Lopers Again Claim the Sportsmanship Award
Kearney, Neb. - Nebraska-Kearney has placed five players on the 2023 All-MIAA team. The league's eight head coaches vote on the makeup of the squad and cannot vote for their own players. Madagascar sophomore Narindra Ranaivo earns first-team honors at No. 3 singles, Mexican junior Jazmin Zamorano is second team at No. 2 singles and at No. 1 doubles with Colombian junior Melisa Becerra while Colorado sophomore Alexis Bernthal (No. 4) and Belarus sophomore Masha Hatouka (No. 5) earn honorable mention singles honors. Finally, Becerra picked up the "Sportsmanship Award", the fifth straight year a UNK woman has won at least a share of that honor. Ranaivo was honorable mention pick at number four singles last spring but enters the MIAA Tournament with a team-best 19-4 record. Seventeen of those wins came at three and she's currently riding a 10-match win streak. Next, Zamorano makes her third All-MIAA squad after being honorable mention in both 2021 and 2022. She joins Paula Jimenez (2014-16) and Emma Neil (2015-18) as the only other Loper women with more than two All-MIAA singles honors. The lefty is currently 15-6 in duals which includes 12 wins in the second spot. Zamorano is currently ranked 46th nationally and pairs with Becerra to be UNK's top doubles team. This duo (12-7) also was a second-team pick a year ago and joins Sthefani Rodriguez and Sherry Sun (2016 & 2017/No. 2) as the only doubles teams to earn multiple All-MIAA honors. Next, Becerra is ranked 38th in D2 singles this week and has a 15-8 dual record. Finally, Bernthal (15-4) and Hatouka (14-7) receive their first all-league recognition. The now 47th-ranked Lopers are the sixth seed in this year's MIAA Tourney and face 38th-ranked Missouri Western Friday in Edmond, Okla., in a first-round match (4 p.m.).
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