Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Saluki tennis players earn All-Conference, Scholar-Athlete recognition
04/24/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Tennis
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
EVANSVILLE, Ind. - Six Salukis were recognized for their standout performances on the court and in the classroom at the MVC women's tennis team championships this week.
SIU's No. 3 doubles duo, Yana Golovkina and Ariadna Cairo Baza, earned MVC All-Conference honors. Gisela Cairo Baza, Polina Dozortseva and Natasha Tomishima were recognized as MVC Scholar-Athletes, while Ariadna Cairo Baza and Meagan Monaghan earned Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention honors.
All-Conference - Ariadna Cairo Baza and Yana Golovkina - No. 3 Doubles
Senior Ariadna Cairo Baza and freshman Yana Golovkina are SIU's most successful doubles pair this year, going 5-1 in regular season MVC matches. The two topped teams from Drake, Evansville, Northern Iowa, Missouri State and Bradley. Their only loss came to Wichita State. Cairo Baza and Golovkina finished the regular season with an 11-4 record overall.
Scholar-Athletes
Gisela Cairo Baza
SIU senior Gisela Cairo Baza currently ties for 13th place all-time at SIU for career singles win percentage and won 15 singles matches in the regular season. She earned MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention honors last season and ranked No. 14 for singles in the NCAA Central region. She currently has a 3.69 GPA in chemistry.
Natasha Tomishima
Natasha Tomishima - originally from Campo Grande, Brazil - has played No. 1 doubles and No. 1 singles for the Salukis all season, with 20 wins in doubles and 10 in singles in the regular season. She currently ranks fourth all-time in SIU history for most doubles wins as an individual with 73 overall. Tomishima is studying computer engineering and has a 3.36 GPA.
Polina Dozortseva
Polina Dozortseva made a late-season surge, earning a spot in the doubles lineup at the No. 2 position. She totals 11 doubles wins and three singles wins overall this season. The sophomore has a 3.94 GPA in management.
Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention
Ariadna Cairo Baza
Ariadna Cairo Baza finished the regular season with 15 singles wins and 14 doubles wins at the No. 3 doubles spot. She and doubles partner Yana Golovkina went 5-1 in MVC doubles matches in the regular season. The senior has a 3.32 GPA in microbiology.
Meagan Monaghan
Meagan Monaghan played at the No. 1 doubles spot throughout the season, other than the last two regular season matches. She and former doubles partner Natasha Tomishima led the Salukis in doubles wins with 18 as a pair. Monaghan also played No. 2 singles, finishing the regular season with the most singles wins on the team with 21 overall. She is studying exercise science and has a 3.91 GPA.
Players Mentioned
