Guilford Pair Earns All-ODAC Honors

GREENSBORO, N.C.(4/29/09) -- Guilford College placed five students on the Old Dominion Athletic Conference's (ODAC) All-ODAC Men's and Women's Tennis squads, league officials announced Wednesday. Junior Will Mason-Deese was named Second Team All-ODAC at first singles and first doubles with classmate Alec Chase. Senior Hilary Routon captured Second Team All-ODAC recognition at fourth singles and the Quakers' Nina Bollag and Liz Killion were so honored at first doubles.

Mason-Deese (left) was recognized for his play at first singles, where he posted a 6-11 record, 4-5 in league matches. The two-time Second-Team All-ODAC singles pick won the league's Men's Tennis Player of the Week Award Apr. 12 after recording wins in singles and doubles versus Randolph-Macon College Apr. 10. Mason-Deese and Chase (right) played first doubles for the Quakers and recorded a team-best 10-7 mark, 4-5 in league play. The pair, which also won second-team all-league honors last year, teamed to win the B2 Doubles Flight title at last fall’s Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association Southeast Regional Championships. Mason-Deese's combined (singles and doubles) record this year was 16-18, 8-10 in the ODAC.

The pair helped coach Eddie Luck's team to a 3-10 overall record, 2-7 in the ODAC. The Quakers placed fifth in the ODAC Tournament loss after falling to 25th-ranked Washington and Lee University in an Apr. 24 quarterfinal contest. With no seniors on the roster, the Quakers could return all eight letter winners for the 2009-10 season.

Routon (left) forged a club-best 14-5 overall singles mark, 11-3 at fourth singles. She posted a club-best 7-3 record against ODAC rivals and led the team with a 23-12 combined mark. A top win was a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 decision over fellow Second Team All-ODAC pick Kandyce Baker of Emory & Henry College. For her career, Routon compiled a 33-23 singles record and a 22-23 doubles standard in four seasons.

The Quakers' top doubles tandem, Bollag (right) and Killion had a team-high nine doubles wins in 21 contests and went 6-4 in league matches. The pair scored an 8-1 triumph over fellow Second Team All-ODAC selection Krysten Bishop and Elizabeth Eckert of Lynchburg College. Bollag, who finished the season as Guilford's number-two singles player, had a 15-27 combined record this year. Killion had a 17-24 combined mark and played third singles for the Quakers.

Routon, Bollag, and Killion (left) helped first-year coach Eddie Luck's team to a 7-9 overall record, 5-5 in the ODAC. The Quakers reached the ODAC Tournament as the number-six seed and finished in sixth place. With the loss of two seniors, Luck expects six letter winners back for the 2009-10 season.