Contact:
Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
2022 All-CCIW Women's Tennis Teams
Oct. 26, 2021 - After posting an unblemished 8-0 record in conference play, the North Central College women's tennis team earned the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW)'s Player of the Year in
Kaeli Smashey, Coach of the Year in
Ryan Jump as well as
Hannah Hougland joining Smashey on the First Team while
Alaina Kanthaphixay and
Natalie Bassett secured Second Team accolades.
Jump led the Cardinals to back-to-back CCIW Titles, with North Central posting a 14-0 record in the fall season. This smashed the previous record of 11 wins in a fall season, set by the 2008 and 2009 teams. Jump is now at 106 wins in his career on both the women's and men's sides. This marks the second straight season that Jump was recognized as the CCIW Coach of the Year.
Smashey is also a two-time CCIW award winner as she won Player of the Year last year to add to her Newcomer of the Year award. She is the fifth player in CCIW history to repeat as Player of the Year. This season, Smashey posted a perfect 8-0 record at No. 1 singles. In doubles play, she tallied a 5-1 conference record. Since transferring into North Central, Smashey is yet to lose a CCIW contest and has a 15-0 singles record in conference matches.
Hougland and Kanthaphixay become just the second and third Cardinals to be named to All-CCIW teams in each of their four seasons. Hougland, earning her third First Team honor went 6-2 in singles play while winning all eight of her conference doubles matches with Kanthaphixay. Hougland moved into third-place all-time for career wins in singles play with 58. The duo of Hougland and Kanthaphixay broke the program's doubles wins record and currently sit at 64 wins apiece. Kanthaphixay, who was named to the Second Team, finished the year 6-0 in CCIW singles action while teaming up with Hougland for doubles play.
Bassett is one of three freshmen who was named to an All-CCIW team. For the Cardinals, she went 7-0 in singles play and 6-1 in doubles action. She played six matches with Smashey and earned an 8-0 win with
Kayla McSweeney against Elmhurst.
Landing four All-CCIW selections set a program-high for a single season. Last year and 2018 each saw three Cardinals on all-conference teams.
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores, and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.
