UNK Lopers // UNK Communications
KEARNEY – The Nebraska-Kearney women’s tennis team, 2024 MIAA regular season champions, is well represented on this year’s all-conference squad.
The team is selected by the head coaches, and they cannot vote for their own players.
UNK picks up the Freshman of the Year (Fabiana Gamboa) and Coach of the Year (Scott Shafer) and then has four selections on the first-team and four more receiving honorable mention accolades.
Fabiana Gamboa, UNK Women’s Tennis // UNK Communcations
Gamboa (Venezuela) enters the MIAA Tournament this weekend with a 13-7 single dual record playing mainly in the top spot. Going a combined 6-0 at two through four singles, she also has an 8-4 in doubles playing with three different partners. That record includes a 6-3 mark at three. Ana Royo (2017) is the only other Loper woman to have won this award.
Shafer was named the 2022 MIAA Women’s Co-Coach of the Year and has led UNK (18-4, 7-1) to its first-ever MIAA regular season title. The Lopers have been nationally-ranked throughout the season, are riding a six-match win streak and have eight wins over Top 40 competition. Finally, the Lopers will be in the NCAA Tournament for the 12th time in program history and the first time since 2018.
Head Coach Scott Shafer, UNK Tennis // UNK Communications
Senior Melisa Becerra (Colombia) and junior Narindra Ranaivo (Madagascar) earn first-team singles honors with the pair also being first-team at number two doubles. Becerra earns her second All-MIAA singles honor as she currently is 15-2 in duals and on a six-match win streak. Next, Ranaivo is a first-team pick in singles for a second straight season as she is on a 13-match streak that’s pushed her overall dual record to 17-4. Finally, the nationally-ranked pair is 20-2 in doubles that features a 17-1 record at two.
Junior Alexis Bernthal (Boulder, Colo.) and freshman [/roster.aspx?rp_id=9245]Tanyaradzwa “Tanya” Midzi (Zimbabwe) are honorable mention choices at five and six singles as is senior Jazmin Zamorano (Mexico) and junior Masha Hatouka (Belarus) at three doubles. Bernthal receives h.m. accolades for a second straight spring as she is currently a team-best 17-3 and on a 10-match streak playing with Midzi 8-4 overall after joining the program in January. Finally, Zamorano and Hatouka are 6-3 as a tandem with Zamorano named All-MIAA doubles for a third time and Hatouka earning her first all-league honor in doubles.
UNK is the top seed in this weekend’s MIAA Tournament in Edmond, Okla. They received a bye in the quarterfinals and will play Saturday at 10 a.m. in the semis. The Lopers are also the top seed in the NCAA Central Region as they final rankings were released today; the field will be announced Monday (May 6).
