Former Roswell High Coyote tennis standouts Samantha Dunn and Bailey Martinez, have decided to continue their playing careers for Coach Zeljka Vidic and the Bronco women’s tennis program. Martinez and Dunn, who played at the No.1 and 2 slots for RHS, helped their girls’ team earn a selection to the 4A NMAA State Tournament. As playing partners in doubles, the Martinez/Dunn combo warranted the sixth-seed pair in the post-season 4A State doubles competition, where, after a first round victory over Albuquerque Academy’s Freedman/Marrs 6-2, lost to another Albuquerque Academy team, third-ranked Bosina/Linder, 6-0, 4-6, 6-3, in the quarterfinals.

Audio Clip from Coach Zeljka Vidic 

Audio Clip from Bailey Martinez

Audio Clip from Samantha Dunn

Congratulations future cadets Dunn and Martinez. We look forward to watching you serve, both on the court and in the Corps!

Samantha Dunn (seated left) and Bailey Martinez (seated right), sign their letters of intent to play at NMMI while watched by their family members. Standing from left to right: Lonnie Dunn, Sally Dunn, Head coach Zeljka Vidic, Rick Sanders, Melissa Sanders, and Paul Martinez.

TUCSON, Arizona – The Karla Martinez and Akanesi Fa doubles combination was one win away from the finals in this year’s 2010 NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Tennis National Championships. They took the first set from ASA College, 7-5, but then lost the next two, 6-2, 6-4. The loss put an end to a great run in the tournament by the two Lady Broncos.

Here’s the round-by-round results for every singles and doubles match they played:

Singles
Karla Martinez (seeded 8th out of 31 among No.1 Singles players)
Round of 32 – defeated Rebekah Hegel (Elgin CC): 6-0, 6-1.
Round of 16 – defeated Leah Knight (Sam Snead CC): 6-2, 6-0.
Quarterfinals – lost to 2nd seeded Mariya Slupska (Tyler JC): 6-2, 6-4.
http://tennislink.usta.com/tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=87641&E=1
Earned three team points and finished as one of the top 8 players in the nation.

Akanesi Fa (unseeded among the 31 players competing at No. 2 singles)
Round of 32 – lost to 2nd seeded Nachell Proctor (Hillborough CC): 6-0, 6-2.�
Backdraw, 1st Round - won vs. Nathalie Ruester(Central Alabama CC): 8-0.
Backdraw, Quarterfinals – won vs. Rachel Hegel (Elgin CC): 8-0.
Backdraw, Semifinals – lost vs. Mariel Alvarez (North Central Texas): 8-3.
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=87641&E=3&D=C&S=F
Fa earned 1 team point for her two wins in the backdraw matches.

Doubles
Martinez/Fa (unseeded among the 31 teams playing No. 1 doubles)
Round of 32 – defeated Bia Miranda/Keri Huett (Abraham Baldwin AC): 6-4, 6-2.
Round of 16 – defeated 7th seeded Jaclyn Lahari, Jaclyn/Morgan Shaw (Collin County CC): 7-6 (4), 0-6, 7-5.
Quarterfinals – defeated 2nd seeded  Nadia Lee/Manuela Gomez (Lee College): 3-6, 6-2, 6-4.
Semifinals – lost vs. Tetiana Kovalska/Soizette Simmons (ASA Institute): 5-7, 6-0, 6-2.
http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/Draws/EventDraw.aspx?T=87641&E=2
The three wins earned the Lady Broncos another four points, good for eight total and a team placement of 22nd in the nation. Also, Martinez/Fa finished as one of the four best teams in the nation in doubles for NJCAA women’s tennis.

Congratulations Cadets Fa and Martinez, and also to their head coach Zeljka Vidic for an excellent season, and a great run at the National Championship tournament.

Karla Martinez (top) and Akanesi Fa (bottom) have made the semi-finals in No. 1 doubles at the 2010 NJCAA Women's Tennis National Championships.

NMMI Sports Press
4-May-10

TUCSON, Arizona – Karla Martinez and Akanesi Fa defeated second-seeded Nadia Lee and Manuela Gomez from Lee College, last year’s No. 1 doubles national champions, to advance to the semi-final round of play in No.1 doubles at the 2010 NJCAA Women’s Tennis National Championships. “It’s a big win for us,” said head coach Zeljka Vidic.  “The girls fought really hard against one of the best teams in the nation, and were able to excute their game plan, stay aggressive and get the win. I’m extremely proud of them.” 

The match was indeed hard fought, with Lee College taking the first set 6-3. But Martinez and Fa, after both having played singles matches previously on the day, found enough left in the tank to come back and win the second set, 6-2, and the third and deciding set, 6-4.

The defeat of second-seeded Lee College isn’t the only seeded opponent the Martinez/Fa tandem has defeated in route to the semi-finals. The first was yesterday against tennis powerhouse Collin County Community College. Jaclyn Lahari and Morgan Shaw were seeded seventh, and had beaten the Martinez/Fa combo once during the regular season in an incredibly close match, 9-8 (7-5) back in the beginning of the season on Feb. 6th. The nationals match was just as close, with NMMI taking the first set via tiebreaker, 7-6 (4). Collin County came back and shocked the Lady Broncos 6-0 to take the second. But again, Martinez and Fa rallied, taking the third set, again in extra games, 7-5.

The win marks the doubles pair as one of the top eight in the nation, with a chance to climb even higher in the final rankings. To do this, they must win against another underdog team from ASA Institute. Tetiana Kovalska and Soizette Simmons were also unseeded coming into the championship tournament, and, like the Broncos, defeated two seeded opponents to get to the semis: sixth-seeded Temple College yesterday, and fourth-seeded St. Petersburg College today. That means an unseeded team WILL play in the finals for the national championship, against the winner of tomorrow’s No.1 Hillborough College / No. 3 Tyler Junior College showdown. But first, one of the two Cinderellas must fall, with either NMMI or ASA grabbing the glass slipper in a match tomorrow at 10:30 am (Wednesday, May 5th).

Link to the No.1 Doubles Bracket with complete results on the USTA website

PLANO, Texas – Despite dropping all three matches vs. Region V opponents last weekend, two Lady Broncos managed to qualify for the NJCAA Division I Women’s Tennis National Championships, to be held in Tucson, AZ May 1st thru 6th.

The Institute Lady Netters also played a tune-up match vs. Seminole State the day before the Region V matches.

Region V Match Results:

The Bronco women’s tennis team just completed a five-meet Colorado road trip, honing their skills against four NCAA Division 2 and one NCAA Division 3 schools, in preparation for the NJCAA Region V Championships at the end of this month. The shorthanded Broncos only travelled with four players, meaning they had to default in three out of the nine matches that comprise a meet (six singles matches and three doubles matches). But that didn’t stop the Broncos for playing some top-notch tennis.

“We came for the competition,” said head NMMI coach Zeljka Vidic. “I’m really proud of how we played, and improved. Karla [Martinez] and Nesi [Fa] did not even lose a set, in singles although Nesi di have to default her last match after rolling her ankle, and they just dominnated in doubles in all five matches. Breigh [Shotwell] picked up a few good wins, and Deborah [Wright] is continuing to improve as well. Hopefully we can keep getting better and do well at the Regional Tournament.”

Karla Martinez was indeed without a loss, winning all five of her singles matches at the No. 1 seed, and also 5 for 5 at doubles along with partner Akanesi Fa. Fa, playing at the No. 2 seed lost just one singles match in NMMI’s final meet against Colorado State University-Pueblo: Fa withdrew from play with the score 3-2 in the first set against Andrea Ortiz. Breigh Shotwell won her No. 3 seed matches vs. Grand Canyon University’s Mandy Prudhomme and CSU-P’s Nicole Pilot. Deborah Wright struggled at the No. 4 seed and failed to win a match.

Next up for the Lady Broncos is a final tune-up meet the day before Regionals, against Seminole State University on Thursday, April 22^nd in Plano, TX.

Meet Results:

ABILENE, Texas – The Bronco women’s tennis team hit the road this weekend to take on two teams in the NCAA’s division II Lone Star Conference, plus the NJCAA’s 3rd ranked women’s tennis team in the country, Lee College.

Friday’s play began against Lee College. Top seed Karla Martinez defeated the Rebel’s ace, Dionecia Akina in a split set tie-breaker. Martinez and Akanesi Fa then teamed up at No. 1 doubles to defeat Akina and Manuela Gomez in a very close pro set, 9-8. Breigh Shotwell and Deborah Wright both fell in singles play and again in doubles.

Friday afternoon’s match was against NCAA D2 school Abilene Christian University. The Lady Broncos were unable to snag a win in either singles or doubles play, but both Martinez and Fa came close, forcing tie-breakers in their singles matches.

Against University of the Incarnate Word on Saturday, another NCAA D2 opponent, the Institue picked up wins in the first three singles spots: Martinez defeated Stephanie Rodriguez, Fa defeated Erica Engberg, and Breigh Shotwell got her first win of the season by outlasting Alex Adams.

“We played some tough competition this weekend,” said Bronco coach Zeljka Vidic. “It’s good for us to get experience by going up against top programs like these. We’re getting better and we’ll keep plugging away.”

Match Scores:

NMMI’s No.2 singles player Akanesi Fa returns a forehand from the baseline.

NMMI Sports Press
02-Mar-10

The top two seeds for the Lady Broncos blanked their singles opponents, then bested them again at doubles, but couldn’t pick up another win against the University of the Southwest, losing the match, 3-6. Playing one player short gave the visiting Mustangs a two-point lead due to forfeitures at No.6 singles and No.3 doubles.

“I’m pleased with the way the girls played,” said NMMI coach Zeljka Vidic. “Karla Martinez and Akanesi Fa dominated in both doubles and singles. [Breigh] Shotwell lost a really close match at No.3 singles. [Deborah] Wright and [Lorna] Kimple played hard and are getting better. “

Next up for the Broncos are three matches in Abilene, TX on Friday and Saturday, March 5^th and 6^th. First up will be Lee College, Southeast Oklahoma to follow, and then Incarnate Word.

The results for each match are listed below:

Photo Gallery:

Karla Martinez with the forehand during singles play.

Breigh Shotwell with the serve.

Deborah Wright turns to hit the forehand shot.

Akanesi Fa serving.

Martinez gets off a backhand.

Wright extends on the serve.

Shotwell returning a shot at the baseline.

Abilene, TX – The Bronco’s No.1 and 2 singles players, Karla Martinez and Akanesi Fa, and No.1 doubles combination, Martinez and Fa, swept the top seeds from two NCAA Div. III schools: Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University. Head coach Zeljka Vidic said that although the Broncos as a team lost 3-6* overall to each school, she was glad to see improvement by all the players over the course of the two matches.

Here’s the results from each match:

NMMI vs. Hardin Simmons University
Singles:
NMMI’s Karla Martinez won vs. HSU’s Lisa Mertz, 6-4 ; 6-4
NMMI’s Akanesi Fa won vs. HSU’s Morgan Rainer, 6-2 ; 6-2
NMMI’s Breigh Shotwell lost vs. HSU’s Laren Jay, 6-0; 6-1
NMMI’s Debra Wright lost vs. HSU’s Brittany Brazell, 6-0; 6-0
NMMI’s Lorna Kimple lost vs. HSU’s Danielle Cochran, 6-0; 6-0

Doubles:
NMMI’s Martinez/Fa won vs. HSU’s Mertz/Brazell, 8-4
NMMI’s Shotwell/Wright lost vs. HSU’s Jennifer Cheung/Diane Crouch, 8-0

NMMI vs. McMurry
Singles:
NMMI’s Karla Martinez won vs. McM’s Natalie Rodriquez, 6-1; 6-0
NMMI’s Akanesi Fa, Nesi won vs. McM’s Whitney Zugal, 6-1; 6-2
NMMI’s Breigh Shotwell lost vs. McM’s Gavek Olsen, 6-3; 6-0
NMMI’s Debra Wright lost vs. McM’s Chelsea Miller, 6-2; 6-0
NMMI’s Lorna Kimple lost vs. McM’s Hilary Stone, 6-0; 6-0

Doubles:
NMMI’s Martinez/Fa won vs. McM’s Zugal/Rodriguez, 8-0
NMMI’s Shotwell/Wright lost vs. McM’s Olsen/Miller, 8-0

*Note: The reason for 3-6 final match scores is that since NMMI didn’t have a sixth player, they had to forfeit the final singles and doubles matches.

Top left: Karla Martinez. Bottom right: Akanesi Fa.

NMMI Sports Press
14-Dec-09

The Intercollegiate Tennis Association has released it’s pre-season rankings for NJCAA women’s tennis. The second-year New Mexico Military Institute women’s tennis program, under head coach Zeljka Vidic, has posted one singles player and one doubles team on the vaunted list:

• NMMI Freshman Karla Martinez, from Gomez Palacio, Mexico, is ranked No.12 in the nation among NJCAA Division 1 women’s tennis players.
• Martinez and her doubles partner Akanesi Fa, a sophomore from Suva, Fiji, have been tagged as the No. 9 tandem in the nation going into the Spring 2010 season.

The ITA periodically ranks NJCAA men’s and women’s tennis, listing the top 25 teams, top 100 singles players and top 40 doubles teams in the nation. The rankings listed above come from their most recent posting, released Nov. 6th, 2009, and can be viewed in it’s entirety via the link below:
NJCAA Women’s National Rankings

Hobbs – The Bronco Women’s Tennis team played a scrimmage match against the University of Southwest.  The girls played well overall, especially Karla Martinez (#1 singles and doubles) and Nesi Fa (#2 singles and #1 doubles).  They dominated in #1 and #2 singles and doubles spots. Breigh Shotwell had a tough and close match and came up just short in the 3rd set tiebreak.   Deborah Wright lost her debut match but she played better than expected.

Here are the results:

Singles
#1 Martinez, Karla – Lindsey Hoffman – 6-0, 6-1
#2 Fa, Nesi – Andrea Venegas – 6-1, 6-1
#3 Shotwell, Breigh – Kelly Sessions – 2-6, 6-3, 6-10
#4 Wright Deborah – Mary Taxton – 0-8
Wright Deborah – Tori Delgado – 0-8
Fa, Nesi – Stephanie Russell – 6-1

Doubles:
Martinez/Fa- Tori Delgado/Kelly Sessions – 6-2, 6-0