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Ademovic named OVC Freshman of the Year, Bailey and Norbiato named first-team All-OVC

APSU Men’s Tennis

Austin Peay State University GovernorsClarksville, TN – Jasmin Ademovic, of the Austin Peay State University men’s tennis team, was named Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year to highlight the Govs postseason tennis honors. Ademovic, along with sophomores Henrique Norbiato and Sean Bailey, also were named All-OVC first team.

Jasmin AdemovicNot only is Ademovic the first Govs player to be named Freshman of the Year, it also was the first time in school history for the Govs to have three players earn first-team All-OVC accolades.

Norbiato picked up his second first-team selection and it is the first for Bailey, who was a second-team pick last year.

The three standout Govs led a team without an upperclassman to its best regular-season finish since the 1998 season, entering the 2011 OVC Tennis Tournament with a first-round bye as the overall No. 2 seed.

Ademovic played at the top two singles spots, compiling a 12-5 overall mark and going 5-1 in OVC play. He began the season at No. 1, playing 10 of his first 11 matches at the position. A road win at Xavier sparked a four-match win streak, but he would lose three in row before moving to No. 2 singles, where he would finish the season. He would go on to win his last six matches, capping the season with a three-set come-from-behind win against Jacksonville State.

“Jasmin is a very competitive kid,” head coach Malik Tabet said. “He likes to win matches and he likes to fight. He played the hardest spots and was still able to bring home points for his team. Now, he still has a lot of work to do and that’s part of being a freshman. He has a tremendous future with this program.”

On the doubles side, Ademovic teamed with fellow freshman Remi Calleja at No. 2 doubles, where they went 11-4 with a 4-2 OVC mark. Their strong play, along with that of Bailey and Norbiato, at No. 1 doubles, can account for the Govs winning 15 of 17 doubles points this season.

Henrique NorbiatoNorbiato backed up a strong freshman campaign with an even better sophomore year. Not only did he play the top two singles positions, he went 14-3 during the spring with a 5-1 OVC mark. He opened the year winning eight of his first nine matches, his only loss coming in a three-setter against Lipscomb. Norbiato moved to No. 1 singles against Middle Tennessee and closed the season with six straight-set wins.

“Henrique did a good job at putting things together,” Tabet said. “He was focused all year round and one of the best players in this conference. He deserves what he’s gotten and I’m very proud of him. He’s been consistent all year round, no matter what position we play him in. He systematically comes in and does his job. That’s what I like about him.”

The doubles team of Norbaito and Bailey anchored the Govs young team. A year ago, doubles play was a glaring weakness as the Govs lost in the OVC Tournament quarterfinals. Norbiato and Bailey took it upon themselves to change that and were successful in doing so. The pair opened the season with nine-straight wins and finished with 13 wins at No. 1 doubles and a 4-2 OVC mark.

Sean BaileyBailey was the only Governors player to go undefeated in OVC play, winning all six matches played at No. 3 singles. For the season, he won 14 of 17 matches, including 13 at No. 3. He also went 1-1 at No. 2 singles. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Bailey’s game was of his 14 wins, only one came in three-sets. He closed the season winning nine of his last 10.

“It’s nice to have players that show the discipline that you expect from student-athletes and the results show,” Tabet said. “Sean tremendously improved, but a lot of it was mental. He’s gotten better in handling his matches, whether they are going well or not going well. He’s responded to the type of coaching that we’ve given him and he’s moving forward with his game.”

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