Tuesday, 01/24/2012

Rock Hill, S.C.----The Wingate University women’s tennis team is picked to win the 2012 South Atlantic Conference regular season race by the league’s 10 coaches. The defending conference regular season and tournament champion Bulldogs received 96 points and seven first place-votes to take the top spot.

Wingate sophomore Ali Evers (Roswell, Ga.) is one of three Bulldogs on the pre-season All-SAC first team. The 2011 SAC Freshman of the Year, Evers is currently ranked number 16 in the ITA Southeast Region singles rankings. Sophomores Morgan Winston (Lawrenceville, Ga.) and Olivia Poole (Boca Raton, Fla.) join Evers on the pre-season All-SAC first team.
 
In 2011, Evers was named first team All-SAC. Evers was 16-6 overall in singles action (6-3 SAC) last year. She played 19 of her 22 matches at the number two singles flight. She compiled a 14-5 record at the number two position, while winning two of three matches at the number three position. In doubles, Evers was 18-4 overall with senior partner Samantha Alschlager (Indian Trail, N.C.). The duo was 7-2 in SAC matches.
 
A second team All-SAC pick in 2011, Winston spent most of her time at the number three singles spot for Wingate. She was 17-5 overall, with a 7-2 record in SAC play. She was 16-3 at number three singles and 1-2 at number two singles. Winston’s nine SAC matches were played at the number three flight.
 
Poole started her Wingate career with 18 consecutive singles victories. The second team All-SAC performer played 21 matches at the number four singles flight, posting a team-best 20-1 overall record. Poole and Winston played doubles together, compiling an 18-3 mark and a 6-2 SAC record. The pair was 17-3 at number three doubles and 1-0 at number two doubles.
 
The Bulldogs were a perfect 9-0 in the SAC last year with four different players receiving SAC Player of the Week honors. On the courts, the 2011 Bulldogs defeated two nationally-ranked teams: Augusta State (29) and Charleston, W.Va. (34). In head coach Michael Cabana’s first season with the Wingate women’s team, the Bulldogs finished seventh out of eight teams. The Bulldogs have moved up the charts during his five years, progressing from seventh to fifth to third (twice) to first.
 
The top six teams in the final standings will advance to the 2012 Food Lion SAC women’s tennis championship. This season’s tournament will be held in Rock Hill, S.C. at the Rock Hill Tennis Center on April 19-22.