MSU Women's Tennis' Lee, Patrasc Garner ITA Regional Awards
May 09, 2016 | Women's Tennis
STARKVILLE, Miss. – Mississippi State women's tennis players Jasmine Lee and Georgiana Patrasc each received regional awards from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Monday for their outstanding seasons on the court in 2015-16. Lee was name the ITA Southern Region Player to Watch while Patrasc was named ITA Southern Region Most Improved Senior Player.
Lee and Patrasc have both been integral factors in State's record-setting season which has the Bulldogs in the NCAA Team Championship for the second year in a row. MSU, ranked 21st nationally, opens play in the NCAAs this Friday, May 13, taking on No. 34 Virginia Tech in the first round at 2 p.m. CT in Lubbock, Texas.
Currently ranked 13th nationally, the junior Lee earned a top 16 seed in the 2016 NCAA Singles Championship, as such, becomes the first MSU women's tennis player ever to earn ITA All-America honors. She has notched remarkable 28-11 overall and 16-7 dual match records this year, playing all of her contests at the No. 1 position in State's lineup. The Khaosiung, Taiwan, native has posted 19 wins against ranked foes, seven in the top 25, and achieved the highest women's singles ranking ever for MSU at No. 9 earlier this season. Lee was also honored with first-team All-SEC honors for the second year in a row and will be one of the top returning players in the nation next season as a senior.
The four-year veteran senior Patrasc has had easily her best season as she closes out her MSU career this spring. She sits at 36th nationally in singles with an overall record of 27-7 and an incredible 18-3 dual match record for singles. She posted the best conference record on the team, going 9-2 mainly at the No. 2 position in the ever-tough SEC. During conference play, she won eight-consecutive matches at one point, six of those coming against top 80 foes. Patrasc earned her third career All-SEC honor this season as well. She stands third all-time overall at State in total victories, and is now MSU's all-time leader in singles triumphs.
As ITA Regional award winners, both Lee and Patrasc are under consideration for the national ITA award in their respective categories as well. The national awards will be announced Tuesday, May 24, at the NCAA Tennis Championships finals site in Tulsa, Okla.
