Pugliese and Yajima Claim MAAC Tennis Player of the Week Awards
MAAC Sports
MAAC Men’s Player of the Week
Victor Pugliese, Monmouth University
Jr., 6-0, Boulogne, France/CNED/San Diego
Pugliese ran his No. 1 singles winning streak to seven matches with his pair of conference wins this past week. The junior transfer cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 win over Saint Peter’s Carlos Carrera on Tuesday before earning the deciding point for the Blue and White at Niagara on Saturday. With the score tied 3-3, Pugliese won his opening set against the Purple Eagles’ Michael Elortegui 6-1, but fell in the tiebreaker of the second set 6-7 (5-7). Pugliese responded in the third set by notching a 6-3 win, clinching the Hawks’ fourth consecutive victory. Pugliese, who is 9-1 in his last 10 singles matches, now stands at 15-4 overall in single events in his first year in a Monmouth uniform.
MAAC Women’s Player of the Week
Monica Yajima, Fairfield University
Sr., Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich
Yajima posted two singles and one doubles victories in the Stags’ three matches against Hofstra, LIU Brooklyn, and Marist this past week. In the match against Hofstra on March 28, Yajima defeated Sarah Bowen, 6-3, 6-4, in the No. 1 spot, before teaming up with Allison Radde to compete against Bowen and Carmen Pestano at No. 1 doubles. The match was unfinished due to rain. Against LIU Brooklyn on March 29, Yajima was leading the Blackbirds’ Sanne Louwers, 6-3, 4-1, at No. 1 doubles. Yajima and partner Sharissa Ryan were also ahead of Louwers and Lisa Maas, 5-4, in the No. 1 doubles spot. Both matches remained unfinished. In the 5-2 victory over MAAC foe Marist on April 1, Yajima led the Stags with a 6-3, 6-2, victory over the Red Foxes’ Karlene Pang in the No. 1 spot before teaming up with Carolina Koladzyn to defeat Pang and Sabrina Tahir, 8-3, in the No. 1 doubles spot.