Novo Earns Upstate's Women's Tennis Program's First Division I ITA Ranking
9/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 15, 2008
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - After earning Atlantic Sun Conference Player of the Year honors and winning a school-record 29 matches in 2007-08, senior Anna Novo (Caracas, Venezuela/El-Angel) was rewarded for her efforts once again by becoming the first woman Spartan in the Division I era to earn an ITA ranking. She is currently ranked 124th in the ITA singles preseason rankings.
Novo, who won a school-record 29 singles matches in 2007-08, enters her senior looking to chase down a host of Upstate career records, currently sitting seven singles wins, 12 doubles wins, and 19 combined wins away from the school records set by Diana Martinez (2004-08). A two-time Division II All-American in singles play, Novo is 66-19 all-time in singles play, 52-32 in doubles play and 118-51 overall.
Only one other A-Sun player is ranked, as ETSU's Yevgeniya Stupak is currently ranked 63rd in the nation. Novo and Stupak are developing a heated rivalry, with Novo winning the first meeting between the two during a dual meet in the spring season and Stupak besting Novo in the finals of the Upstate Fall Tournament.
Current student assistant coach Sandy Franz was the first Spartan to earn an ITA Division I ranking, beginning the 2008 spring season ranked 96th on the men's side.
Upstate gets back on the courts this weekend at the ETSU Fall Challenge, which begins on Saturday.
