by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
New UTEP Tennis Head Coach Ivan Fernandez announced his first two signees on Friday. Erandi Martinez Hernandez and Alisa Morozova will join the Miners for the 2017-18 season.
Martinez Hernandez graduated from Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, a prestigious high school in Mexico City. She has been ranked among the top-five under-18 players in Mexico and has won three Grade 1 tournaments in both singles and doubles.
Hernandez reached the semifinals of the Masters Championship, a qualifier for a Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) Tournament in Mexico, and reached the quarterfinals at the Tampico International Tournament last August, where she faced several players that are now playing Division I tennis.
“I have been recruiting Erandi for a couple of months already,” Fernandez said. “I know that she’s got a lot of wins in Mexico against players that are now in Division I, so I have a really good idea of the level that she’s going to bring to the program. She’s very solid in singles and doubles and I think that she’s going to be a great addition to this team, especially having competed against a lot of collegiate players. She’s going to come in with a lot of international experience and she has been highly ranked in Mexico for her whole career. I definitely expect her to make an immediate impact in the lineup.”
Morozova recently graduated from the Gusev Secondary School in Russia, where she has been ranked among the top under-18 players the last three years. Morozova represented the Yaroslavi Regional Team as the No. 3 singles player and has won more than 10 Russian Federation Tournaments in singles and doubles.
“I spoke with Alisa’s sister a little bit and she told me that if she had been playing here in the U.S. she would have a UTR [Universal Tennis Rating] of 9 or 10, which is a very high level,” Fernandez said. “Her sister, who played for four years at St. John’s and just graduated, told me that she would probably play in the middle of the lineup at St. John’s, who just won their conference and went to the NCAA Tournament. Alisa is a very young player but she is very well-rounded. She’s also going to be capable of playing in the middle of the lineup here. We’re very fortunate that we were able to get her in so quickly and get her signed right away. She’s a very solid player, she’s going to mature and keep developing and both she and Erandi will definitely be in the lineup as true freshmen.”
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Ivan Fernandez, who served as head coach at NM State for the last seven years and led the Aggies to four consecutive berths in the Western Athletic Conference championship match, has been named women’s tennis head coach at UTEP.
“Ivan is a great fit for us,” said UTEP Director of Athletics Bob Stull. “He has annually had NM State in the Western Athletic Conference championship picture, and he’s looking forward to leading UTEP Tennis to a new level of achievement. He brings a built-in knowledge of our program and players that will allow him to really hit the ground running, recruiting and planning for the 2017-18 season. He and his wife love this part of the country. He’ll bring stability to our program and he can’t wait to get started.”
“After more than 15 years in collegiate coaching, I am very excited to be named the next women’s tennis head coach at UTEP,” Fernandez said. “I bring many years of experience as a head coach and much-needed stability to a program with a great history. I have been part of the tennis community in this area for the last 12 years and know how important the community is to the success of any program. I am committed to returning UTEP tennis to its former glory and with the continued support of UTEP, Director of Athletics Bob Stull, and the entire athletic department, I know that I will be provided all of the resources necessary to achieve this goal.”
Fernandez’s Aggies played for the WAC title in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2015 NM State captured the league crown and earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament. In 2016 the Aggies were the WAC regular season champions with an undefeated league mark.
NM State boasted the WAC Player of the Year in 2016 (Ashvarya Shrivastav) and 2017 (Rimpledeep Kaur). Kaur was first team All-WAC this past season. The Aggies also had a first team All-Conference doubles tandem in Kaur and Marie-Pier Thiffault. In 2010, NM State had the first nationally ranked doubles tandem in school history in Aleksa Costa and Sophia Marks.
Overall, the Aggies tallied 18 All-WAC honors and 42 Academic All-WAC selections under his tutelage. Fernandez has also coached numerous Intercollegiate Tennis Association All-Academic Team members.
Under his direction, NM State women’s tennis received a Public Recognition Award from the NCAA in May for posting a perfect 1,000 multiyear Academic Progress Rate (APR). The Aggies fashioned a 3.5 grade point average, annually ranking among the best of the Aggie athletic teams in the classroom.
Fernandez also served as director of the NM State Tennis Center, which hosted the WAC Championship three times during his tenure as head coach.
Fernandez spent 12 years at NM State in all, including five as an assistant coach (2005-10).
He previously was a volunteer men’s and women’s assistant coach at NM State (2000-03), a women’s assistant coach at FIU (2003-04) and a men’s assistant coach at East Tennessee State (2004-05) prior to returning to Las Cruces. The Buccaneers won the 2005 Southern Conference Championship with a 13-0 record and secured an NCAA Tournament bid. Fernandez was a tennis professional in Las Cruces from 1999-2003.
Fernandez is a P1 Certified Tennis Professional with the United States Professional Tennis Association (USPTA) and has taught tennis since 1990.
A Puerto Rico native, Fernandez received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas in 1996. His wife’s name is Lausanne.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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DENTON, Texas� Maria Paula Medina posted a dominant straight set victory but a short-handed UTEP tennis team was upended by Marshall, 4-1, on Thursday in the first round of the 2017 Conference USA Women�s Tennis Championship in Denton, Texas. The 14th seeded Miners (4-14), whose season has been plagued by injury, had to forfeit a double�s team on court three, giving the No. 3 Thundering Herd (14-9) a cushion in doubles play.
In doubles play, Raven Bennett and Duda Santos, both nursing injuries, forfeited their match on court three. The doubles point was decided when Milou Pietersz and Lois Wagenvoort fell to Anna Pomyatinskaya and Derya Turhan 6-2 on court one. Maria Paula Medina and Daphne Visscher�s close match with Rachael Morales and Maddie Silver was left unfinished at 4-4.
Though they were at a disadvantage going into doubles play, the Miners had a full line-up for singles play. Santos battled the Intercollegiate Tennis Association�s No. 117 ranked singles player in Marshall�s Turhan, dropping 6-0, 6-1. On court four, Wagenvoort fell to Pomyatinskaya 6-2, 6-1.
The Miners� first point came from Medina�s straight set dominance of the Herd�s Nikola Novackova, 6-3, 6-3 on court six. Bennett stole set one from Daniela Dankanych 7-5 but dropped the second set 6-2 at the No. 5 position. Pietersz, playing the No. 2, also won her first set against Silver 6-4, but slipped in a tight 6-5 set two.
Before Bennett and Pietersz�s matches were completed, Marshall�s Morales ended the match with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Visscher on court three, ending UTEP�s run in the tournament and 2016-17 season.
FINAL: No. 3 Marshall 4, No. 14 UTEP 1
Singles competition
1. #117 Derya Turhan (MAR) def. Duda Santos (UTEP) 6-0, 6-1
2. Maddie Silver (MAR) vs. Milou Pietersz (UTEP) 4-6, 6-5, unfinished
3. Rachael Morales (MAR) def. Daphne Visscher (UTEP) 6-4, 6-2
4. Anna Pomyatinskaya (MAR) def. Lois Wagenvoort (UTEP) 6-2, 6-1
5. Daniela Dankanych (MAR) vs. Raven Bennett (UTEP) 5-7, 6-2, 1-1, unfinished
6. Maria Paula Medina (UTEP) def. Nikola Novackova (MAR) 6-3, 6-3
Doubles competition
1. Anna Pomyatinskaya/Derya Turhan (MAR) def. Milou Pietersz/Lois Wagenvoort (UTEP) 6-2
2. Rachael Morales/Maddie Silver (MAR) vs. Maria Paula Medina/Daphne Visscher (UTEP) 4-4, unfinished
3. Stephanie Smith/Daniela Dankanych (MAR) def. Raven Bennett/Duda Santos (UTEP), by forfeit
Match Notes:
No. 14 UTEP 4-14
No. 3 Marshall 14-9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1); Singles (1,4,6,3)
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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IRVING, Texas � The UTEP women�s tennis team will begin play at the 2017 Conference USA Championship on Thursday, April 20, as the 14th seed, the league announced Monday. The Miners (4-13, 0-1 C-USA) will face No. 3 seed Marshall (13-9, 1-1 C-USA) at 12 p.m. (CT) at Waranch Tennis Complex in Denton, Texas.
If the Miners win, they will face the winner between No. 6 WKU and No. 11 Florida Atlantic on Friday, April 21 in the quarterfinals. Defending tournament champion Rice and FIU earned a first round bye with the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively. In the Intercollegiate Tennis Association team rankings, Rice is ranked No. 35 and FIU No. 37 among Division I schools.
All six Miners will make the trip to Denton. Milou Pietersz, Lois Wagenvoort, Raven Bennett, Daphne Visscher, Duda Santos and Maria Paula Medina fielded a full line up last Friday, when the Miners fell 4-3 to NM State. It was the first time since March 4 that the injury-plagued team had a full lineup, helping the squad to the doubles point and two singles wins against the Aggies.
The Miners are led by Pietersz and Wagenvoort, who link up for the No. 1 spot in doubles. The duo recorded their first shutout of the spring season when they blankedNM State�s Vanessa Valdez and Rebecca Keijzerwaard 6-0. In singles play, Pietersz had a comeback victory against Valdez in three sets (0-6, 6-1, 7-5) at the No. 2 spot, while Wagenvoort added to the Miners� score with a 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 victory on court four. Bennett sports a team-best 5-5 singles record in dual match play primarily at the No. 6 position.
The Thundering Herd slipped by Old Dominion 4-3 on March 19, but fell to Rice, 4-1, on April 9 in Houston. The Herd has defeated four Power Five conference teams in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia Tech and Penn State.
Five Marshall players have recorded at least 10 singles wins, led by senior Derya Turhan, who sports a 17-3 record at the No. 1 position. Stephanie Smith, who is 13-5 in singles at the No. 3 spot, pairs up with Daniela Dankanych at no. 3 doubles, earning Marshall�s top doubles record at 11-4.
The first round of the tournament will begin with No. 8 Southern Miss taking on No. 9 UTSA and No. 7 Charlotte facing No. 10 Louisiana Tech, with both matches at 9 a.m. (CT). The winner between Southern Miss and UTSA will face top-seeded Rice in the quarterfinals.
Other first round matchups include tournament host No. 5 North Texas battling No. 12 Middle Tennessee at 12 p.m. (CT) and No. 4 Old Dominion facing No. 13 UAB at 3 p.m. (CT).
The Conference USA Championship match will take place on Sunday at 10 a.m. CT.
2017 Conference USA Women�s Tennis Championship
First Round � Thursday, April 20
Match 1: (8) Southern Miss vs. (9) UTSA � 9 a.m.
Match 2: (7) Charlotte vs. (10) Louisiana Tech � 9 a.m.
Match 3: (5) North Texas vs. (12) Middle Tennessee � 12 p.m.
Match 4: (3) Marshall vs. (14) UTEP � 12 p.m.
Match 5: (4) Old Dominion vs. (13) UAB � 3 p.m.
Match 6: (6) WKU vs. (11) Florida Atlantic � 3 p.m.
Quarterfinals � Friday, April 21
Match 7: Match 1 winner vs. (1) Rice � 10 a.m.
Match 8: Match 2 winner vs. (2) FIU � 10 a.m.
Match 9: Match 3 winner vs. Match 5 winner � 2 p.m.
Match 10: Match 4 winner vs. Match 6 winner � 2 p.m.
Semifinals � Saturday, April 22
Match 11: Match 7 winner vs. Match 9 winner � 12 p.m.
Match 12: Match 8 winner vs. Match 10 winner � 12 p.m.
Championship � Sunday, April 23
Match 13: Match 11 winner vs. Match 12 winner � 10 a.m.
All Times Central
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
Though they were full of fight, the UTEP Miners were edged by Interstate-10 rival NM State 4-3 on Senior Day Friday to close out the tennis regular season.
The Miners, who had six players for the first time since March 4, were able to field a full lineup. That helped the team get an early lead in the match, claiming the doubles point with wins on courts one and three. First, at the No. 1 position, Milou Pietersz and Lois Wagenvoort powered past NM State’s Vanessa Valdez and Rebecca Keijzerwaard 6-0, their first shutout as a pair.
Maria Paula Medina and senior Duda Santos, returning from injury, helped the effort with a 7-6 (7-5) victory over Lindsay Harlas and Gabrielle Joyce on court three. Senior Daphne Visscher and Raven Bennett fell 7-6 (9-7) to the Aggies’ Rimpledeep Kaur and Marie-Pier Thiffault.
For the first time since their Feb. 19 victory over Pac-12’s Colorado, the Miners entered singles play with a 1-0 lead. The Aggies did not go down easily, however, getting wins on courts one and five due to Santos’ and Bennett’s retirement from injury, and a 6-3, 6-2 Keijzerwaard victory on court three from Visscher.
The Aggies clinched the match with a win on court six, as Harlas upended Medina 6-4, 6-1.
Though they trailed 4-1, the Miners battled to secure a couple more points. The relentless junior Pietersz dropped her first set against Valdez 6-0 but dominated set two with a 6-1 victory and followed with a 7-5 triumph in set three. Wagenvoort took set one in a 6-3 fashion, but Thiffault evened up play with a 6-4 victory of her own. In the deciding set, Wagenvoort was able to work her way to a 6-4 victory.
The Miners will now look to prepare for the Conference USA Championships beginning April 20 in Denton, Texas.
FINAL: New Mexico State 4, UTEP 3
Singles competition
1. Kaur, Rimpledeep (NMSU) def. Duda Santos (UTEP) 6-7, 1-2, retired
2. Milou Pietersz (UTEP) def. Valdez, Vanessa (NMSU) 0-6, 6-1, 7-5
3. Keijzerwaard,Rebecca (NMSU) def. Daphne Visscher (UTEP) 6-3, 6-2
4. Lois Wagenvoort (UTEP) def. Thiffault,Marie-Pier (NMSU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4
5. Arnaudova, Eli (NMSU) def. Raven Bennett (UTEP) 6-3, 3-2, retired
6. Harlas, Lindsay (NMSU) def. Maria Paula Medina (UTEP) 6-4, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Milou Pietersz/Lois Wagenvoort (UTEP) def. Valdez, Vanessa/Keijzerwaard,Rebecca (NMSU) 6-0
2. Kaur, Rimpledeep/Thiffault,Marie-Pier (NMSU) def. Daphne Visscher/Raven Bennett (UTEP) 7-6 (9-7)
3. Maria Paula Medina/Duda Santos (UTEP) def. Harlas, Lindsay/Joyce, Gabrielle (NMSU) 7-6 (7-5)
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
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The UTEP women�s tennis team (0-1 C-USA, 4-12 overall) will look to end its regular season on a high note when it hosts Interstate-10 rival NM State (3-2 WAC, 8-12 overall) at the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club on Friday, April 14. First serve is 11 a.m.
For the first time since March 4, the Miners will have six players at their disposal. The team has been besieged by injuries and has played its last three matches with only four players.
It will also mark the last time seniors Daphne Visscher and Duda Santos, who will return from an injury, will play in front of their home crowd. The two will be honored before the event.
Defending their court alongside Visscher and Santos will be Milou Pietersz, Raven Bennett, Lois Wagenvoort and Maria Paula Medina.
Last Sunday, the Miners fell 4-0 to UTSA in the only Conference USA match of the season, but not easily. Bennett and Visscher were leading the Roadrunners� Sonia Medina Madronal and Denisa Ibrahimovic 5-3 before their match was called and left unfinished.
Pietersz battled with the Intercollegiate Tennis Association�s No. 99 ranked singles player in Miriam Rosell but fell short 6-1, 6-4. Wagenvoort was leading UTSA�s Charleen Tiwari 6-2, 4-3 before the match was called and Maria Paula Medina, who returned after being cleared from a concussion, took the first set from Linda Hallgren 6-3 and was playing in a 2-all set on court four before the match was called.
The Aggies boast the reigning Western Athletic Conference Player of the Week in freshman Rebecca Keijzerwaard, who went 3-0 last week in NM State�s non-conference action against Western New Mexico and UTSA. Keijzerwaard has a team-best 4-2 record in dual action and teams up with fellow freshman Vanessa Valdez at the No. 1 spot in doubles. The duo has recorded a 5-2 record.
by Dr Alex Jimenez DC, APRN, FNP-BC, CFMP, IFMCP | UTEP (Local) RSS
The short-handed Miners kept it close, but could not hang on to Conference USA foe UTSA, falling 4-0 Sunday at the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club.
The Miners, who played with only four players due to injury, are now 0-1 in conference, 4-12 overall on the season while the Roadrunners improved to 1-1 in conference, 11-8 overall.
Doubles play began with the Roadrunners already having an early lead to the point due to a UTEP forfeit on court three because of the short lineup. Lois Wagenvoort and Milou Pietersz faced UTSA’s Miriam Rosell and Kylee Kato at the No. 1 doubles spot, with the Roadrunners prevailing 6-3 for the doubles point.
On court two, Raven Bennett and Daphne Visscher were leading the Roadrunners’ Sonia Medina Madronal and Denisa Ibrahimovic 5-3 before their match was called and left unfinished.
In singles action, Pietersz faced the Intercollegiate Tennis Association’s No. 99 ranked singles player in Rosell and dropped the first set 6-1. Pietersz battled back in set two, but Rosell ended the set and match with a 6-4 victory. On court three, Wagenvoort was leading UTSA’s Charleen Tiwari 6-2, 4-3 before the match was called and Maria Paula Medina, who returned after being cleared from a concussion, took the first set from Linda Hallgren 6-3 and was playing in a 2-all set two on court four before the match was called.
The Miners will return to action Friday, April 14, when they face Interstate 10 rival NM State at the El Paso Tennis and Swim Club. First serve is set for 11 a.m.
Final results: UTSA 4, UTEP 0
Singles competition
1. Miriam RosellCanudas (UTSA) def. Milou Pietersz (UTEP) 6-1, 6-4
2. Daphne Visscher (UTEP) vs. Denisa Ibrahimovic (UTSA) 4-6, 3-3, unfinished
3. Lois Wagenvoort (UTEP) vs. Charleen Tiwari (UTSA) 6-2, 4-3, unfinished
4. Maria Paula Medina (UTEP) vs. Linda Hallgren (UTSA) 6-3, 2-2, unfinished
5. Laura Cabrera (UTSA) def. No player (UTEP), by forfeit
6. Kylee Kato (UTSA) def. No player (UTEP), by forfeit
Doubles competition
1. Miriam RosellCanudas/Kylee Kato (UTSA) def. Lois Wagenvoort/Milou Pietersz (UTEP) 6-3
2. Raven Bennett/Daphne Visscher (UTEP) vs. Sonia Medina/Denisa Ibrahimovic (UTSA) 5-3, unfinished
3. Linda Hallgren/Charleen Tiwari (UTSA) def. No player/No player (UTEP), by forfeit
