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Jenni Heinser Wins Second Straight WCC Player of the Year Award
April 23, 2009
(San Bruno, CA) - Jennifer-Lee Heinser earned her second consecutive West Coast Conference Player of the Year award after a stellar sophomore campaign on the Hilltop. Heinser is currently ranked No. 58 in the nation, the highest ranked women's singles player in the conference. She went 16-3 at the No. 1 singles spot and remained undefeated against conference opponents at the WCC Championships this past weekend. Last year, Heinser earned WCC Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards.
During the season, Heinser earned big wins over tough opponents and helped lead her team to a 10-9 regular season record. Some of Heinser's season highlights include: a win over Marcela Montanha of No. 6 California Baptist University (1/24); a 6-4, 6-1 win over No. 60 Alexandra Poorta of Saint Mary's (2/8); in two matches at San Diego, she defeated No. 57 USD's Julliette Coupez (2/13) and earned a victory over No. 12 Laura Gioia from No. 68 Furman University (2/14); she led the Dons to their first ever win over a ranked team, No. 58 UC Irvine, with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Courtney Byron (3/24); and she also defeated Caroline Bailly 6-4, 6-1 from No. 66 University of Nevada (4/11). In Heinser's two year career at USF, she has amassed a 32-4 dual match record and an overall record of 44-12.
Heinser is the first Dons athlete to earn consecutive Player of the Year Honors since men's soccer great Staale Soebye won two consecutive awards in 1993 and 1994. She joins an impressive list of Dons men's basketball stars who have also won consecutive awards, including Quintin Dailey (1980-81, 1981-82), Ollie Johnson (1963-64, 1964-65), and Mike Farmer (1956-57, 1957-58). Bill Cartwright is the only Don to win three consecutive honors when he took the award from 1976-77 to 1978-79.
Senior Mylene Martin earned her second consecutive Second Team honor after going 12-8 on the season. Heinser and sophomore Cecilia Gratian earned Second Team recognition in doubles play, finishing the season 11-8.
Saint Mary's Anna Chkhikvishvili earned this year's WCC Freshman of the Year honors, after going 8-7 at the No. 2 singles position for the Gaels. Chkhikvishvili recorded notable wins over ranked teams Michigan State, UC Irvine and Boise State. Her head coach, Lisa Alipaz, was named 2009 WCC Coach of the Year for the third consecutive season, after leading the Gaels to another second place finish at the 2009 WCC Championships.
Joining Heinser and Chkhikvishvili on the All-WCC first team are Pepperdine's Anamika Bhargava, who earned first team honors for the second straight year, and senior Alex Liles, who was unbeatable for the Waves at this year's WCC Championships. Another Saint Mary's player appeared on the list, sophomore Alex Poorta, who played the No. 1 singles spot for the Gaels in all but one match and was named to the All-WCC second team last year. Last but not least, San Diego freshman Juliette Coupez stepped up at the No. 1 singles position for the Toreros and earned her first all-conference nod.
Six different schools were represented in the All-WCC singles second team. Two freshmen received their first ever all-conference singles honors: Pepperdine's Ali Walters and Gonzaga's Kristina Zauere. Portland's Lacey Pflibsen earned her first all-conference award, and three seniors rounded out the second team: San Francisco's Mylene Martin, San Diego's Tammy Kevey and Loyola Marymount's Tina Razloznik.
In doubles, three different programs were represented on the first team squad. March's WCC Doubles Team of the Month, Alex Liles and Anamika Bhargava of Pepperdine, were on that list, joined by Saint Mary's No. 1 doubles pair, Alex Poorta and Claire Soper, and San Diego's No. 2 duo of Maja Sujica and Tammy Kevey.
On the all-conference doubles second team, WCC Freshman of the Year Chkhikvishvili and partner Nienke Strijbis represented the Saint Mary's Gaels. WCC Player of the Year Heinser and her partner Cecilia Gratian were also selected for second team honors, along with Portland pair, Lacey Pflibsen and Megan Sporndli.
2009 INDIVIDUAL POSTSEASON AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jennifer Heinser, USF
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Anna Chkhikvishvili, SMC
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lisa Alipaz, SMC
2009 WOMEN'S SINGLES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
First Team
Alex Liles, PEP
Alex Poorta, SMC
Anamika Bhargava, PEP
Anna Chkhikvishvili, SMC
Jennifer Heinser, USF
Juliette Coupez, USD
Second Team
Ali Walters, PEP
Kristina Zauere, GON
Lacey Pflibsen, POR
Mylene Martin, USF
Tammy Kevey, USD
Tina Razloznik, LMU
Honorable Mention
Aglaya Kokurina, GON
Andrea Oates, PEP
Claire Soper, SMC
Elisaveta Pironkova, LMU
Jasmin Heckel, LMU
Kacie Wagner, SCU
Marah Calvo, SMC
Maria Raygada, USD
Megan Sporndli, POR
Rika Mehndiratta, GON
Stephanie Galainena, SCU
2009 WOMEN'S DOUBLES ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
First Team
Alex Liles/Anamika Bhargava, PEP
Alex Poorta/Claire Soper, SMC
Maja Sujica/Tammy Kevey, USD
Second Team
Anna Chkhikvishvili/Nienke Strijbis, SMC
Jennifer Heinser/Cecilia Gratian, USF
Lacey Pflibsen/Megan Sporndli, POR
Honorable Mention
Aglaya Kokurina/Kristina Zauere, GON
Jasmin Heckel/Elisaveta Pironkova, LMU
Kimmi Cox/Kacie Wagner, SCU
Shauna Morgan/Tina Razloznik, LMU
Stephanie Galainena/Ashley Pane, SCU
