Saluki Tennis garners several awards at MVC Banquet - Southern Illinois University Official Athletic Site

Saluki Tennis garners several awards at MVC Banquet

Both SIU tennis teams will take to the court tomorrow at 9 a.m. to open the MVC Tournament.

Melanie Delsart collected three awards this evening in Omaha.

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Men's Tennis ends season at MVC Semifinals

SIU surges past Creighton on day one of MVC Championships

Nothwehr named Coach of the Year, Saluki men and women garner 13 conference awards

April 26, 2012

SIUSalukis.com

OMAHA, Neb.-The Southern Illinois tennis teams collected eight awards at the pre-championship banquet Thursday night in Omaha.

The Saluki women's collected four awards, Junior Melanie Delsart and sophomore Korey Love were named All Conference at No. 1 doubles. The duo went 13-4 on the year and 6-1 in MVC play all at the No. 1 slot.

Delsart was also named to the MVC All-Select team for the second year in a row, following a 16-5 year and a 5-1 MVC record.

Delsart and sophomore Anita Lee achieved excellence on the court as well as off the court, each were named First Team Scholar-Athletes this evening. Lee, a Biological Science and Pre-Pharmacy major, garnered a 3.73, while finishing 11-6 this season. Delsart, a Finance major held a 3.62 GPA, while on the court dominating her opponents.

Southern's men's tennis team was highlighted by a MVC Scholar-Athlete and two All-Select spots.

Junior Orhan Spahic was named to the 2012 MVC Scholar-Athlete team for the second straight season. Spahic, a 2011 MVC Scholar-Athlete, has maintained his excellence off the court in 2012, once again posting a GPA no lower than 3.9. Spahic also continued his superb play at the MVC Individual Championships, advancing to at least the semifinal for the third straight year. The Bosnian native lost to Drake's Jonathan Hadash 2-6, 2-6 to start the tournament, but bounced back against Creighton's Elliot Baker, 3-6, 6-0, 6-3, to keep his streak alive. Spahic is 8-7 in doubles this dual-match season, primarily at No. 2 doubles with partner Szymon Opieczonek.

French transfers Stanislas Rodier and Badr Cherradi were named to the MVC All-Select team after leading the Salukis at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles this season. Rodier, a native of Paris from Tyler Junior College, is 4-1 in singles in Valley play this conference season and is 10-8 overall this dual-match season at No. 2 singles. Cherradi, a native of Lyon from NAIA Shorter University, has held down the top singles spot for Southern for most of the 2012 campaign. He went 8-11 overall and faced four nationally ranked opponents along the way, taking one victory from then-66th-ranked Matheus Pereira of Wichita State at the MVC Individual Championships in January.

Cherradi and sophomore Rafael Cuadrillero were also recognized as the only two honorable mentions to the MVC Scholar-Athlete list. Cherradi, majoring in Business Economics, garnered a 3.4 GPA en route to being named an honorable mention. And in his second season as a Saluki, Cuadrillero -- a Civil Engineering major of Madrid, Spain -- has accumulated a 3.7.

The No. 4 seeded women will take to the courts tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. against fifth seeded Evansville.

The Saluki men's team, who are seeded No. 5 will face No. 4 Illinois State at 9 a.m., both matches will be played in Omaha.