INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the second time this season the Cleveland State women's tennis team has swept the Horizon League Weekly awards, as Isabella Spindler has been named the Singles Player of the Week and the duo of Siân Payne and Gaby Schoenberg has been named the Doubles Team of the Week.
Last weekend, this trio helped the Vikings pick up a pair of crucial #HLWTEN victories at Northern Kentucky and Wright State, earning a 4-3 win against the Norse and a 6-1 win against the Raiders. With the two wins, the Vikings extended their win streak to nine straight matches, and currently stand at 14-7 overall this year and 7-0 in league play.
Spindler went 2-0 at the top of the lineup last weekend, and clinched the match for the Vikings against Northern Kentucky. Against the Norse, she earned a 7-6(5), 6-3 victory over Margita Sunjic – the reigning Horizon League Player of the Year – and then followed that up with a 6-1, 6-3 win against WSU's Andreea Craciun.
Entering the final week of regular season play, Spindler owns a 6-1 record against league opponents, and ranks 13th on the CSU Singles Wins List with 58 career victories.
"Isabella had a great weekend last time out, she had to go up against some tough opponents and was able to focus on her game and come out on top," head coach Frank Polito said. "Throughout the spring season she has been really focused and determined to have a great senior season, and I'm happy to see her hard work pay off."
Payne and Schoenberg picked up back-to-back 6-4 wins at No. 3 doubles against Northern Kentucky and Wright State last weekend, improving to 6-0 against league teams so far this year. Among league doubles teams, Payne and Schoenberg are now the only duo to play five or more #HLWTEN matches and own a perfect record.
The duo, which stands at 7-1 overall this year, helped the Vikings capture the doubles point in both matches, while Cleveland State has now earned the early 1-0 advantage in nine straight matches.
"This is a well deserved honor for Siân and Gaby, they have been playing some great doubles lately, and have been one of the strongest parts of our lineup," Polito said. "They have been the clinching doubles win in three league matches so far this season, and for them to be able to finish strong match after match is great. They have been putting in a lot of time and effort on perfecting their doubles play over the last few weeks in practice, and I'm so proud that they were honored by the league."
The Vikings will close out the regular season this weekend, returning home to host IUPUI (Friday, April 19) and UIC (Saturday, April 20) in the Medical Mutual Tennis Pavilion with a chance to clinch their fourth Horizon League Regular Season Championship.
