For Immediate Release
Tuesday, February 9, 2021
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
Valeriya Monko (Fr., Rostov-On-Don, Russia / International School In Novie Veshki, Moscow) - Augustana
- Opened her collegiate career 2-0 in singles and 2-0 at doubles, playing both in the No. 1 slot
- Won 6-3, 6-2, in the season-opener at Missouri Western
- Prevailed 6-3, 6-4, against Southwest Baptist, the 15th ranked team in the country
- Also won 6-0 in both of her doubles matches, pairing with Florentia Hadjigeorgiou
- The Vikings won convincingly over Missouri Western and lost narrowly, 4-3, to No. 15 SBU 

Other Top Performances
Sophie Groen (BSU) earned a straight-sets (6-0, 6-0) victory at No. 1 singles to help lead Bemidji State to a 7-0 victory over the University of Minnesota Crookston, Wednesday. A NSIC Player to watch for the 2021 season, the native of the Netherlands didn’t drop a single set in her collegiate debut as the Beavers swept UMC to open the season and NSIC schedule.
 

NSIC Women's Tennis Players of the Week
2/9/21
Valeriya Monko - Augustana
 
About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 23 team national championships and crowned 77 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes have the opportunity to earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.