April 19, 2007

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - USC Upstate's men's and women's tennis teams have had another successful year and four Spartans have earned All-Conference honors from the Peach Belt Conference as an indication of that success. Earning All-Conference honors were Stefan Dumitrescu and Sandy Franz from the men's team in singles, Anna Novo from the women's team for singles, and Dumitrescu and partner Renzo Airaldi for doubles.

Dumitrescu earned his second All-Conference honor in singles and his first in doubles. The senior from Bucharest, Romania, was 7-4 in singles play overall and 4-2 against Peach Belt foes at the No. 1 position. He missed 10 matches due to injury. He teamed with Airaldi, a freshman from Lima, Peru, for an 18-0 record and was a perfect 3-0 at the No. 1 slot, 6-0 at No. 2 doubles, and 9-0 at the No. 3 position.

Franz, a sophomore from Duseeldorf, Germany, was the backbone of the team for the Spartans in 2007. He finished the year with a 17-1 singles record overall and was 7-1 in Peach Belt Conference matches. He was 4-0 at the No. 1 slot, 12-1 at the No. 2 position, and 1-0 at the No. 4 spot.

Novo, a sophomore from Caracas, Venezuela, earned her second straight All-Conference selection. The Peach Belt Conference Freshman of the Year last year, she had a strong second season, finishing with an 18-3 record at the No. 1 position. She was 10-1 in Peach Belt play, helping Upstate to a 10-1 league record and a second-place finish.

The ninth-ranked Upstate men's tennis team begins Peach Belt Conference Tournament play Friday at 2:00 p.m. against Augusta State. The ninth-ranked women's team opens tournament play Friday at 5:00 p.m. against the winner of the match between UNC Pembroke and Augusta State.