Murray State University Athletics
Photo by: Dave Winder-Murray State Athletics
Racers Picked Second, Chang & Sharapova Named Preseason OVC Top 10
1/16/2020 9:42:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Murray State women's tennis has been picked to finish second in the Ohio Valley Conference for 2020, according to this year's preseason coaches poll, as released by the OVC on Thursday. Additionally, Claire Chang and Stasya Sharapova have been named to the OVC's Preseason Top 10 Player list for the 2020 campaign.
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Murray State is coming off a 2019 season that saw them earn a 6-2 record against OVC opponents through eight regular season matches. The Racers, who return four experienced players from last year's rotation, also received a pair of first-place votes in the poll. Murray State is predicted to finish second only to Austin Peay, who won both the regular season and the conference tournament championship in 2019 after turning in a 22-1 record overall that included an 8-0 record against OVC opponents a year ago.
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Claire Chang, who landed the #3 spot on this year's OVC Preseason Top-10 players list, turned in a 5-3 record in OVC singles last season - earning All-OVCÂ Second Team honors while competing primarily as the #1 for the Racers.
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As for Stasya Sharapova, she was tagged as the #9 player in the preseason rankings after she also posted a 5-3 record in OVC singles competition a year ago while competing primarily as the #2 during conference play.
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The Racers open the 2020 season on January 25th when they travel to Peoria, Illinois for matches against IUPUI and Bradley.
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2020 OVC Women's Tennis Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
2020 OVC Women's Tennis Preseason Player Top 10 List
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Murray State is coming off a 2019 season that saw them earn a 6-2 record against OVC opponents through eight regular season matches. The Racers, who return four experienced players from last year's rotation, also received a pair of first-place votes in the poll. Murray State is predicted to finish second only to Austin Peay, who won both the regular season and the conference tournament championship in 2019 after turning in a 22-1 record overall that included an 8-0 record against OVC opponents a year ago.
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Claire Chang, who landed the #3 spot on this year's OVC Preseason Top-10 players list, turned in a 5-3 record in OVC singles last season - earning All-OVCÂ Second Team honors while competing primarily as the #1 for the Racers.
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As for Stasya Sharapova, she was tagged as the #9 player in the preseason rankings after she also posted a 5-3 record in OVC singles competition a year ago while competing primarily as the #2 during conference play.
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The Racers open the 2020 season on January 25th when they travel to Peoria, Illinois for matches against IUPUI and Bradley.
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2020 OVC Women's Tennis Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
- Austin Peay (6 first-place votes) – 62
- Murray State (2 first-place votes) – 55
- Jacksonville State – 50
- Southeast Missouri (1 first-place vote) – 40
- Belmont – 31
- SIUE – 26
- UT Martin – 24
- Eastern Illinois – 23
- Tennessee State 8
2020 OVC Women's Tennis Preseason Player Top 10 List
- Rachel Papavasilopoulos, Eastern Illinois
- Fabienne Schmidt, Austin Peay
- Claire Chang, Murray State
- Romana Tarajova, Southeast Missouri
- Harriet Hamilton, Jacksonville State
- Danielle Morris, Austin Peay
- Jill Lambrechts, SIUE
- Kseniya Zonova, Southeast Missouri
- Stasya Sharapova, Murray State
- Martina Paladini-Jennings, Austin Peay
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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