has been named the 2009 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Tennis Player of the Year as the All-Conference team was announced today. Concordia's Ola Roberts was voted Rookie of the Year, while Goldey-Beacom's Joe Kissel was tabbed Coach of the Year. Caldwell College picked up the annual Team Sportsmanship Award.
In addition to Oliveira and Roberts, Philadelphia University junior Daniela Rodriguez and Holy Family University freshman Juliana Victoria Caldas were first team All-CACC selections.
Oliveira, a senior from Porto Allegre, Brazil, went 10-0 overall in dual match singles play and 12-1 in doubles play in the fall. She finished third in the ITA East Regional Singles Tournament and won the ITA East Regional Doubles tournament with Roberts as her partner. Oliveira is currently the third-ranked singles player in the East Region by the ITA/NCAA. She was honored as the CACC Player of the Week three times this season.
Roberts, who hails from Bucharest, Romania, went 10-0 overall in dual match singles play and 12-1 in doubles in the fall. She finished second at the ITA East Regional Singles Tournament and won the ITA East Regional Doubles tournament with partner Oliveira. Roberts is currently ranked second in the East Region by the ITA/NCAA Division II. She garnered CACC Player of the Week accolades once in the fall, and was Rookie of the Week on Sept. 21.
Oliveira and Roberts both went undefeated in singles and doubles in the CACC and finished fifth at the ITA National Tournament. As a doubles pair, they are ranked second in the East Region and 20th in the nation by the ITA/NCAA Division II.
Kissel, who guided the Lightning to a 13-2 record and their first CACC championship match appearance in their short five-year history, has now been honored as the Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons. His teams have steadily improved since the first year he took over in 2006, when the squad went 1-11 overall. In just four years, he has already turned GBC into a CACC contender. Furthermore, the Lightning are currently the No. 7-ranked team in the East Region.
The All-CACC second team includes a pair of Concordia freshman
in Adeline Brennan and Yuliya Plevako, along with Holy Family
freshman Jin Querubin and sophomore Marina Sales of Goldey-Beacom
College. The list of all the winners is included are:
FIRST TEAM
Cristina Oliveira Concordia Sr. Porto Allegre, Brazil
Ola Roberts Concordia Jr. Bucharest, Romania
Daniela Rodriguez Philadelphia Jr. Quito, Ecuador
Juliana Victoria-Caldas Holy Family Fr. Guayaquil, Ecuador
SECOND TEAM
Adeline Brennan Concordia Fr. Toms River, NJ
Yuliya Plevako Concordia Fr. Astana, Kazakhstan
Jin Querubin Holy Family Fr. Mississauga, Ontario
Marina Sales Goldey-Beacom So. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Honorable Mention: Vanessa leon Velasquez, Fr., Goldey-Beacom; Maria Ortiz, Fr., Concordia; Blanco Sancho, Fr., Goldey-Beacom
Player of the Year: Cristina Oliveira, Sr., Concordia
Rookie of the Year: Ola Roberts, Jr., Concordia
Coach of the Year: Joe Kissel, Goldey-Beacom
Team Sportsmanship Award: Caldwell College
