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3/25/2009 - MEN'S TENNIS
Blanco 'Blancs' the Competition for First Weekly Honor
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MACON, Ga. - USC Upstate’s Ramiro Blanco added a national ranking to his perfect freshman season to earn his first Player of the Week award, the conference office announced on Wednesday.
On Tuesday of last week, Blanco earned USC Upstate's second national ranking in the Division-I era and posted perfect 5-0 records in both singles and doubles play in the last eight days. Blanco of Chascomus, Argentina, ranked No. 110 in the March 17 ITA rankings, as he joined current Spartan student assistant Sandy Franz as the only players in school history to earn Division I national rankings.
Afterwards, he helped lead the Spartans to a perfect 3-0 record at the Battle at the Beach at UNC Wilmington, leading the team to wins against Drake, UMKC and No. 71 UNCW. He then won both his singles and doubles matches against A-Sun foes Campbell and Kennesaw State, going to three sets just once during the stretch of five matches and losing just 22 games in the 10 sets he won. Blanco is a perfect 17-0 this season in singles play, having racked up the longest winning streak in Upstate's DI era.
The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University.
Other Top Performers
Graham Edgar, UNF (Pensacola, Fla. - So. - Sports Management) -- Edgar finished the week with a perfect 4-0 record in singles play to push his winning streak to five for the season. He posted straight-set wins at the No. 6 position against Wichita State and Winthrop before moving to No. 5 against Kennesaw State and No. 4 against Mercer. He also won in straight sets in both A-Sun matches over the weekend. In doubles action, he and junior Ronnie Sang notched a 3-1 record during the four-match span with the lone loss coming in UNF's only loss of the week to Winthrop.
Grega Teraz, ETSU (Mojstrana, Slovenia - So. - Business) -- Picked up back-to-back wins against in the Bucs to wins against A-Sun rival Campbell and Winthrop. Did not drop a set all week defeating Lubos Sobotka 6-4, 6-4 against the Fighting Camels and Sergey Belov in straight sets 6-4, 6-3. Along with sophomore teammate Charles Bottoni the ETSU duo posted a pair of doubles wins on the week. Led ETSU to a No. 63rd national ranking last week, which still sits as the highest team ranking in the A-Sun. Helped the Bucs win its 27 straight A-Sun conference win and its 45 straight home match win at the Buddy Hartsell Tennis Center.
