THREE GOLDEN SUNS NAMED ALL-GSC WOMEN'S TENNIS SELECTIONS

        RUSSELLVILLE, Arkansas – Arkansas Tech Women’s Tennis made history for the second consecutive season on Wednesday as three Golden Suns were named All-Gulf South Conference West Division selections.

It marked the second straight year that Tech had three All-GSC West Division selections and the first time since joining the league in 1996 that Tech had two First-Team All-GSC West Division selections.

The All-GSC teams were voted on by the league’s head coaches in their own respective divisions and the coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players.

Senior Anna Carson (Fort Smith, Ark.) and sophomore Saki Matsuoka (Saitama, Japan) were named First-Team All-GSC West Division selections, while senior Kristen Brown (Winona, Texas) was named a Second-Team All-GSC West Division selection. Matsuoka is a repeat first team selection from last season, while Carson moves up to first team this season after being a second team honoree in 2008.

“What a nice honor for all three of these players to be recognized for their efforts this season,” Golden Suns Head Coach Abby Davis said. “All three of them had a huge role in the success we achieved as a team this season.”

In addition to announcing the All-GSC Teams on Wednesday, the league also handed out its individual honors as Harding senior Alicia Williams was named the GSC West Division Player of the Year, while Delta State’s Lisa James was named the GSC West Division Freshman of the Year. In the East Division, Valdosta State junior Natali Gumbrecht and Kristel de Groot were named the GSC East Division Player and Freshman of the Year respectively. The Lady Statesmen, the West Division champions, took home another honor as Asa Atkinson was named the league’s Women’s Tennis Coach of the Year.

Carson moves up from second-team to first-team this season after posting a 17-10 overall record in singles and posting a 21-5 mark in doubles paired with Matsuoka. The 21 doubles wins is a new single-season Tech record. Carson played No. 1 singles and was 12-8 at the spot during the season, including going 2-3 in the GSC at the No. 1 spot. At No. 1 doubles, Carson and Matsuoka went 4-0 in GSC matches. In her two-year Tech career, Carson posted a 23-19 record in singles play and posted a combined record of 60-28 in both singles and doubles. The 60 combined wins ranks ninth in school history.

Matsuoka repeats as a first-team selection after posting a 17-7 overall record in singles play, including going 13-4 at the No. 2 spot and also compiling a 21-5 mark in doubles play at the No. 1 spot. In addition, Matsuoka posted a 2-1 mark in single play in GSC matches and was 4-0 in doubles action in conference matches. In her two years at Tech, Matsuoka, who was named the GSC West Division Freshman of the Year in 2008, has compiled a 26-15 mark in singles play and has combined to post a 61-25 overall record in both singles and doubles. The 61 wins ranks eighth in school history.

Brown earns her first-ever All-GSC West Division honor after posting a 21-5 record in singles play and combining to post a 14-12 record in doubles, including going 8-6 at No. 2 doubles with freshman Brittany Turner (Pearcy, Ark.). In singles action, Brown played mostly at the No. 4 spot, where she went 12-3, including going 3-1 in the GSC. Brown, who was the team’s only four-year letterwinner, finished her Golden Sun career by winning a school-record 51 singles matches and combining to post a 92-74 overall record, which is the second-most combined wins in school history.  

Joining Carson, Matsuoka, James and Williams on the West Division First-Team were Delta State junior Cecile Benzaki, Henderson State junior Rebecca Staton, Ouachita Baptist junior Tavu Fa and Ouachita Baptist senior Natalia Drada.

Brown is joined on the West Division Second-Team by Christian Brothers junior Morgan Mills, Delta State junior Katharina Nett, Harding junior Lola Pardo, Henderson State junior Stephanie Schnobel, Henderson State junior Estephanie Lau and Southern Arkansas senior Meaghan Ocanas. 

2009 All-GSC Women's Tennis Teams

-- Tech Athletics --