Seyrek sweeps Player & Frosh of the Year, Bubnov second-team All-SoCon

ELON, NC – UNC Greensboro freshman phenom Orcun Seyrek swept the Southern Conference's Men's Tennis Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards when the league's annual awards were announced Thursday.

 

Orcun Seyrek became UNCG's first-ever Conference Player of the Year in the sport of men's tennis on Thursday. He was also the first freshman to win the SoCon's top men's tennis award since 1990.

Seyrek, a native of Istanbul, Turkey, became the first player to sweep both awards since the Freshman of the Year award was established by the league in 1992. He is the first freshman to win the Player of the Year award since Yaser Zaatini of East Tennessee State took the honor in 1990. Zaatini went on to with the honor three times during his career.

 

Seyrek is UNCG's first-ever Conference Player of the Year in the Division I era.

 

Seyrek went 19-2 this spring, including 9-1 in league play, as UNCG's No. 1 singles player. Both of his losses in the spring came against nationally ranked players. Seyrek's performance this season is a big part of UNCG's turnaround from a three-win season last year to a 14-7 mark this season and a tie for third in the SoCon standings at 7-3 in league play. For the overall season, he enters this weekend's conference tournament with a 24-4 mark. He is also 16-7 overall and 13-6 this spring in doubles play with Arsel Kumdereli.

 

Along with Seyrek earning first-team all-conference honors, Andrey Bubnov earned second-team all-league honors for the second time. Bubnov, a senior from Belgorod, Russia, also earned second-team honors in 2006. This season, Bubnov went 9-1 in league play and was 13-8 for the spring. Including the fall tournaments, Bubnov compiled a 15-10 mark, but he was red hot down the stretch, winning nine of his last 11 matches. Six of his 13 wins this spring came in decisive third sets.

 

Seyrek, UNCG's first first-team selection since Tony Mule in 2001, was joined on the first team in singles by Appalachian State's Bobby Lake, Chattanooga's Peter Sauska, Damon Gooch of Elon, and Furman's nationally ranked duo of Andy Juc and Bo Ladyman. The doubles first-team selections were Elon's Gooch and Philip Nemec, Furman's Ladyman and Juc and Georgia Southern's Joris De Weerdt and Matthew Sands.

 

The second team is selected by lineup. Bubnov, the first Spartan to earn multiple all-conference selections since Mule in 2001 and 2002, was the No. 2 singles player along with Yufo Sutantio from The Citadel at No. 1 and Daniel Kanuse of Furman at No. 3. Chris Motes of Furman at Tinus van Wyk of Wofford tied for the No. 4 selection, while Alberto Rojas of Elon and Alan Donald of Wofford tied in the voting for the No. 5 selection. Furman's Sawyer Duncan was the No. 6 singles selection on the second team. Chattanooga's tandem of Peter Sauska and Pavel Vostrikov were the No. 1 doubles selection on the second team, while Elon's Chase Helpingstine and Carlin Murray were the No. 2 position pick. Furman's Andrei Chvetsov and Jordan Walters were the No. 3 doubles second-team pick.

 

Andrey Bubnov earned his second All-SoCon selection on Thursday, earning second-team honors. He is the first Spartan in seven years to earn multiple selections.
Seyrek leads the All-Freshman squad. He is joined by College of Charleston's duo of Tom Delme and Mickael Trintignac, Samford's Carson Kadi and the Wofford pair of van Wyk and Danny Manlow.

 

Furman's Paul Scarpa was named Coach of the Year after leading the Paladins to a 19-7 record, including a perfect 10-0 season in league play. Furman's Ladyman was named the Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award recipient.

 

SoCon Tournament play gets underway Thursday with first-round matches. Seyrek, Bubnov and the rest of the Spartans begin play Friday when they face fifth-seeded Georgia Southern at 9 am. UNCG won the regular-season meeting between the schools, 4-3, in Greensboro.

 

AGATE

2009 SoCon Men's Tennis Postseason Awards

 

 

First Team

Singles

Bobby Lake, Appalachian State

Peter Sauska, Chattanooga

Damon Gooch, Elon

Andy Juc, Furman

Bo Ladyman, Furman

Orcun Seyrek, UNC Greensboro

 

Doubles

Damon Gooch/Philip Nemec, Elon

Andy Juc/Bo Ladyman, Furman

Joris De Weerdt/Matthew Sands, Georgia Southern

 

Second Team

Singles (by position)

No. 1 – Yufo Sutantio, The Citadel

No. 2 – Andrey Bubnov, UNC Greensboro

No. 3 – Daniel Knause, Furman

No. 4 – Chris Motes, Furman

            Tinus van Wyk, Wofford

No. 5 – Alberto Rojas, Elon

            Alan Donald, Wofford

No. 6 – Sawyer Duncan, Furman

 

Doubles (by position)

No. 1 – Peter Sauska/Pavel Vostrikov, Chattanooga

No. 2 – Chase Helpingstine/Carlin Murray, Elon

No. 3 – Andrei Chvetsov/Jordan Walters, Furman

 

All-Freshman

Tom Delme, College of Charleston

Mickael Trintignac, College of Charleston

Orcun Seyrek, UNC Greensboro

Carson Kadi, Samford

Danny Manlow, Wofford

Tinus van Wyk, Wofford

 

Player of the Year

Orcun Seyrek, UNC Greensboro

 

Freshman of the Year

Orcun Seyrek, UNC Greensboro

 

Don Bunch/Buddy Hartsell Sportsmanship Award

Bo Ladyman, Furman

 

Coach of the Year

Paul Scarpa, Furman