KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Griffon Tennis captured two of the MIAA's highest postseason honors this year, as
Cristina Granero Boj was named MIAA Player of the Year and
Celia Castaño Malnero was named Freshman of the Year by the league office Thursday.
Four Griffon players captured a combined seven honors this season, including three on the first-team list.
Granero Boj, the first player in Griffon Tennis history to be named MIAA Player of the Year, picked up first-team all-MIAA honors in singles, while the doubles team of Granero Boj and
Elena Rey Garcia was named as a first team all-MIAA selection.
Johanna Priedite was named second team all-MIAA in singles and was an honorable mention honoree in doubles. Castaño Malnero is an honorable mention pick for both singles and doubles, with Priedite as her doubles partner.
Granero Boj, ranked No. 24 in the latest ITA Polls in singles, went 7-2 at No. 1 singles in conference play this season with wins over players like No. 13 Fabiana Gamboa of Nebraska-Kearney, No. 26 Pete Komada of Central Oklahoma, Washburn's Renske Ubachs (No. 19) and Northwest Missouri State's Marielana Muench (No. 33).
Granero Boj and Rey Garcia combined to go 5-2 in MIAA doubles play this season, including a 6-1 victory over Nebraska-Kearney's Narinda Ranaivo and Tanyaradzwa Midzi (No. 14) at No. 1 doubles.
Castaño Malnero went 4-3 in MIAA singles play with four of those wins coming at No. 3 singles.
Priedite went 5-3 in singles play vs. MIAA competition with four wins at No. 2 singles and one at No. 3.
Preidite and Castaño Malnero combined to go 5-2 in conference doubles play, including a 7-6 (10-8) win in No. 2 doubles vs. Washburn's Leonie Floeth and Isabella Martensson (No. 32).
Missouri Western ended the season with a record of 4-12 overall and a 1-8 mark in MIAA play. It was a very young group with four underclassmen, including three freshmen, and only one senior. Despite this, the Griffons battled, losing 4-3 to three different opponents all ranked inside the top 20 nationally.
The Griffs combined to win 22 singles matches in conference play and 11 more in doubles.
