Tarleton State Tennis clinches WAC Singles, Doubles Weekly Awards for fifth time

STEPHENVILLE, Texas – For the fifth time in 2025, Tarleton State Tennis swept the weekly awards from the Western Athletic Conference.

Freshman Duru Kuscu was named the WAC Singles Player of the Week while senior Noelia Lorca and junior Emma Persson were tabbed as the WAC Doubles Team of the Week on Tuesday.

The singles honor marks Kuscu's second of the season. Persson collected her fifth doubles weekly honor in 2025 and Lorca earned her third weekly honor of the season in doubles. Lorca was named WAC Doubles Team of the Week last week with junior Ximena Morales.

Kuscu went 1-0 this week in singles at the No. 2 spot, defeating Erica Hagi in three sets to help Tarleton State to a 5-2 win at McNeese last Tuesday. The freshman from Turkey won her first singles match since returning from injury, collecting her fifth singles victory at the collegiate level. Her win on Court 2 helped Tarleton State to its seventh match win in a row, matching the longest win streak in the Division I Era.

This past fall, Kuscu won both her matches in qualifying to punch her ticket into the singles main draw of the 2024 ITA Texas Regional Championships. Kuscu was a former No. 1 U16 tennis player in Turkey and ranked as high as No. 9 among all ages in Turkey. She earned a spot on the Turkish National Team, playing at the four-position

Pairing for the first time this season, Lorca/Persson won their lone doubles match at the No. 1 spot this past week by defeating McNeese's Salome Fluri/Stella. The duo helped the Texans clinch the doubles point for the seventh time in the last eight matches. Lorca/Persson won their first match of the season as a duo, clinching their 14th win together total dating back to last season.

After receiving WAC All-Conference Second Team honors last season, Lorca captured the first-ever WAC Tennis Invitational singles championship this fall. The October WAC Women's Tennis Singles Player of the Month finished the 2024 spring season with an 18-2 singles record, including a 6-1 mark in WAC play. The Spainaird capped off her junior season by being named to the 2024 WAC All-Tournament Team.

Persson, the 2023 WAC Player and Freshman of the Year, was tabbed to the 2023 WAC All-Tournament Doubles Team. She compiled 15 doubles wins in her sophomore campaign last year, tied for the most on the Texans. The Swedish junior finished the fall campaign by clinching the consolation doubles final with senior Noelia Lorca at 2024 ITA Texas Regional Championships.

The Texans will go on the road this weekend to take on North Texas and UT Arlington starting on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Denton.

Tarleton State's 2025 WAC honors:
Singles Player of the Week
Jan. 28 - Duru Kuscu
Feb. 4 - Maria Castano
Feb. 18 - Emma Persson
March 4 - Noelia Lorca
March 25 - Duru Kuscu

Doubles Team of the Week
Jan. 28 - Maretha Burger and Emma Persson
Feb. 4 - Noelia Lorca and Ximena Morales
Feb. 18 - Maretha Burger and Emma Persson
Feb. 25 - Maretha Burger and Emma Persson
March 4 - Maretha Burger and Emma Persson
March 18 - Noelia Lorca and Ximena Morales
March 25 - Noelia Lorca and Emma Persson

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Players Mentioned

Maretha Burger: Senior

Noelia Lorca: Senior

Ximena Morales: Junior

Emma Persson: Junior

Maria Castano: Freshman

Duru Kuscu: Freshman

Players Mentioned

Maretha Burger
: Senior

Noelia Lorca
: Senior

Ximena Morales
: Junior

Emma Persson
: Junior

Maria Castano
: Freshman

Duru Kuscu
: Freshman