Junior Bridget Harding was named the University Athletic Association Women's Tennis Player of the Year as the UAA announced its 2017 All-Association Team Tuesday afternoon as voted on by the eight conference head coaches.
Harding is joined by four other members of the team which garnered All-Association honors. Among the honorees are three Eagles on the First Team: Harding (First Singles & First Doubles), sophomore Daniela Lopez (Third Singles) and senior Katarina Su (First Doubles) and four Eagles on the Second Team: senior Melissa Goodman (Fifth Singles), Su (Fourth Singles) and Lopez and senior Michelle Satterfield (Second Doubles). In addition, Head Coach Amy Bryant and Assistant Coach Barbora Krtickova were named the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
Harding, who was previously tabbed as the UAA Tournament's Most Valuable Player, has posted an overall record of 26-9 in singles, one shy of tying her career-high win total. She opened the year in the fall capturing the ITA Division III Singles National Championship and is 11-7 at first singles for the Eagles during the spring. She will be one of three Emory players representing the Blue and Gold in the NCAA Individual Championships in Chattanooga, TN next week. She advanced to the Round of Eight in the singles competition last season.
The Coaching Staff of the Year award is Bryant's 12th of her career and her second straight honor. She and Krtickova guided the Eagles to their fifth straight UAA Championship in April and the program's 28th conference title overall.
Harding adds All-UAA First Team honors with Su as Emory's top doubles tandem has posted a 27-8 record this season, a new career-high in wins for the pair. Harding and Su were crowned ITA Division III Doubles National Champions in the fall and will compete in the NCAA Doubles competition next week after reaching the Quarterfinals in 2016.
Lopez joins Harding on the All-UAA First Team in Singles as she has compiled an overall record of 23-8 during her sophomore campaign including a 13-5 mark at third singles. Her 23 wins mark a career-high and ranks tied for second most on the team. Lopez advanced to the semifinals of the singles draw at the ITA South Regional in the fall.
Goodman earns a spot on the All-UAA Second Team after excelling at fifth singles for the Eagles. She is one of five Eagles to win 20-plus matches this season and has won eight straight to improve to 20-8 overall and 12-4 at the fifth position. The 20 wins are the most for Goodman since she collected 23 victories as a freshman.
Su has rattled off a team-leading 10 straight victories as she earns All-UAA Second Team acclaim in Singles. Overall, Su is 23-5 for the season and is 15-2 playing at fourth singles. The 23 victories mark the second-highest total of her career and is the third time Su has won at least 20 decisions in a season.
Lopez and Satterfield round out the Emory honorees, earning a spot on the All-UAA Second Team in Doubles. The duo has won two in a row and seven of their last 10 matches to move to 20-7 overall including a 13-4 record at second doubles. In the fall, Lopez and Satterfield finished as ITA South Regional Runners-Up, falling to Harding and Su in the title match.
The Eagles (15-6) will be looking to repeat as National Champions as the final rounds of the NCAA Division III Championships get underway on Monday, May 22nd in Chattanooga, TN. Emory is set to square off against Bowdoin College in the Round of Eight, beginning at 11:30 AM on Monday.