LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (Feb. 20, 2024) –
Chanel Zeraatkar of the Whittier College women's tennis team has been named SCIAC Athlete of the Week for her role in the Poets' victory over Lewis & Clark over the weekend, the program's first in nearly one calendar year.
Zeraatkar's achievement is notable on several levels. Firstly, she became the first Whittier women's tennis player to earn the honor in four years. She is also the first freshman in program history to be recognized as SCIAC Athlete of the Week.
The freshman first teamed with senior
Maci Davis (Atlanta, Ga. / Brookwood) at second doubles, handily defeating their opponents, 8-2, to set up a clean sweep for the Poets in doubles action. With Whittier needing just two singles matches to secure.a victory, the Poets' top singles ace pulled out a hard fought win over the Pioneers' top singles player, and overcame adversity along the way. After falling behind 6-1 in the first set, Zeraatkar rallied to win the second set 6-4 before finally claiming victory in a super tiebreaker, 10-7, to complete the Poets' stellar afternoon.
Zeraatkar and the Poets will return to Ettinger Tennis Courts on Wednesday, Feb. 21 when they host No. 26 Brandeis University in a match originally scheduled for Monday that would be canceled, then rescheduled due to rain. The action is set to get underway at 3:30 p.m.
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