Butler and St. John’s Share Weekly Tennis Honors
BIG EAST Men’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Aviv Ben Shabat, Butler, So.
The sophomore finished 3-1 in Butler’s two matches against Cleveland State and DePaul last week. In action against Cleveland State, Ben Shabat won at No. 1 singles over Nico Mostardi in three sets, and teamed with Ari Gerstein for a 6-3 win at No. 2 doubles. In the Bulldogs 7-2 win over DePauw, Ben Shabat won at No. 1 singles over Dan Rodefeld in three sets.
BIG EAST Women’s Tennis Athlete of the Week
Jessica Livianu, St. John’s,
Playing in the top spot for the Johnnied, the No. 61 player went 4-0 in singles and doubles action in two BIG EAST wins over Marquette and DePaul.
Notable Performances
Rachel Sutton, Butler, Jr.
In the Bulldogs’ only action last week, a 4-1 win over Omaha, Sutton picked up a pair of wins, posting decisions at No. 2 singles (6-0, 6-1) and No. 2 doubles, teaming with Jordan Minnick for a 6-4 win.
Risa Nakagawa, Georgetown, So.
Nakagawa helped the Hoyas to a 6-1 win over Temple this past weekend with a three set victory (7-5,4-6,6-1) at the No.2 spot. Paired with Victoire Saperstein, the sophomore also registered a 6-2 doubles victory at the No.1 spot.
Luke Smrek, Marquette, Fr.
Teamed up with Greg Anderson, the rookie clinched the doubles point in 6-1 win over Green Bay and also claimed team victory with 7-5, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles.
Lauren Ghidotti, Xavier, Jr.
The junior was a key player in Xavier’s 4-3 win over rival Miami (Ohio) this past weekend as she secured the winning point in the third set.
2017 Tennis Weekly Honors
Men's Tennis: Nathan de Veer, DePaul (Jan. 25, Feb. 15); Alvaro Verdu, Marquette (Feb. 1); Mikheil Khmiadashvili, Butler (Feb.8); Aviv Ben Shabat, Butler (Feb.22)
Women’s Tennis: Risa Takenaka, Providence (Jan. 25); Aspasia Avgeri, DePaul (Feb.1); Luize Strike, Seton Hall (Feb.8); Yuliya Shupenia, DePaul (Feb. 15), Jessica Livianu, St. John’s (Feb.22)