TEMPE, Ariz. – Marking yet another program milestone, the Nova Southeastern women's tennis tandem of
Natalie Espinal and
Sarah Wardenburg were named the top doubles pair in NCAA Division II at the conclusion of fall competition by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA). In addition, Espinal garnered one of the top spots in the nation in singles, ranking at fourth overall, while
Daniela Obando also earned a top-40 slot.
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"We had a great fall," fourth-year head coach
Doug Neagle said. "It's nice to see the hard work pay off and have these players in the national rankings. I am happy for these three and for our entire team. We have had a lot of 'firsts' here the last two seasons and now to have Natty and Sarah ranked No. 1 in the country in doubles is another amazing first for our program. Natalie and Danny both ranked in singles shows our depth as well. After all these individual accolades, it's time to focus on our ultimate team goal this spring season. We are only focusing on our next opponent, and if we stay true to this, we can have a special year."
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Last season, Wardenburg (Senior/Waikato, New Zealand) and Espinal (Sophomore/Tegucigalpa, Honduras) racked up a 19-4 record as a pair, aiding the Sharks team to tie the program record for the most victories at 22-5. For their efforts, the duo received second-team All-Sunshine State Conference honors. The pair went 10-4 this fall, earning a first-ever NSU doubles invite to the ITA Cup in Rome, Ga. – capturing the Division II Championship at the event.
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Ranking fourth in the post-fall ITA singles standings, 2018-19 freshman phenom Espinal is coming off honors as the Sunshine State Conference and ITA South Region Newcomer/Freshman of the Year after collecting a 20-5 rookie record in singles play in the No. 1 and No. 2 slots – also nabbing first-team All-SSC accolades. Espinal delivered a 9-3 record this fall – with one retirement and the other two defeats coming against a Division I opponent and the reigning No. 1 singles player Berta Bonardi. Speaking of Bonardi, Espinal served the West Florida nation-leader only her second career defeat – en route to a 5-0 record and the Regional singles title at the ITA South Regional. For the triumph, Espinal earned the program's first singles invitation to the ITA Cup.
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Obando (Senior/ Tegucigalpa, Honduras) ranks 38th in the post-fall singles honors following a 13-2 season in 2018-19 with All-SSC second team singles and All-SSC first team doubles credits. This fall, Obando went 5-3 across three singles tournament appearances. In two years of play for the Sharks, Obando has collected a 29-8 singles record and received the all-conference nod both years.
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In the Regional ITA rankings, Obando joins with partner
Isabella Lowrey (Miami, Fla.) at No. 6 in the South in doubles, while coming in at 10th in singles. Wardenburg is the No. 20 player in South singles and Espinal is No. 2 in the region behind Bonardi.
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The Sharks are scheduled to kick off their official 2020 season on Feb. 1 at home against Flagler College. To stay up with all the latest with Sharks tennis., follow us on Twitter @NSU_WTennis, on Instagram @NSU_WTennis and on Facebook /NSUSharksWTennis.
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