Women's Tennis 4/28/2019 6:02:00 PM

Miller wins Player of the Year; Nittany Lions finish season strong

CLARKS SUMMIT, PA - Alyssa Miller won the No. 1 singles tournament to earn North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) Women's Tennis Player of the Year honors to highlight the Nittany Lions performance at the NEAC Individual Tournament.

In addition to top player honors, Miller earned a spot on the All-NEAC First Team. Nicole Meek and Tessa Caltagirone both received All-NEAC Second Team recognition for their play in the singles tournament. Lexi Vidal, Deismy Jimenez, and Katie Auman landed on the All-NEAC Third Team from the singles tournament. Miller/Vidal, Jimenez/Meek, and Caltagirone/Anushka Rege were All-NEAC Third Team recipients from the doubles tournament.

Miller, who entered the No. 1 singles tournament as the fourth seed, defeated top seed and two-time Player of the Year Greta Strunk from Lancaster Bible College. Miller dropped the first set 6-2, but responded with a 6-3 win in the second set and finished off the upset with a 10-5 win in the super tiebreaker. Miller then won a thriller over Gissel Escalante from the College of Saint Elizabeth in the title match. Miller won 7-6 in the first set and finished it off with a 6-4 triumph in the second set. Miller is just the third NEAC Women's Tennis Player of the Year, joining Crystal Hitz who accomplished the feat in the 2011-12 and 2013-14.

In the No. 4 tournament, Meek picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win over her opponent in the opening round. The freshman then fell to Haylee FIshel of Lancaster Bible in the title round. Caltagirone followed a similar path in the No. 5 singles tournament. The senior won 6-1, 6-3 in the opener round, but fell 6-4, 6-1 in the championship match.

Vidal (No. 2) lost 6-3, 6-4 in the first round, but responded with an 8-3 victory in the consolation round. Jimenez (No. 3) was topped 6-2, 6-2 in the first round, then earned an 8-4 win in the consolation round. Auman (No. 6) suffered a 6-2, 6-2 setback in the first round, but had a convincing 8-1 victory in the consolation bracket.

All three doubles teams were defeated in the opening round, before winning in the consolation round. Miller and Vidal fell 8-3 in their loss and won by a similar score in the next round. Meek and Jimenez were topped 8-4, but had a convincing 8-1 win in the next match. After falling 8-3 in the first round, Caltagirone and Rege had an 8-1 victory in the next round.

The Nittany Lions finish the season with a 4-9 overall record and went 2-2 in NEAC play this spring. The team, who bids farewell to seniors Caltagirone and Vidal, will look to bounce back with a return trip to the NEAC Postseason next year.

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Players Mentioned

Tessa Caltagirone: 5' 3"; Senior

Deismy Jimenez: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Alyssa Miller: 5' 2"; Junior

Katie Auman: 5' 7"; Freshman

Nicole Meek: 5' 3"; Freshman

Lexi Vidal: 5' 4"; Senior

Anushka Rege: 5' 1"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Tessa Caltagirone
: 5' 3"; Senior

Deismy Jimenez
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Alyssa Miller
: 5' 2"; Junior

Katie Auman
: 5' 7"; Freshman

Nicole Meek
: 5' 3"; Freshman

Lexi Vidal
: 5' 4"; Senior

Anushka Rege
: 5' 1"; Freshman