Feb. 12, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
IRVING, Texas - Three Conference USA women's tennis programs remain ranked in the latest ITA Tennis rankings. Tulsa leads the pack at No. 42, followed by Marshall at No. 55 and SMU at No. 60. East Carolina (5-0), SMU (6-0) and UAB (3-0) are the last three undefeated programs in C-USA, while UAB boasts a league win over Southern Miss.
WOMEN'S TENNIS PLAYER OF THE WEEK (2/12)
NATALIA BUBIEN - SMU
Jr., Warsaw, Poland (Jana Kochanonskiego)
Bubien remains undefeated in singles play at the No. 1 spot, notching a perfect 5-0 record this season. Saturday, Bubien topped her second nationally-ranked opponent of the season, defeating No. 70 Iryna Tkachenko of Oklahoma State, 6-1, 6-7 (8), 6-2. Bubien was also undefeated in doubles over the weekend, knocking off Allen/Shatkovskaya of OSU 8-6, and defeating Brownfield/Matlock of UT-Dallas, 8-0. On the year, the native of Warsaw, Poland, is 5-1 playing at the No. 1 doubles spot. This is Bubien's second career weekly honor, her first in 2007-08.
WEEKLY AWARDS
Conference USA will name a male and female tennis Athlete of the Week throughout the regular season. The weekly accolades are selected by the media relations department and announced every Tuesday throughout the season.
ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
J22 - Kellie Schmitt, Marshall
J29 - Kellie Schmitt, Marshall
F5 - Alexandra Kichoutkin, Tulsa
F12 - Natalia Bubien, SMU
OTHER NOTABLE C-USA TENNIS PERFORMANCES
HENRIQUE VIANA - East Carolina
Sr., Pelotas, Brazil
Viana went a combined 4-0 in singles and doubles, capturing straight-set victories in all of her wins. Overall, Viana is 4-2 in singles play and a perfect 3-0 in doubles.
Kellie Schmitt - Marshall
Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
Schmitt is the lone Marshall player to be undefeated in both singles and doubles action. She has played all of her matches at the No. 1 position. Last week she won her singles match in straight sets aginst Penn State and also took her doubles decision with partner Karolina Soor by a score of 8-7.
EMILY BRAID - Rice
Jr., Raleigh, N.C.
Braid went 2-1 in singles at the No. 5 spot for Rice last week. Her three-set win at Alabama kept the Owls 4-3 comeback alive.
SHANNON ROGERS - Southern Miss
Fr., Virginia Beach, Va.
Rogers delivered the singles win to tie the match at 3-3 in the Golden Eagles' eventual 4-3 win over Northwestern State. She rallied from a set down to grab the 4-6, 6-4, 6-0 win. The freshman also notched a win against league foe Houston last week and to improve to 2-0 in singles action this spring.
ITA WOMEN'S TEAM RANKINGS
(Feb. 12)
Rank School
42 Tulsa
55 Marshall
60 SMU
INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS
(Jan. 8)
Singles Individual
19 Kellie Schmitt, Marshall
99t Julie Chao, Rice
Doubles Team
15 Schmitt/Soor, Marshall
WEEKLY RELEASE
The Conference USA media relations staff will produce a weekly release each Tuesday throughout the season, including Athlete of the Week selections and updated standings. Complete league statistics and results will be updated daily throughout the season on the Conference website.
ON THE WEB
For the latest Conference USA tennis match recaps, scores, standings, stats and weekly notebooks please log on to the league's official website: www.ConferenceUSA.com
