MARLBOROUGH, Mass.— Babson College senior
Matia Cristiani (San Salvador, El Salvador) and first-year
Sandra Sikharulidze (Kyiv, Ukraine) earned the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's tennis weekly honors again this week as Cristiani was named Singles Player of the Week, and the duo of Cristiani and Sikharulidze were tabbed as the NEWMAC Doubles Team of the Week on Monday.
Cristiani earned the weekly singles honor for the fourth time this season and the two standouts were picked for the doubles recognition for the third consecutive week and fourth time this season.
Cristiani remained unbeaten on the year with a pair of dominating straight-set victories to help No. 7 Babson record two wins over nationally-ranked opponents. She dispatched Rebecca Suarez 6-0, 6-2 in Thursday's 4-0 win over No. 21 Brandeis and followed it up with a 6-0, 6-2 triumph over Mia Thomann as the Beavers defeated No. 13 Williams, 5-2, on Friday.
The top-ranked singles player in Division III, Cristiani boasts a sparkling 25-0 singles record this year, including nine straight victories over the number one player on a nationally-ranked team. She has upped to program-record singles mark to a remarkable 105-4.
Cristiani and Sikharulidze extended their doubles winning streak to 10 matches with a pair of wins in the top flight last week. They defeated Mandy Reyes and Rebecca Suarez 6-3 in Thursday's 4-0 victory at No. 21 Brandeis and followed it up with a 6-4 triumph over Ayanna Varma and Jane Ladaga in Friday's 5-2 win at No. 13 Williams.
The ninth-ranked doubles team in Division III, Cristiani and Sikharulidze improved their record to 24-2 on the season, including 9-0 in dual matches. The Babson duo, which started the season with 11 straight victories, captured the ITA New England doubles title back in September and advanced to the ITA Cup quarterfinals in October.
The seventh-ranked Beavers (9-3, 4-0 NEWMAC) plays a pair of matches on Saturday the Babson Tennis Courts, hosting Clark at 10:30 a.m. and Skidmore at 2:30 p.m.
