FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 3-6-02

AASU's Golopencza Earns PBC Women's Tennis Player of the Week Honors

SAVANNAH, Ga. – Armstrong Atlantic State sophomore women's tennis player Zsofi Golopencza was named the Peach Belt Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Week by conference officials on Wednesday afternoon.

Golopencza, the top-ranked singles player in NCAA Division II, continued her strong start to the 2002 dual match season by going 4-0 in singles and 3-1 in doubles. In a duel with No. 2-ranked Monika Mastalirova of top-ranked Lynn, Golopencza dispatched Mastalirova, 6-3, 6-2, as the Lady Pirates upset the defending DII champions, 5-1. She also defeated West Florida's Eva Papastrides, 6-0, 6-0, as AASU defeated then-No. 3 West Florida, 7-2, and also defeated Jackeline Nieto of No. 10-ranked Clayton State, 6-2, 6-3.

In doubles play, Golopencza teamed with Michaela Kratochvilova to defeat the No. 13-ranked doubles duo of Collantes and Nieto, 8-0.

The Peach Belt Conference initiated the Tennis Player of the Week awards in 2002 and will recognize the league's best players five times during the dual match season. Golopencza's teammate, Michaela Kratochvilova, earned the initial Player of the Week award on February 19. This week's men's Player of the Week was Jose Luis Reyes of USC Spartanburg.

The Lady Pirate tennis squad is next in action on Friday, March 8 as AASU hosts Columbus State in a Peach Belt Conference match at 2:00 p.m.

- Pirates -