Chloe Sher Earns Pirates' First-Ever BIG EAST Tennis Player of the Week Award
3/20/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
BIG EAST WEEKLY TENNIS RELEASE - Mar. 20, 2012
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Sophomore Chloe Sher (Shui Wai, Hong Kong) has been named BIG EAST Women's Tennis Player of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday.
The second-year player is the first Pirate in program history to receive the award.
Also receiving honors was USF senior Yannick Yoshizawa, who was tabbed as the conference's Player of the Week on the men's side.
A steady presence at the top of the Pirates' lineup for the past two seasons, Sher helped the team to two wins last week by posting a perfect 5-0 record during the team's spring break trip that included three matches in three days.
SHU started the trip with a 4-3 triumph over Bucknell University, an effort that included a Sher victory over the Bison's top player Dumitrita Iepuras, 6-1, 6-1. In doubles, Sher teamed with classmate Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) to blank Bucknell's #1 team of Jen Bush and Courtney Casey, 8-0, one of three doubles wins for the Pirates on the day.
The following day, Sher fell behind after dropping the first set 4-6 to Fordham's Amy Simidian, the 16th ranked player in the Northeast region, in their #1 singles matchup. The sophomore rebounded to take the second set, 6-2, to force the match to a decisive tiebreaker. Sher came out on top 10-6 in the final frame to secure the victory. Portela and Sher again combined to take a #1 doubles victory, outlasting Simidian and Angelika Dabu 8-7 (5).
Despite the efforts of Sher and her teammates, the Pirate rally came up just short against the Rams and #73 Fordham took a 4-3 team victory.
In the final match of the trip against Colgate, Sher did not appear in the singles lineup but the pair of sophomores again paced Seton Hall with a win from the top doubles position, besting Stephanie Brown and Alex Petrini, 8-4, as part of a 6-1 team triumph.
The Pirates (5-8) have won five of their last seven matches as a team.
Overall, Sher has won five of her last six individual matches and has combined with Portela to build a seven-match doubles winning streak, all against the top competition the opponent has to offer.
Portela and Sher have posted 20 wins as a pairing in less than two complete years of action.
The pair of sophomores currently sits just two wins behind the team of Catalina Isaza and Lorrell Zamot for the most wins by a SHU doubles team since 2001. Isaza and Zamot produced 22 victories from 2003-05.
Sher and the rest of the Pirates look to continue their recent success when they welcome two BIG EAST foes to the Garden State this weekend. First up is a date with Connecticut on Friday, March 23. First-serve is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
A clash with Pittsburgh on Sunday, March 25, rounds out the weekend for SHU. Start-time is slated for Noon.
