FERRIS WOMEN’S TENNIS DUO GARNERS ALL-AMERICA HONORS

Jennifer Garvey and Barbora Jilkova Named To ITA Division II All-America Team

Jennifer Garvey	Barbora Jilkova

Both Garvey and Jilkova were among 30 individuals to achieve All-America laurels and represent the first All-America honorees in the program’s history. Garvey, the 2001-02 ITA Great Lakes Region Senior Player-of-the-Year, was one of nine student-athletes to earn recognition in both the singles and doubles categories while Jilkova was among 20 players attaining doubles All-America kudos. To be eligible for All-America consideration, each individual must have finished in the top 10 doubles or top 20 singles positions in the final Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings, which are administered by the ITA.

Garvey and Jilkova, who placed fifth overall (doubles) at the 2001 ITA/National Small College Tennis Championships (Oct. 18) in Plano, Texas, compiled Ferris’ third-best single-season doubles record (29-4) and the program’s top single-season doubles victory percentage (.879) during the 2001-02 campaign. They concluded the year ranked fifth nationally in the final (May 31) doubles rankings and were the Great Lakes Region’s top ranked doubles team. The duo led FSU to a 17-9 overall record, including a third place 10-1 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) finish and the program’s seventh consecutive regional tournament appearance. The Bulldogs, rated 27th overall in the final (May 31) Omni Hotels Division II Collegiate Tennis Rankings, were eliminated in the championship match (May 4) of the 2002 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament by Northern Michigan (5-4) at FSU’s Racquet and Fitness Center in Big Rapids, Mich.

A four-time (1998-2001) first-team All-GLIAC pick, the 5-9 Garvey posted a team-leading 24-6 singles record this season while placing 12th overall in the final national singles rankings. The FSU captain concluded her four-year career as the school’s top all-time singles victory (99-25) leader and placed sixth in career singles winning percentage (.798). She also ranks second in doubles wins (109-30) and seventh in career doubles winning percentage (.784). Garvey, a 2000-01 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Scholar-Athlete honoree, finished her career ranked second among Ferris’ all-time performers in combined singles and doubles victories (208-55 – .791). The 2000 GLIAC Player-of-the-Year recently (May 16) was named to the first-team 2002 Verizon Academic All-District IV College Division Women’s Spring At-Large Team. She led Ferris to three consecutive (1999-2001) NCAA Division II National Championship appearances and claimed the 2000 ITA Mid-American Regional Singles and Doubles Championships.

Jilkova registered a 22-8 overall singles record this campaign while garnering first-team All-GLIAC honors for the second consecutive season. She presently ranks fifth in career doubles winning percentage (.792; 57-15) and is sixth in combined singles and doubles percentage (.765; 101-31) at Ferris State. The two-time (2000-01) regional doubles champion currently holds a combined 51-3 (.944) conference singles and doubles career record.

As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit, presented by the United States Tennis Association, and the Omni Hotels Collegiate Tennis Rankings for men’s and women’s tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and junior college levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship.