Lady Tigers Nab the #14 Spot in Oracle/ITA JUCO Final Rankings

Tempe, AZ—The Lady Tigers, with an overall record of 8-0, placed 14th in the final edition of the Oracle/ITA JUCO Rankings for the 2019-2020 season, which came to an abrupt end with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The Lady Tigers were led by the phenomenal play of sophomore Ksenia Vasilyev, who shredded her opponents with penetrating ground strokes and piercing serves.  Vasilyev blasted her way to the 2019 Alabama Community College Conference MVP Award.

"Ksenia battled a foot injury in the fall semester and a bad cold during the regular season," said MMI coach Charles Wright.  "Even though she was incapacitated quite a bit throughout the year, she came out firing on all cylinders every time she stepped on the court.  She was down 0-2 in the third set in one of her matches and was just going through the motions because she was so sick, but she came back and claimed the set and the match in typical Ksenia fashion.  When things weren't going her way, Ksenia would step up her game and hit the ball even harder than she normally would.  She was amazing that way." 

Vasilyev ended her career on a high note by landing in the 26th spot of the top fifty players in the nation, according to the Oracle/ITA final singles rankings..  

Also playing outstanding tennis for the Lady Tigers this year was the dynamic doubles team of Anna Waller and Kitty Greenwalt.  In the fall they teamed up to win the the 2019 ITA Southern Regional Doubles Championship, and then they continued their winning ways in the spring season with an unblemished doubles record at the No. 1 doubles slot.

"Anna and Kitty made a great doubles team," Wright said.  "Anna's volleys and Kitty's ground strokes were a deadly combination.  Kitty always played solidly from the baseline, and Anna covered the net like a blanket.  When both of them were on, and even when they weren't, they couldn't be beat."

Waller and Greenwalt slipped into the #25 slot in the top 25 teams in the nation on the Oracle/ITA doubles rankings.

Kathryn Risner, Gianna Azzaro, Shandreika Crocker, and Catherine Taylor rounded out the lineup for the 2019-2020 team.