Tag: Women’s Tennis

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Coming off a season in which Head Coach Doug Neagle guided the Nova Southeastern Sharks to an NCAA Division II National Championship appearance, the NSU Women’s Tennis team is preparing for the 2023-24 season.  

“I really like our schedule this year. We have a few new strong NCAA Division II teams that I have yet to play in my seven seasons, so that’s exciting,” stated Neagle. “We always play one of the toughest schedules in the country and it’s no different this year. The ladies want that challenge so now we need to put in the work.” 

The Sharks open the 2023-24 campaign by competing at the ITA South Regional Championships in Lakeland, FL., from September 22nd through the 25th. NSU then travels to participate in the Stetson Hidden Duals in Deland, FL., on September 29th. The Sharks then compete at the ITA Cup, in Rome, GA., starting on October 12th. Nova Southeastern hosts the annual Shark Bite Invite at the NSU Tennis Complex at Rolling Hills beginning on October 27th, closing out the fall schedule.  

Nova Southeastern returns to the court in February, hosting Palm Beach Atlantic for the first Sunshine State Conference match of the season on February 5th. The Sharks continue Sunshine State Conference action with matches against Florida Southern (2/7), Tampa (2/10), and Barry (2/17). Nova Southeastern will compete at the ITA Indoor Championships in Kearney, NE., beginning on February 23rd. NSU begins a challenging non-conference slate, as the calendar turns to March, matching up against Charleston (3/3), Wingate (3.4), Carson-Newman (3/6), Hillsdale (3/11) and Augustana on March 13th. Sunshine State Conference play resumes with a match against Rollins on March 20th.  

Following the match against Rollins, NSU takes on Flagler (3/23) and West Alabama (3/26), before re-engaging in Sunshine State Conference action against Embry-Riddle on April 3rd. NSU concludes SSC play with matches against Lynn (4/9), Eckerd (4/11) and Saint Leo (4/13), before finishing the regular season against Florida Southern on April 17.  

The Sunshine State Conference tournament starts on April 25th in Lakeland, FL. After the Sunshine SSC Tournament, NSU looks to return to the NCAA South Region tournament, beginning on May 10th and the NCAA National Championship tournament, hosted in Altamonte Springs, FL., will start on May 20th.  

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association released its 2023 Division II Academic Awards on Thursday afternoon. The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Women’s Tennis program was honored as an All-Academic team and had seven student-athletes named as ITA Scholar Athletes.

Fatima Bizhukova, Kashmira Manohar, Kayla Solagnier, Karolina Snita, Julie Razafindranaly, Eva Goncharov, and Diane Follin-Arbelet were the Sharks student-athletes recognized.

Within the sport of tennis, student-athletes continue to exceed expectations in the classroom and on the court. In 2023, 623 Division II Women’s student-athletes were named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, and 97 women’s tennis programs were awarded the All-Academic Team distinction.

To be named an ITA Scholar-Athlete, student-athletes must meet the following requirements – have a grade-point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.00 scale for the current academic year and be listed on the institutional eligibility form.

For teams to earn ITA All-Academic honors, programs must average a GPA of 3.2 or higher (on a 4.00 scale). All student-athletes included should be listed on the institutional eligibility form, and All varsity letter winners should be factored into the cumulative team GPA for the current academic year

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The Nova Southeastern Women’s Tennis finished the 2023 season as NCAA Division II National Finalists for the first time in program history. The Sharks, led by Head Coach Doug Neagle, will return to the NSU Tennis Complex at Rolling Hills in the Fall of 2023.

To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women’s Tennis, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WTennis.
 

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Julia Moraes, an incoming junior, has signed to the Nova Southeastern Women’s Tennis program, announces Head Coach Doug Neagle. Moraes joins the Sharks after playing her sophomore year at NCAA Division I program Sacramento State.  

“Julia will be a great addition to our Sharks family. She has so much passion for tennis and I am confident her energy will be contagious,” stated Neagle. “I can’t wait to get her to campus this fall.” 

While at Sacramento State, Moraes played from a variety of positions and went 5-4 from the fifth-slot. Moraes earned a victory at the Big Sky Conference Championship tournament.  

Prior to Sacramento State, Moraes was one of the most dominant NCAA Division II players in the country at Augusta University, earning a ranking as high as 20th in the nation. Moraes was named to the All-Peach Belt Conference Second-Team, going 19-1 in singles competition, which was the second highest mark in the PBC.  

The Nova Southeastern Sharks Women’s Tennis team finished the 2023 season as National Finalists, advancing to the NCAA Division II National Championship for the first-time in program history. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women’s Tennis, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WTennis.  

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Coming off the first NCAA Division II National Championship match in program history, the No. 2 Nova Southeastern Women’s Tennis team welcomes Lexi Weir to the 2023-24 team, announces Head Coach Doug Neagle.  

Weir joins the Sharks Women’s Tennis program from the University of Texas – San Antonio, where she went 13-5 in singles, primarily from the No. 3 slot. Prior to UTSA, Weir was ranked No. 2 on the Australian National Juniors list and ranked No. 54 in the Australian National Women’s rankings.  

“I am pumped to get Lexi here. She is bringing in a lot of DI experience and knows what to expect in college tennis,” said Neagle. “I heard great things about Lexi from several coaches and I can’t wait to work with her. Welcome to the Sharks!” 

No. 2 Nova Southeastern returns to the court in the fall of 2023. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women’s Tennis, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WTennis.  

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announced the 2022-23 Division II All-Americans on Tuesday evening. Student-athletes earn All-American honors by finishing inside the top-20 of ITA singles rankings and top-10 in the final ITA doubles rankings. Three Nova Southeastern Sharks Women’s Tennis student-athletes – Fatima Bizhukova, Natalie Espinal and Julie Razafindranaly – were recognized as All-Americans.  

Head Coach Doug Neagle has built the Nova Southeastern Sharks program into a national power during his seven seasons and led the program to its first NCAA Division II national championship match in 2022-23, while setting the program record for single season wins (26).  

“Our program keeps making history. It’s an incredible accomplishment for these ladies to be named All-Americans,” said Neagle. “They all deserve the recognition, and it was a total team effort that helped them achieve this.” 

Bizhukova and Espinal, the top duos tandem in Division II, earned Doubles All-American honors for the Sharks. The pair began the season by winning the ITA Division II doubles championship in the fall and carried over the momentum into the spring. During Nova Southeastern’s run to the NCAA Division II National Championship, Bizhukova and Espinal held a 7-1 record during the postseason.  

Espinal also starred as a singles player for the Sharks throughout the 2022-23 season, finishing the season with a record of 25-3, and earned Sunshine State Conference First-Team honors for the fourth time in her Sharks career.  

Razafindranaly anchored the Nova Southeastern lineup throughout the season, playing as either the number one or number two singles player. Razafindranaly joined Espinal as a Sunshine State Conference First-Team honoree, the fifth selection during her career.  

No. 2 Nova Southeastern played in the program’s first NCAA Division II National Championship in 2022-23, finishing the season as national finalists. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women’s Tennis throughout the off-season, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WTennis.  

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ORLANDO, Fla. – The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks saw their dream 2023 season come to a close, falling to Sunshine State Conference rival Barry in the NCAA Division II National Championship. The Sharks set the program record for wins in a single season, earning victories in 26 contests during the campaign. 

Records – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 26-4 | No. 1 Barry 28-0
Score – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 1 | No. 1 Barry 4
Location – USTA National Campus | Orlando, Fla. 
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_WTennis

Natalie Espinal and Fatima Bizhukova quickly handled their doubles match, earning a 6-1 victory over Alloiarova and Leweurs. 

Julie Razafindranaly and Karolina Snita earned the doubles point for the Sharks, giving NSU a 1-0 match lead, defeating Farfan and Wang 7-6

The doubles point was all the Sharks could earn in the match, as Barry rallied for four wins in singles competition and taking the national title. 

The National Championship closes out the 2023 season for the Nova Southeastern Sharks. NSU Women’s Tennis thanks all the supporters throughout the year. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Tennis, be sure to follow on Instagram & Twitter at NSU_WTennis. 
 

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ORLANDO, Fla. – For the first-time in program history, the Nova Southeastern Sharks Women’s Tennis team has advanced to the NCAA National Championship, as the second-ranked Sharks defeated fourth-seeded Hawaii Pacific 4-2 on Monday evening from the USTA National Campus.  

Nova Southeastern set the single-season program record for wins with the team’s 26th victory of the season.  

Records – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 4 | No. 4 Hawaii Pacific 0 

Location – USTA National Campus | Orlando, Fla.  

Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_WTennis 

Doubles  

Julie Razafindranaly and Karolina Snita were the only duo to win a doubles contest for the Sharks, earning a 6-2 victory over Ballach and Miyahara.  

Singles 

Despite dropping the doubles point, Nova Southeastern never faltered and responded with four singles wins to emerge victorious in the national semifinal. 

Natalie Espinal outlasted Elodie Busson, the eighth-ranked player in NCAA Division II, earning a [6-3, 7-6] win. 

Karolina Snita defeated Tilgner [6-0, 6-1] 

Fatima Bizhukova won a tightly contested singles matchup [6-4, 7-6] against Wild, giving NSU a 3-2 lead in the match.  

Diane Follin-Arbelet sealed the NSU victory, sending Nova Southeastern to the NCAA National Championship for the first time in program history, beating Ballach [6-2, 6-4] 

No. 2 Nova Southeastern will take on Sunshine State Conference foe and top-ranked Barry in the NCAA National Championship on Tuesday, May 16, at 6 p.m. from the USTA National Campus.  

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ORLANDO, Fla. – For the second consecutive season, the No. 2 Nova Southeastern Women’s Tennis team will compete in the NCAA Division II Women’s Tennis national semifinals, as the Sharks defeated the seventh-seeded Columbus State Cougars [4-0] on Saturday night from the USTA Tennis Complex. 

With the victory, Nova Southeastern has tied the program record for wins in a single season (25)

Records – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 25-3 | Columbus State 16-7
Score – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 4 | Columbus State 0
Location – USTA Tennis Complex | Orlando, Fla. 
Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_WTennis

Doubles
Fatima Bizhukova and Natalie Espinal began the match by earning a 6-2 victory in doubles action. 
Julie Razafindranaly and Karolina Snita sealed the doubles point for the Sharks, as the duo also earned a 6-2 win. 

Singles
Julie Razafindranaly added a win in singles competition, defeating Ramirez [6-4, 6-1]Natalie Espinal won her singles match [6-4, 6-1] over Ramon.
Fatima Bizhukova completed the Sharks second consecutive win in the National Championship with a [6-4, 6-4} win over Gullacksen 

No. 2 Nova Southeastern will take on No. 4 Hawaii Pacific in the Final Four of the NCAA National Tournament on Monday, May 15. The Sharks are 3-0 all-time against HPU, last winning in the Elite Eight of the 2022 NCAA National Tournament. 
 

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ORLANDO, Fla. – The second-ranked Nova Southeastern Women’s Tennis team advanced to the national quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II National Championship tournament, defeating 15th-seeded Drury (4-0) on Friday evening from the USTA Tennis Complex.  

Scores – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 4 | No. 15 Drury 0 

Records – No. 2 Nova Southeastern 24-3 | No. 15 Drury 17-6 

Location – USTA Tennis Complex | Orlando, Fla.  

Get Social – Instagram & Twitter – NSU_WTennis | Facebook NSU Women’s Tennis 

Doubles 

Natalie Espinal and Fatima Bizhukova continued their dominant run and opened up doubles play with a 6-3 victory over Eremina and Samberger 

Julie Razafindranaly and Karolina Snita sealed the doubles point with a 6-2 win over Abazi and Jedrychowski.  

Singles 

Julie Razafindranaly began singles play with a [6-2, 6-0] win over Jedrychowski 

Natalie Espinal followed with a [6-0, 6-4] victory against Kuehnle 

Fatima Bizhukova defeated Abazi [6-1, 6-0], sealing the Sharks’ NCAA National Tournament win.  

Head Coach Doug Neagle – “It was a great atmosphere playing under the lights on Friday night. Drury is a solid team that fights hard, so it’s nice to advance.”

No. 2 Nova Southeastern takes on the winner of No. 7 Columbus State and No. 10 St. Mary’s at 7 p.m. on Friday evening from the USTA Tennis Complex. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women’s Tennis, be sure to follow on Instagram and Twitter at NSU_WTennis.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – For the second consecutive season, the second-ranked Nova Southeastern Sharks Women’s Tennis team will compete at the NCAA National Championships. NSU’s pursuit of the NCAA crown begins against the 15th seed, Drury on Friday, May 12, from the USTA Complex in Orlando. 

The NCAA National Championship Tournament consists of 16 regional champions and the bracket can be found here.  

Last season, the Sharks went a historic 25-4 and advanced to the national semi-final for the first time in program history. This year, Nova Southeastern (23-3) easily managed the NCAA South Region II Tournament, defeating both West Florida and No. 3 Saint Leo. 

Drury (17-5) advanced to NCAA Tournament by winning the Midwest regional and upsetting No. 10 Indy (4-2). 

NSU had six student-athletes earn All-Sunshine State Conference honors, including the nation’s top duo Fatima Bizhukova and Natalie Espinal. Julie Razafindranaly, the Sharks top singles player, earned first-team All-SSC honors, alongside Espinal. Additionally, Karolina Snita, Eva Goncharov and Diane Follin-Arbelet were named Honorable Mentions.  

The NCAA National Championship bracket can be found here. The second-ranked Sharks take on the Drury Panthers at 8 p.m. 

To stay up-to-date on Sharks Women’s Tennis, be sure to follow on Instagram & Twitter at NSU_WTennis.  

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