Lady Bulldog Banikova Earns All-SEC Honors
Banikova is 16-14 overall and 9-7 in dual matches in 2007. She attained the first national ranking of her career on April 3, coming in at No. 71, and has climbed to No. 53 in the nation in Tuesday's latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. She has clinched two Lady Bulldogs wins this season, including State's SEC victory over Alabama.
The Lady Bulldog sophomore has registered three wins over top 40 opponents this spring, including one in the top 10. She is 4-6 in SEC, playing all her matches at the No. 1 position in the State lineup.
Banikova is the first Lady Bulldog to earn all-SEC honors since 2005 and the ninth player in MSU women's tennis history to do so.
The 11th-seeded Lady Bulldogs open competition in the 2007 SEC Championship this Thursday, April 19, taking on sixth-seeded host Kentucky. The match is slated for 9 a.m. CT at UK's Hilary Boone Tennis Complex.