Five Ravens Garner First-Team All-HCAC Honors

Anderson University women's tennis standouts Madelyn Brown (Sellersburg, Ind. / Christian Academy of Indiana), Anna Creech (Richmond, Ind. / Richmond), Jenna Kuntz (Edinburgh, Ind. / Southwestern), Megan Long (New Palestine, Ind. / New Palestine) and Morgan Nation (Middletown, Ind. / Shenandoah) each garnered first-team all-Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) honors, which was announced by the conference on Thursday.

Creech received all-conference recognition for the third time in her career. The senior from Richmond earned all-HCAC Honorable Mention as a sophomore and first-team all-HCAC honors as a junior. Brown and Long collected first-team all-HCAC recognition for the second time in their careers after receiving honors in the Spring of 2021. Kuntz and Nation received all-conference recognition for the first time in their careers.

Anderson is currently 9-4 and provided a 4-1 HCAC record to take second place in the HCAC standings. Also elevating the first-team all-conference players and making them better throughout the season were Claire Hannaford (Fishers, Ind. / Hamilton Southeast), Morgan Oconitrillo (Indianapolis, Ind. / Homeschool / Warren Central) and Abigail Williams (Anderson, Ind. / Frankton).

"Overall, I could not be prouder of these five players," Coach Matt Moore said. "I also know their success does not happen without the help of Morgan [Oconitrillo], Claire, and Abby. Our other players push these ladies hard each practice and help them realize just how great they can be. As a group, these ladies figured out how to win in a variety of ways. They also know success only happens if you continue to work hard. I am excited to see them battle for a conference championship this weekend."

Creech went 3-2 at No. 1 singles and 2-3 at No. 1 doubles during the conference season. She finished the regular season with a 6-7 singles record (4-6 at No. 1 singles, 2-1 at No. 2 singles) and a 3-9 doubles record at No. 1 doubles.

"Anna was the anchor of our women's tennis program. Her leadership was second to none. Her ability to push her teammates to maximize their potential is a primary reason for our overall success. She is well-deserving of a spot on the All-Conference team."

Long put together a 4-1 singles record (3-1 at No. 2 singles, 1-0 at No. 3 singles) and a 3-1 doubles record (1-1 at No. 1 doubles, 2-0 at No. 2 doubles) during the HCAC season. The sophomore from New Palestine compiled a 10-3 singles record (6-2 at No. 2 singles, 1-0 at No. 3 singles, 1-1 at No. 4 singles, 2-0 at No. 5 singles) and an 8-4 doubles record (1-4 at No. 1 doubles, 7-0 at No. 2 doubles) during the regular season.

"Megan has only lost one doubles match and one singles match in two years of conference play. She is the face of the future for the Ravens. She embodies all the values and qualities we look for in players. We are blessed to have her as a member of our program. I know she will work hard to continue this success in her final two years."

Brown contributed a 4-1 singles record (1-0 at No. 2 singles, 3-1 at No. 3 singles) and a 4-1 record at No. 2 doubles during the conference season. The junior from Sellersburg posted a 10-3 singles record (1-0 at No. 1 singles, 2-0 at No. 2 singles, 7-3 at No. 3 singles) and an 11-2 record at No. 2 doubles.

"Maddie earned her second straight All-Conference honor. She is a steady force in all of our matches. Her poise, sportsmanship, and supporting nature not only allow her to overcome challenging matches, but it encourages her teammates to do the same."

Nation turned in a 3-0 singles record (2-0 at No. 4 singles, 1-0 at No. 5 singles) and a 2-2 doubles record (1-2 at No. 1 doubles, 1-0 at No. 2 doubles) during the HCAC season. The freshman from Middletown closed out the regular season with a 6-5 singles record (0-2 at No. 1 singles, 0-2 at No. 3 singles, 5-1 at No. 4 singles, 1-0 at No. 5 singles) and a 5-6 doubles record (2-5 at No. 1 doubles, 3-1 at No. 2 doubles).

"Morgan had an outstanding first year with our program. She had an immediate impact in our lineup and pushed her teammates daily to reach their potential. She showed tremendous mental resolve to win key matches. She will certainly be an important piece of our tennis puzzle in the years to come."

Kuntz provided a 3-1 singles record (1-1 at No. 4 singles, 2-0 at No.5 singles) and a 4-1 doubles record (1-1 at No. 2 doubles, 3-0 at No. 3 doubles) during the conference season. The junior from Edinburgh put together a 7-3 singles record (1-2 at No. 4 singles, 5-1 at No. 5 singles, 1-0 at No. 6 singles) and an 8-5 doubles record (1-1 at No. 2 doubles, 7-4 at No. 3 doubles) during the regular season.

"This is Jenna's first time receiving All-Conference honors. This is such a well-deserved accolade for a player that only knows how to win. She was a clutch performer for us in various spots this season. Her fiery passion lifts her up during tough matches and inspires all those around her."

Second-seeded Anderson clashes with third-seeded Hanover College (3-4) during the HCAC Tournament semifinals on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. in Nicholasville, Ky. at Top Seed Tennis Club.