BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Senior Arianne Hartono became the first Ole Miss women’s tennis player to be named Southeastern Conference Player of the Year on Wednesday when the league announced its annual awards.
Alexa Bortles, Hartono’s doubles partner, joined her in earning first-team All-SEC honors. Sabina Machalova, Tea Jandric and Anna Vrbenska were named second-team All-SEC, while Machalova earned All-Freshman Team honors.
Ole Miss tied for the second most honorees (five) with Vanderbilt, one behind Georgia (six).
“What a tremendous honor for all these ladies to be on the All-SEC team,” Ole Miss coach Mark Beyers said. “They are absolutely deserving of this honor. They have all been instrumental in the success of our team this year. I can’t say enough about these ladies, their work ethic and them challenging themselves to get better each and every day!”
Hartono, a native of Meppel, Netherlands, is the highest ranked SEC singles player at fifth in the Oracle/ITA rankings. She is also the highest ranked doubles team in the SEC, ranked seventh with Bortles. Hartono enters NCAA tournament action with a 20-2 record in dual singles matches.
“Going 20-2 in a dual match season is an incredible accomplishment at any position,” Beyers said. “For her to do that at the No. 1 position is absolutely insane. This conference is by far the toughest conference in the nation, with five teams currently ranked in the top 10. To be named SEC Player of the Year, is something very special.”
Machalova is ranked No. 77 in the nation in singles and owns a 20-11 record, 12-8 in dual matches. She went 5-4 in the SEC at No. 2 singles.
Jandric is 21-10, 14-5 in dual matches. Vrbenska posted a 14-4 dual match record, including 8-2 in the SEC.
Bortles and Hartono are 12-6 at No. 1 doubles and have 10 nationally ranked wins.
All five players have helped Ole Miss to a No. 5 national ranking and the first 20-win season since 1999. The Rebels earned their highest finish (fifth) in the SEC since 2012 and reached the semifinals of the SEC tournament for the 11th time in program history.
Vanderbilt’s Geoff Macdonald was named SEC Coach of the Year for the fifth time. Georgia’s Katarina Jokic was named SEC Freshman of the Year, and Florida’s Josie Kuhlman was named Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Ole Miss is in line to play host to the first and second rounds of the NCAA Championships. The 64-team bracket and host sites will be revealed at 4 p.m. May 1.
MSU’s Harrison, Rentouli earn All-SEC honors
Mississippi State senior Madison Harrison and junior Anastasia Rentouli earned their first All-SEC honors Wednesday when they received second-team laurels.
It is only the fourth time in program history MSU has had two players named All-SEC in the same season. It is the sixth consecutive season MSU has had representation on the all-league squad.
After sitting out the fall while recovering from injury, Harrison is 11-11 and 10-10 in dual match play at No. 1 in the lineup. In doubles, the Bradenton, Florida, product has teamed with senior Khrystyna Vozniak at No. 1 to form the nation’s 55th-ranked tandem. The duo is 15-8 and 11-7 in dual match action.
Rentouli leads the team with a 22-6 record, 14-3 in dual matches.
After the Bulldogs dropped their first two conference matches, they won a program-record five-straight SEC matches and Rentouli was a huge part of the reason. She claimed five-consecutive, three-set, match-clinching wins in those victories, with three of the wins coming after being a set down.
Rentouli is 13-8 in doubles with partner Sara Lizariturry this spring.
“Madison and Anna were excellent leaders for our team,” MSU coach Daryl Greenan said. “They set great examples of commitment and competitiveness which our team embraced. The SEC is clearly the premier conference in the nation. It is a great honor for these two Bulldogs to be given this award voted on by the SEC coaches.”
No. 31 MSU will learn its postseason fate at 4 p.m. Tuesday, May 1, when the pairings for the NCAA tournament are announced. MSU is expected to receive an NCAA bid for a program-record fourth consecutive season, and the eighth time overall.
Alabama’s Daniell earns first-team All-SEC honors
Alabama women’s tennis junior Andie Daniell was named first-team All-SEC on Wednesday, as announced by the league office. Daniell earns the fourth conference honor of her career and becomes the 12th player in program history to be named to the first team.
Daniell, who is from Douglasville, Georgia, amassed a team-high 17 wins in singles during the spring season, while totaling 26 overall victories for the 2017-18 season. In doubles, Daniell ended her campaign with 19 wins.
In the latest Oracle/ITA Division I Women’s Singles Rankings, Daniell landed a No. 88 with a 6.33 average. Throughout the 2017-18 season, Daniell was featured on the national list nine times, earning her highest rank at No. 86 on April 17 before the SEC tournament.
On April 17, Daniell was named to the SEC Women’s Tennis Community Service Team for her volunteer efforts with Habitat for Humanity and at the Black Warrior PT clinic.
As a freshman in 2015-16, Daniell was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and earned second team all-conference honors and a spot on the All-Freshman team.
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