April 26, 2012

Freshmen Mikelis Libietis and Hunter Reese were named All-SEC after leading the Vols at the top of the lineup their first year, the conference office released Thursday.

Libietis earned SEC first-team accolades, and Reese was named to the second team.

On a Tennessee team that featured only one returning starter from 2011, Libietis and Reese were tasked with playing high in the lineup, playing No. 1 and 2 singles and teaming up to form the No. 1 doubles team. The freshman Vols have reached career highs in the singles rankings this week with Libietis at No. 30 and Reese at No. 74. They are ranked 12th in doubles.

Not surprisingly, Libietis and Reese were also named to the seven-player SEC All-Freshman Team. Tennessee was the only school with more than two players on the freshman list. Nik Scholtz of Mississippi was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

Libietis, a native of Priekuli, Latvia, has won his last two matches atop of the Vols lineup at the SEC Championships last week to improve his record to 20-13 entering NCAA play. Because he is ranked 30th, he will almost assuredly receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Singles Championships in May.

Reese, a redshirt freshman from Kennesaw, Ga., moved up from court 3 to court 2 midway through the year and has the second-most wins on the team with a 19-13 record. Seven of his wins have come against ranked opponents.

In doubles, Libietis and Reese because what is believed to be Tennessee's first all-freshman pair to crack the top-10 in the national rankings. They have been ranked as high as seventh in the country and are now 12th with a 22-10 record.

SEC Postseason Tennis Awards
First Team All-SEC

Andreas Mies, Auburn

Alex Stamchev, Auburn

KU Singh, Georgia

Wil Spencer, Georgia

Panav Jha, Kentucky

Alex Musialek, Kentucky

Eric Quigley, Kentucky

Anthony Rossi, Kentucky

Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss

Marvel Thiemann, Ole Miss

Louis Cant, Mississippi State

Artem Ilyushin, Mississippi State

Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee



Second Team All-SEC

Ricky Doverspike, Alabama

Tripper Carleton, Florida

Bob van Overbeek, Florida

Nassim Slilam, Florida

Sadio Doumbia, Georgia

Ignacio Taboada, Georgia

Tom Jomby, Kentucky

Olivier Borsos, LSU

Neal Skupski, LSU

Jonas Lutjen, Ole Miss

Hunter Reese, Tennessee

Charlie Jones, Vanderbilt

Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt



All-Freshman

Nathan Pasha, Georgia

Chris Simpson, LSU

Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss

Andrew Adams, South Carolina

Mikelis Libietis, Tennessee

Hunter Reese, Tennessee

Gonzales Austin, Vanderbilt



Player of the Year

Eric Quigley, Kentucky



Freshman of the Year

Nik Scholtz, Ole Miss



Coach of the Year

Dennis Emery, Kentucky



Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Charlie Jones, Vanderbilt