South Alabama’s Jacobs, Stiteler repeat as Player of the Year honorees
NEW ORLEANS – South Alabama senior Tuki Jacobs and sophomore Alexandria Stiteler repeated as Player of the Year honorees as the Sun Belt Conference announced the men’s and women’s tennis individual awards and all-conference teams at its championship banquet on Thursday night. The awards were given based on a vote of the league’s eight men’s tennis head coaches and 11 women’s tennis head coaches.

For a second consecutive year, South Alabama swept the Player of the Year awards with Jacobs earning the men’s nod and Stitler repeating as the women’s honoree. Jacobs is ranked No. 104 in the ITA National Singles rankings and owns a singles record of 15-4 in dual matches and a 22-6 record overall, including a 2-1 mark against nationally-ranked opponents. Stiteler, also the conference’s reigning Freshman of the Year, posted a 14-5 mark all at the No. 1 singles position and has won six singles matches in a row.

Georgia Southern freshman Stefano Di Aloy and Georgia State freshman Arina Taluyenko earned the Player to Watch awards on the men’s and women’s sides, respectively. The award recognizes the top returning student-athlete in the conference heading into next season. Di Aloy closed the season on a six-match singles winning streak and owns a 19-8 singles record. Taluyenko is 14-3 this season with a 10-3 mark playing at the No. 2 singles position.

South Alabama senior Juan Cruz Soria and ULM junior Stefana Andrei earned the Newcomer of the Year awards. This is the first season the award is being given and recognizes the top student-athlete in their first year of competition at the current member institution. Soria, a first-year transfer student, finished a South Alabama-best 26-8 this season in singles with two wins vs. nationally-ranked opponents. Andrei went 9-2 at the No. 1 singles spot and is on a four-match winning streak.

Freshmen Rylie Cox from Coastal Carolina, which is playing in its first season of Sun Belt competition, and Clement Marzol of South Alabama earned the Freshman of the Year awards. Cox went 13-6, all at the top position, for the Chanticleers. Marzol went 23-6 in singles play at the second, third and fourth positions in the Jaguars’ lineup.

Georgia State men’s head coach Brett Ross and ULM women’s head coach Terrence De Jongh earned the Coach of the Year awards. Ross led Georgia State to a 16-6 record this spring, an ITA ranking of No. 37 and a second consecutive No. 1 seed in the men’s tournament. De Jongh led ULM to the No. 1 seed on the women’s side after it posted a 13-1 mark this spring. ULM earned its second ITA ranking in as many years when the Warhawks checked in at No. 50 in the March 21st poll.

The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Tennis Championships continue tomorrow with women’s quarterfinal matches at 8 a.m. CT at the City Park/Pepsi Tennis Center in New Orleans, La. The semifinal rounds and championship matches of each tournament will be broadcasted live on ESPN3 for the first time in Sun Belt history. The championship matches are scheduled for Sunday, April 20, at 10 a.m. CT (women’s) and 2 p.m. CT (men’s). Visit championship central for more information.

Men’s Tennis Awards

Player of the Year
Tuki Jacobs (South Alabama)

Player to Watch
Stefano Di Aloy (Georgia Southern )

Newcomer of the Year
Juan Cruz Soria (South Alabama)

Freshman of the Year
Clement Marzol (South Alabama)

Coach of the Year
Brett Ross (Georgia State)

All-Sun Belt Singles First Team
Scott Webster (Appalachian State)
Andrei Andrukhou (Georgia State)
Zackery Kennedy (Georgia State)
Tuki Jacobs (South Alabama)
Juan Cruz Soria (South Alabama)
Jhonathan Gonzalez (UTA)

All-Sun Belt Doubles First Team
Scott Webster/Milo Bargeron (Appalachian State)
Loic Cloes/Juan Cruz Soria (South Alabama)
Jhonathan Gonzalez/Mauricio Del Rio (UTA)

All-Sun Belt Singles Second Team
Jack Maddocks (Appalachian State)
Vuk Velickovic (Coastal Carolina)
Stefano Di Aloy (Georgia Southern)
Arthur Libaud (Louisiana)
Loic Cloes (South Alabama)
Pablo Moreno (Troy)

Sun Belt All-Conference Doubles Second Team
Zackery Kennedy/Andrei Andrukhou (Georgia State)
Arthur Libaud/Jamie Fraser (Louisiana)
Coleman Wahlborg/Eric Perez (Louisiana)

Women’s Tennis Awards

Player of the Year
Alexandria Stiteler (South Alabama)

Player to Watch
Arina Taluyenko (Georgia State)

Newcomer of the Year
Stefana Andrei (ULM)

Freshman of the Year
Rylie Cox (Coastal Carolina)

Coach of the Year
Terrence De Jongh (ULM)

All-Sun Belt Singles First Team
Rylie Cox (Coastal Carolina)
Kristin Rehse (Georgia State)
Arina Taluyenko (Georgia State)
Stefana Andrei (ULM)
Tiffany Mylonas (ULM)
Alexandria Stiteler (South Alabama)

All-Sun Belt Doubles First Team
Astrid Gehre/Anna Wichert (UTA)
Agustina Serio/Valeria Lopez (UTA)
Sanae Ohta/Nancy Karaky (Troy)

All-Sun Belt Singles Second Team
Julie Gauguery (Arkansas State)
Marie Babayan (Coastal Carolina)
Petra Horakova (ULM)
Laura Matuskova (South Alabama)
Angeles de los Rios (UTA)
Agustina Serio (UTA)

Sun Belt All-Conference Doubles Second Team
Stefana Andrei/Petra Horakova (ULM)
Patricia Martins/Laura Valkova (South Alabama)
Alexandria Stiteler/Monica Mitta (South Alabama)