April 22, 2010

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Samford women's tennis players Rebecca Kirven, Lindsey Mallory, Andrie Meiring and Taylor Morgan all received prestigious Southern Conference postseason awards Thursday as the league office released its annual honors and accolades.

Samford head coach David Vest was also named the 2010 Co-Coach of the Year as he led the Bulldogs to a 17-5 overall record and a near-perfect 9-1 mark in conference play. Vest's coach-of-the-year honor was the fourth of his career. Samford's third-year head coach was also named the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 2008, 2005 and 2002.

Junior Taylor Morgan earned First-Team SoCon accolades in both singles and doubles play Thursday. The Bulldogs' native of Jacksonville, Fla., finished 6-4 at the highly competitive No. 1 singles position and registered a 6-2 conference mark in doubles play along with teammate Lindsey Mallory.

Morgan has been honored with postseason conference awards following each of her three seasons at Samford. In 2008, she was named the OVC Freshman of the Year and has received First-Team All-SoCon honors in both 2009 and 2010.

Mallory also garnered All-SoCon awards in both singles and doubles play Thursday. Along with her first-team honors in doubles play, she was named to the SoCon's Second Team at the No. 6 singles position. Mallory, the Bulldogs' talented sophomore from Louisville, Ky., played to a perfect 9-0 conference record and an impressive 15-5 overall mark in singles play.

Samford's No. 2 doubles combination comprised of Kirven and Meiring earned Second-Team SoCon honors by registering a near-perfect 9-1 record in conference play. The Bulldogs' Kirven and Meiring proved to be a key cog in Samford's success this season as they finished dual-match play with a 17-3 overall record.

Meiring, a junior from Stellenbosch, South Africa, received All-SoCon Doubles honors for a second straight season. Last year, she garnered the award after reeling off a 14-2 record with teammate Jessica Diamond.

Elon senior Anna Milian was named the SoCon Player of the Year as part of the league's postseason balloting. Chattanooga's Jenna Nurik was tabbed the Freshman of the Year while Davidson's Virginia Berry earned the league's Sportsmanship Award.

College of Charleston's Angelo Anastopoulo and Samford's Vest shared the league's Coach of the Year Award. Postseason balloting was done by the league's head coaches who were not allowed to vote for their own team members.

Milian posted an 18-4 record at No. 1 singles for the Phoenix this season, including a 9-1 mark in conference play. She was also named first team all-conference for the third consecutive season and garnered first-team all-conference honors in doubles play with teammate Elisa Simonetti.

In addition to winning specialty awards, both Berry and Nurik were named first team all-conference in singles competition. Furman's Monica Arguello earned first team all-conference honors for the third consecutive season. They were joined on the first team by College of Charleston's Holly Dowse who was a second team all-conference selection last year.

College of Charleston's Holly Dowse and Emma Hayman were named to the all-conference first team in doubles play along with Elon's Milian and Simonetti.

Second team all-conference selections were awarded based on position. UNC Greensboro's Alex Whitehead and Appalachian State's Ellie Linsell tied in the voting at No. 1 singles while Elon's Paige Kensrue earned the nod at No. 2. College of Charleston's Caroline Newman was selected at No. 3. Her teammate, Kinsey Casey was chosen at No. 4. UNC Greensboro's Annette Rios (No. 5) and Samford's Mallory (No. 6) rounded out the second team.

Chattanooga's Nurik won the Freshman of the Year Award as she finished conference play 5-5 competing at No. 1 singles for the Mocs. She earned a spot on the league's all-freshman team and was joined by Appalachian State's Ellie Linsell, College of Charleston's Irene Viana, Furman's Lauren Kline and UNC Greensboro's tandem of Whitehead and Rios.

The Samford University women's tennis team will next be in action April 24 in Charleston, S.C., as the Bulldogs begin their quest for the 2010 SoCon Tournament championship at 2 p.m. (CDT) against the Furman Paladins in the opening round of play at the four-team competition.

2010 Women's Tennis Award Winners

First Team - Singles
Holly Dowse, College of Charleston
Virginia Berry, Davidson
Anna Milian, Elon
Monica Arguello, Furman
Taylor Morgan, Samford
Jenna Nurik, Chattanooga

First Team - Doubles
Holly Dowse/Emma Hayman - College of Charleston
Anna Milian/Elisa Simonetti - Elon
Taylor Morgan/Lindsey Mallory - Samford

Second Team - Singles (by position)
No. 1 - Alex Whitehead, UNC Greensboro
Ellie Linsell, Appalachian State
No. 2 - Paige Kensrue, Elon
No. 3 - Caroline Newman, College of Charleston
No. 4 - Kinsey Casey, College of Charleston
No. 5 - Annette Rios, UNC Greensboro
No. 6 - Lindsey Mallory, Samford

Second Team - Doubles (by position)
No. 1 - Monica Arguello/Lauren Kline - Furman
No. 2 - Rebecca Kirven/Andrie Meiring - Samford
No. 3 - Mikayla Rogers/Alex Whitehead - UNCG

All-Freshman Team
Ellie Linsell, Appalachian State
Irene Viana, College of Charleston
Lauren Kline, Furman
Alex Whitehead, UNC Greensboro
Annette Rios, UNC Greensboro
Jenna Nurik, Chattanooga

Player of the Year
Anna Milian, Elon

Freshman of the Year
Jenna Nurik, Chattanooga

Sportsmanship Award
Virginia Berry, Davidson

Co-Coaches of the Year
David Vest, Samford Angelo Anastopoulo, College of Charleston