Serving it Up Three women bring home All-GAG honors Predicted in the preseason coaches' poll to be a top team in the newly formed Great American Conference, the Lady Bisons tennis team did not disappoint its supporters. The Lady Bisons began the season by defeating their first 10 opponents and were unbeaten in conference play before falling 5-4 to Arkansas Tech University, who would eventually win the conference championship. Although the team's strong performance was a combined effort, several players were key factors in contributing to the success. Sophomore Maria Moreno, a transfer from West Virginia State University, was named the GAC's Newcomer of the Year. Having played tennis since she was a small child growing up in Bogota, Colombia, Moreno said she viewed the sport as a responsibility to her teammates and school as well as something she enjoyed doing. "The first goal is to have fun and give everything of ourselves," Moreno said. "We prepare and get better each practice." Another influential player for the Lady Bisons was 2012 alumna Gina Cielo, who ended her Harding career with 57 wins.As a senior, she led the team with a 20-5 singles record and won 19 consecutive singles matches. She attributed her success to her preparation at practice throughout the year. "I would tell other tennis players to work hard, especially in the offseason," Cielo said. "In order to keep improving your game and reach your peak in college, you must practice all year round." Besides an impressive athletic showing on the court, Cielo also earned recognition for her performance in the 270 1 Athletics Row 1: M. Moreno, C Catteau, G. Cielo, B. Phumtip, L. Chan. Row :2: M. Ruiz (asst. coach), C. Vesta, C. Huey, G. Rowden, K. Huff, C. Lanier. classroom. She was named to the Capital One 1st Team Academic All-America At-Large Team, becoming the third Harding female student-athlete to receive All-Academic honors. "I felt extremely honored and very excited to receive All-America honors," Cielo said. "It was a great way to end my college tennis career." Additionally, 2012 alumna Ling Chan and junior Benyapa Phumtip were named to the 1stAll-Great America Conference Team, and senior Chelsea Lanier was named to the second team. Chan, a native of Hong Kong, had also been named to the conference team the previous two seasons. She and Phumtip set a new record for Harding doubles match winning percentage with a record of 21-5 and a percentage of .808 over two seasons. The previous record was set in 1998. "I felt so glad and excited to be placed on the Great American Conference team," Chan said. "I felt happy with my performance throughout the year. I always believe that hard work will pay off." According to Moreno, the women's tennis team was ablle to be successful because the players pushed themselves to perform to the best of their abilities and had excellent communication, which allowed them to work well together on the court. After a strong season in a new conference, the Lady Bisons looked forward to an even better performance iin the next spring. Alexis Hosticka/Laura Chambers
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