Two Terriers Receive ITA Regional Honors
May 12, 2011 | Women's Tennis
May 12, 2011
BOSTON - Junior Stefanie Nunic was named the Northeast's Top Player to Watch, while senior Vanessa Steiner received the Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship, the Intercollegiate Tennis Association announced Thursday.
A two-time America East Player of the Year, Nunic has had an impressive season so far, recording a 20-5 record in singles and a 15-6 doubles mark with sophomore Vivien Laszloffy. The duo was earlier ranked 68th this season before Laszloffy began suffering injuries.
In singles, Nunic reached the quarterfinals of the ITA Regionals last November and then went on a 15-match win streak this spring. She earned wins along the way over ranked players from Yale and Dartmouth.
The ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a Division I women's player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. It dates back to 1997 and is memory of the late and widely admired Penn women's tennis coach Cissie Leary.
Vanessa Steiner along with Dartmouth's Molly Scott received the honor for the Northeast region. Steiner was a first-team All-America East honoree as a freshman and was expected to have an impressive career at BU. Unfortunately, multiple injuries derailed her dreams, but she continued to battle back and was able to return in her senior season.
Rusty from two years of not being able to practice, Steiner earned second-team all-league honors in doubles for recording a 12-5 record with junior Monika Mical. Steiner was also a co-captain with Nunic and inspired the team to capture its 13th straight NCAA berth with two thrilling come-from-behind victories.
The Terriers will face No. 9 California in the first round on Saturday (May 14) at 3 p.m. ET.
