Pacific's Ivan Castro defeated both a ranked opponent and the 2009 Big West Player of the Year to take home Men's Tennis Athlete of the Week honors, while Long Beach State's Deborah Armstrong and UC Irvine's Stephanie Hammel defeated opponents from nationally ranked programs to share Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week award.
Castro Wins Pair Of Tough Singles Matches
Pacific’s Ivan Castro (Mogi das Cruzes, Brazil/Colegio Athemeu) recorded a pair of three-set victories, including one against a ranked opponent, to secure Big West Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week honors.
Castro started the week with an upset of the No. 82-ranked player in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, beating San Diego’s Nikola Bubnic 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at No. 2 singles. He also partnered with Artem Gramma in the No. 2 doubles position to win 8-6 over the Torero duo of Charl Wolmarans and Thibaut Visy. Pacific clinched the doubles point and the overall 4-3 team victory.
Although the Tigers lost a 4-3 nailbiter to Big West rival UC Santa Barbara, Castro did his part with a win against 2009 Big West Player of the Year Alex Konigsfeldt. He outlasted Konigsfeldt 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 at No. 2 singles.
Others nominated: Mathieu Forget (UC Santa Barbara)
Armstrong, Hammel Emerge Victorious Against Strong Competition
Deborah Armstrong (Newcastle, England/Woodhouse Grove) and Stephanie Hammel (Placentia, CA/Valencia HS) posted impressive victories for their teams to earn Big West Women's Tennis Co-Athlete of the Week accolades.
Armstrong, the No. 3 singles player for Long Beach State, won twice in three sets for the 49ers. She dispatched Pacific’s Julia Hansen 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 to help LBSU to a 4-1 team win. In a 6-1 loss to No. 18 Washington, Armstrong claimed the lone point for the 49ers with her 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 win over Lina Xu. Armstrong also won a doubles match with Anais Dallara against the Huskies.
Hammel defeated a ranked opponent in the No. 1 singles match against No. 47 Sacramento State. She beat 46th-ranked Katrina Zheltova by a 7-5, 1-6, 7-5 score in a 4-3 UCI team loss.
Others nominated: Brittany Blalock (Cal Poly); Nadia Sakhakorn (UC Riverside); Jordan Dockendorf (UC Santa Barbara); Jenifer Widjaja (Pacific)