Bearkat Trio Earns All-Southland Honors
4/25/2018 2:32:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Sam Houston seniors Fabienne Gettwart and Khee Yen Wee and sophomore Lusine Chobanyan have been named to the 2018 All-Southland Conference women's tennis team the league office in Frisco announced Wednesday afternoon.
Gettwart earned second team All-Southland honors at number one singles. The senior from Dreiech, Hessen, Germany, won nine of her 11 matches at the top position of the line-up. Her 9-2 mark in 2018 stands as the third best number one singles record in the program's 31-year history in the Southland Conference.
Gettwart also paired with fellow senior Khee Yen Wee to receive honorable mention honors at number two doubles. Wee, who came to Sam Houston after an outstanding junior career in Singapore, joined with Gettwart to produce a 5-1 record in the number two slot. The pair's performances helped the Bearkats to earn the doubles point in the team's final four victories. Gettwart and Wee now rank among the program's top 25 in career dual match doubles wins.
Chobanyan, one of the top newcomers in the Southland this spring after transferring from UT-Arlington, earned honorable mention at number five singles. The Yerevan, Armenia, product posted a perfect 6-0 record at number five singles after going 4-1 in the number six position during the first half of the season. Her overall 10-1 mark in 2018 league play ranks her as one of only four Bearkats ever to post 10 Southland dual match singles wins in a single season.
The 2018 trio brings the total number of Bearkats who have earned All-Southland Conference honors to 22 since Sam Houston joined the league in 1988. Wee is an all-conference selection for a second consecutive spring. She was a second team honoree at number three singles her junior season in 2017.
Members of the All-Southland honor squad are selected by votes of the league's head coaches and tennis sports information personnel.
The 2018 Sam Houston women's tennis team rolled up a 13-5 season mark this year, setting a school record for single season victories. The Bearkats finished tied for third in the Southland Conference race, Sam Houston's highest finish since a runner-up performance in 2007. This year's placing stands as one of only three top-three Southland finishes since the league expanded to more than five teams in 1992.
The squad's 8-3 league won-loss record this spring ranks behind only the 2017 runner-up team's nine victories. Sam Houston ended the regular season by winning six of their final seven contests.
Sam Houston begins play in the 2018 Southland Conference Women's Tennis Tournament in Beaumont Friday afternoon. The Kats take on Central Arkansas in the opening round. The winner of the championship finals on Sunday will advance to the NCAA national tournament.
2018 All-Southland Conference Women's Tennis Team
First-Team Singles
No. 1 Polina Mutel, Northwestern State
No. 2 Sarah Jurakova, McNeese
No. 3 Luna Dormet, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 4 Ela Iwaniuk, Northwestern State
No. 5 Marina Vicens Miquel, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 6 Phonexay Chitdara, McNeese
Second-Team Singles
No. 1 Fabienne Gettwart, Sam Houston
No. 1 Lucile Pothier, Abilene Christian
No. 2 Jelena Dzinic, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 3 Nini Memishishi, Abilene Christian
No. 4 Louise Trigona, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 5 Judit Castillo, Northwestern State
No. 6 Nida Kamal, Stephen F. Austin
Honorable Mention Singles
No. 2 Polina Ivanova, Northwestern State
No. 3 Hee-Jin Oh, Central Arkansas
No. 4 Maria Mastilovic, McNeese
No. 5 Luisine Chobanyan, Sam Houston State
First-Team Doubles
No. 1 P. Mutel/Ivanova, Northwestern State
No. 2 Xiang/Shimoguchi, Central Arkansas
No. 3 Ma/Manataweewat, Central Arkansas
Second-Team Doubles
No. 1 H. Brett/S. Jurakova, McNeese
No. 3 Chitdara/C. Erlandsson, McNeese
Honorable Mention Doubles
No. 1 T. Dao/A. Luethi, New Orleans
No. 2 Fabienne Gettwart/Khee Yen Whee, Sam Houston
No. 3 J. Dzinic/M. Maldonado, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
