NEW YORK – Two Musketeers have claimed this week’s BIG EAST Tennis Athlete of the Week awards. In three matches, Kaitlin Ruether went 6-0 to extend her winning streak in both singles and doubles to seven as the women defeated Dayton, East Tennessee State and Cornell. Matthew Graft secured a 4-0 record over the weekend, extending his singles winning streak to six and his doubles winning streak to three as the men fell to Buffalo and took down Cleveland State.
BIG EAST Female Athlete of the Week
Kaitlin Ruether, Xavier, So. (Rockledge, Fla.)
Ruether started the weekend with a straight-set doubles victory alongside Sophia Abelson on the top court against Dayton’s Emily Zargham and Kelly Pleiman, 6-0. She also defeated Natalie Allen, 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 3 singles spot. The Musketeers swept the Flyers, 7-0. Ruether then helped Xavier to a slim 4-3 triumph over ETSU. At No. 2 doubles, she partnered with Abelson again to win 6-1 over the Buccaneers’ Raquel Amaro and Yi Chi Ma. In singles play, Ruether outdid Ma 7-5, 6-0 at the No. 6 spot. Ruether and Abelson defeated Cornell’s Ana Elhom and Mariko Iinuma 6-3 in No. 2 doubles. In her final match of the weekend, Ruether was victorious over the Big Red’s Khary Pryce on the No. 6 court, 6-2, 6-3. The Musketeers won the match 5-2.
BIG EAST Male Athlete of the Week
Matthew Graft, Xavier, Jr. (Louisville, Ky.)
Graft prevailed in all four of his weekend matches, beginning with a doubles win at No. 2 with Connor LeFavre over Buffalo’s Simon Wibler and Valdemar Holm, 7-6. He then defeated Hao Sheng Koay 6-2, 4-6, 3-1 after Koay retired in No. 3 singles play. The Musketeers fell to the Bulls 5-2. Graft kept his winning streak going with another doubles triumph alongside LaFavre as they took down Cleveland State’s Luke Phillips and William Malm 6-1 at the No. 2 spot. On the No. 3 singles court, Graft battled back to earn his fourth win of the weekend, outdoing Benjamin Slade in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-4. Xavier won the match by a point 4-3 over the Vikings.