4/12/2023 3:01:00 PM | Women's Tennis
JACKSONVILLE – A trio of accolades poured in on Wednesday afternoon for Jacksonville State freshman Serafima Shastova as the ASUN Conference announced its Women's Tennis Postseason honors. Shastova was named the league's Freshman of the Year and ended up on the ASUN All-Freshman and First Team All-Conference lists.
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"Sima has put together an incredible season from start to finish," head coach Mike Mucci said. "She has helped raise the bar for what we expect as a program day in and day out. We're very proud of what she has accomplished as a freshman, showing that she can compete with anyone in college tennis on any given day. The exciting part is she's just getting started and her best tennis is ahead of her."
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Shastova went 10-2 in singles play this season with each of those results coming on court one. Jacksonville State's top individual competitor went 4-1 in ASUN play and was 7-1 over the final ten matches. Furthermore, she had a 7-6 record in regular season doubles action as a freshman. Most of her doubles opportunities came in the top flight, where she went 4-1 alongside sophomore Romane Mosse.
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The first-year Gamecock from Stavropol, Russia, picked up massive singles triumphs against Troy's Kristina Kukaras (6-4, 6-2), Georgia Southern's Silvia Martinez (6-4, 6-4), and Kennesaw State's Taylor Dean (6-2, 4-6, 6-1). Her only one-on-one defeats came at the hands of Emmanouela Antonaki of Mississippi State (6-7 [6-8], 1-6), the 104th-ranked player in the nation, and Liberty's Maria Juliana Parra Romero (6-4, 3-6, 4-6). In doubles play, Shastova and Mosse picked up three big wins in the top doubles flight against ASUN foes Eastern Kentucky, Kennesaw State, and Liberty.
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Shastova's efforts played a big part in Jacksonville State's success this Spring. A memorable season saw the Gamecocks go 14-7 and post their most wins in a season since 2018-19. In addition, Jax State downed Troy, 4-3, on Feb. 18, scoring the program's first win over the rival Trojans. The Red-and-White took SEC power Mississippi State to the wire in a 4-3 setback on Jan. 20 and also started league play with four straight victories.
Her selection as the ASUN's Freshman of the Year marks the first such award in program history. Shastova is Jacksonville State's first women's tennis all-conference honoree since Harriet Hamilton was deemed a First Team All-OVC performer in 2021.Â
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With the regular season in the rearview, Shastova and the seventh-seeded Gamecocks will open the ASUN Tournament on Saturday in DeLand, Fla. Jacksonville State will take on ten-seed North Alabama at 9 a.m. CDT in a do-or-die matchup. The winner of that contest played at Stetson University will advance to the ASUN Quarterfinals on Sunday morning, where they will take on the second-seeded Hatters. Links to follow along with live stats will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
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To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateWTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts.Â
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"Sima has put together an incredible season from start to finish," head coach Mike Mucci said. "She has helped raise the bar for what we expect as a program day in and day out. We're very proud of what she has accomplished as a freshman, showing that she can compete with anyone in college tennis on any given day. The exciting part is she's just getting started and her best tennis is ahead of her."
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Shastova went 10-2 in singles play this season with each of those results coming on court one. Jacksonville State's top individual competitor went 4-1 in ASUN play and was 7-1 over the final ten matches. Furthermore, she had a 7-6 record in regular season doubles action as a freshman. Most of her doubles opportunities came in the top flight, where she went 4-1 alongside sophomore Romane Mosse.
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The first-year Gamecock from Stavropol, Russia, picked up massive singles triumphs against Troy's Kristina Kukaras (6-4, 6-2), Georgia Southern's Silvia Martinez (6-4, 6-4), and Kennesaw State's Taylor Dean (6-2, 4-6, 6-1). Her only one-on-one defeats came at the hands of Emmanouela Antonaki of Mississippi State (6-7 [6-8], 1-6), the 104th-ranked player in the nation, and Liberty's Maria Juliana Parra Romero (6-4, 3-6, 4-6). In doubles play, Shastova and Mosse picked up three big wins in the top doubles flight against ASUN foes Eastern Kentucky, Kennesaw State, and Liberty.
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Shastova's efforts played a big part in Jacksonville State's success this Spring. A memorable season saw the Gamecocks go 14-7 and post their most wins in a season since 2018-19. In addition, Jax State downed Troy, 4-3, on Feb. 18, scoring the program's first win over the rival Trojans. The Red-and-White took SEC power Mississippi State to the wire in a 4-3 setback on Jan. 20 and also started league play with four straight victories.
Her selection as the ASUN's Freshman of the Year marks the first such award in program history. Shastova is Jacksonville State's first women's tennis all-conference honoree since Harriet Hamilton was deemed a First Team All-OVC performer in 2021.Â
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With the regular season in the rearview, Shastova and the seventh-seeded Gamecocks will open the ASUN Tournament on Saturday in DeLand, Fla. Jacksonville State will take on ten-seed North Alabama at 9 a.m. CDT in a do-or-die matchup. The winner of that contest played at Stetson University will advance to the ASUN Quarterfinals on Sunday morning, where they will take on the second-seeded Hatters. Links to follow along with live stats will be provided at JSUGamecockSports.com.
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To stay up-to-date with the Gamecocks, follow their Twitter (@JaxStateTN), Instagram (@JaxStateWTennis), and Facebook (Jacksonville State University Tennis) accounts.Â
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