2013 All-OVC Tennis Squads (PDF)

CHARLESTON, Ill. -- Junior Janelle Prisner and senior Merritt Whitley will once again represented Eastern Illinois women's tennis with respective First Team and Second Team All-Ohio Valley Conference honors, as announced by the league office this evening (April 18).

Last spring the same duo both garnered First Team kudos, as the consecutive honors marks the first time since 2007-08 that the Panther women have earned back-to-back conference awards.

A native of St. Johns, Mich., Prisner owns an 8-7 overall mark at the top of the EIU singles lineup, including a 4-5 league record.

Whitley, from Kansas City, Mo., currently sports a team-high 12-4 overall record and 8-2 league mark, where she has seen action at both No. 2 and No. 3 singles.

As a duo, the pair are also 8-4 overall this year when playing at the top of the doubles lineup, while also owning a 4-2 league tally.

Team-wise, the Panthers will enter the upcoming OVC Championship as the overall No. 4 Seed, as the EIU women finished the 2013 regular-season with an impressive 12-5 overall mark and 7-3 league record.

The No. 4 Seed is the highest by an Eastern squad since the 2007 unit earned the No. 3 Seed following an identical 7-3 league finish.
 
Eastern begins the three-day action with a 10 a.m. first round match tomorrow morning (April 19) versus No. 5 Austin Peay.  Ironically, the Panthers and Lady Govs also battled each other in last spring's first round OVC action, with APSU earning a 4-2 victory.

The EIU/APSU winner will face the top-seed EKU Colonels in a semifinal match set for a 10 a.m. start on Saturday (April 20).  The OVC championship match will follow on Sunday (April 21), also at 10 a.m., with the winner receiving the league's automatic berth to the NCAAs.

All weekend action will take place at the Heflin Tennis Center down south in Paducah, Ky.

2013 ALL-OVC WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAMS
(voted on by the league's head tennis coaches)

FIRST TEAM
Kristina Labeja (EKU) ... So ... Riga, Latvia
Amandine Faouzi (EKU) ... So ... Mareil Sur Mauldre, France
Raisia Guasti (JSU) ... Jr ... Vitoria, Brazil
Monique Krutak (SIUE) ... Fr ... Brisbane, Australia
Ashley Canty (MUR) ... Sr ... Powder Springs, Ga.
Janelle Prisner (EIU) ... Jr ... St. Johns, Mich.
Saio Oscoz (EKU) ... Jr ... Pamplona, Spain
... seven players appear on the first team due to a tie

SECOND TEAM
Briar Preston (MOR) ... Fr ... Auckland, New Zealand
Alison Carre (APSU) ... So ... La Tranche Sur Mer, France
Carla Suga (MUR) ... Jr ... Toronto, Ontario
Ivon Simic (UTM) ... Jr ... Lauterbach, Germany
Megan Blue (MUR) ... Fr ... Mississauga, Ontario
Merritt Whitley (EIU) ... Sr ... Kansas City, Mo.

OVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR ... Amandine Faouzi (EKU)
OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR ... Monique Krutak (SIUE)
OVC COACH OF THE YEAR ... Rob Oertel (EKU)

... for more info, contact Bart Rettberg, Asst. SID