April 27, 2012
OMAHA, Neb. -
Four members of the Illinois State women's tennis team (11-11, 5-2 MVC) were honored on Thursday at the annual Missouri Valley Conference tennis awards banquet in Omaha, Neb.
Aniko Kiss and newcomer Emmie Marx were named to the 2012 MVC All Conference All-Select Team on Thursday.
Kiss, who stand for the second time on the All-Select Team, holds a record of 11-10 in dual-match play. Her MVC singles record is 4-2 in No.1 singles and an even 3-3 in MVC No.1 doubles. In her first semester at Illinois State, Marx has already distinguished herself in the second position with an even record of 3-3 in MVC singles and doubles.
"Aniko is a great player," said head coach Chris Hoover. "This is her second year on the All-Select Team, and it's well deserved. Emmie is a fantastic player as well, and she is just a freshman. I know we'll be seeing even better things from her as her career progresses."
Team captain Hannah Esker was honored with her third appointment to the 2012 Women's Tennis Scholar-Athlete First Team, and Carolina Abello was given an Honorable Mention as a MVC Scholar-Athlete as well.
Esker, a senior, posts a 4.0 in mathematics, and is a member of the Illinois State Honors Program. She is a recipient of the 2011 MVC Elite 18 Award, and was a finalist for the Bone Scholar award, which is the highest academic honor on the ISU campus. She currently holds a 9-10 mark for singles play in the sixth flight and a 2-2 mark for No.3 doubles.
As a sophomore, Abello holds a 3.84 in business administration, and posts a 6-9 record in the fifth singles position with the Redbirds. She also holds a 2-1 mark in MVC singles play.
"In order to be a student-athlete, you have to be smart," said Hoover. "Hannah and Carolina are great examples of this. Their skills in the classroom carry over to the courts, and really help them to be well-rounded players."
Illinois State heads into championship play against Creighton on Friday at 1 p.m.
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