Bernardo Saraiva became the fifth man to earn first-team singles honors for USF. Alongside, partner Nils Skajaa, he also nabbed second-team doubles accolades.
Bernardo Saraiva Earns First Team All-WCC Honors
4/21/2014 4:47:00 PM | Men's Tennis
Saraiva's video highlights | Complete release
SAN FRANCISCO – Bernardo Saraiva, a junior from Lisbon, Portugal, was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team, announced by the league offices.
Saraiva stands as the fifth Don to be honored as a first team selection, the first since Thai Tu (2010). Saraiva, a second team selection last season, is the only non-senior on the on the distinguished list of six. He joins the company of head coach Pablo Pires de Almeida, who was an All-WCC honoree in 2005.
"It's a huge honor. Our conference is a very tough conference, and to be a part of the first team in singles or doubles you really have to earn it," Pires de Almeida said. "And the great thing is that as a coach, I can't vote for my guys. The other coaches have to vote for those players, and it's the best honor when another coach from another program is saying this person competes at a very high level and deserves All-WCC accolades. I think that it's great recognition for the player and fulfillment for their hard work, but also for the program."
Saraiva closed the season strong from the No. 1 position, stringing together five straight singles wins, and has been victorious in seven of his last eight matches. He finishes the regular season with a 18-7 dual match record to lead the Dons, and a 24-11 mark including fall action.
Also earning recognition by the league coaches is the No. 1 tandem of Saraiva and sophomore Nils Skajaa. The pair has earned victories in their last six outings on the court to stand with a 13-7 spring record. This marks the second straight second-team selection for the duo.
"They have such good chemistry," Pires de Almeida said. "This year was a tougher year because they saw that they could compete at the high national level, and they really started to put a little too much pressure on themselves. A couple of tiebreakers against good teams didn't go their way in the middle of the season and that kind of hurt their confidence, but I think the last three weeks has just been about getting them back on their positive, nothing-to-lose mentality, and they have. They showed that at Boise State, and they've showed that now for the last six matches."
In USF's last six contests, along with wins for Saraiva and Skajaa, the Dons have been performing well as a unit. USF won five of its last six matches heading into postseason play, including three-straight conference contests on the road. USF finished the regular season with a mark of 14-13, matching last year's win tally.
"It's great to see the recognition for our players and program at the conference level," added Director of Tennis Peter Bartlett. "To have our student-athletes on the All-Conference teams in one of the toughest conferences in the nation should tell them and us we are moving in the right direction. One of our goals each year is to get that recognition. Both the men's and women's program have put together good seasons with some good results, and we definitely have some great players coming up on both sides who continue to prove themselves and get better each season."
The Dons prepare to compete at the WCC Championships this week, with matches slated to begin Wednesday and culminate Saturday from San Diego, Calif.
2014 WCC Men's Tennis Award Winners
Player of the Year: Alex Sarkissian, Pepperdine
Freshman of the Year: Miguel Diaz, Pacific
Coach of the Year:Aaron Gross, Portland
SAN FRANCISCO – Bernardo Saraiva, a junior from Lisbon, Portugal, was selected to the All-West Coast Conference First Team, announced by the league offices.
Saraiva stands as the fifth Don to be honored as a first team selection, the first since Thai Tu (2010). Saraiva, a second team selection last season, is the only non-senior on the on the distinguished list of six. He joins the company of head coach Pablo Pires de Almeida, who was an All-WCC honoree in 2005.
"It's a huge honor. Our conference is a very tough conference, and to be a part of the first team in singles or doubles you really have to earn it," Pires de Almeida said. "And the great thing is that as a coach, I can't vote for my guys. The other coaches have to vote for those players, and it's the best honor when another coach from another program is saying this person competes at a very high level and deserves All-WCC accolades. I think that it's great recognition for the player and fulfillment for their hard work, but also for the program."
Saraiva closed the season strong from the No. 1 position, stringing together five straight singles wins, and has been victorious in seven of his last eight matches. He finishes the regular season with a 18-7 dual match record to lead the Dons, and a 24-11 mark including fall action.
Also earning recognition by the league coaches is the No. 1 tandem of Saraiva and sophomore Nils Skajaa. The pair has earned victories in their last six outings on the court to stand with a 13-7 spring record. This marks the second straight second-team selection for the duo.
"They have such good chemistry," Pires de Almeida said. "This year was a tougher year because they saw that they could compete at the high national level, and they really started to put a little too much pressure on themselves. A couple of tiebreakers against good teams didn't go their way in the middle of the season and that kind of hurt their confidence, but I think the last three weeks has just been about getting them back on their positive, nothing-to-lose mentality, and they have. They showed that at Boise State, and they've showed that now for the last six matches."
In USF's last six contests, along with wins for Saraiva and Skajaa, the Dons have been performing well as a unit. USF won five of its last six matches heading into postseason play, including three-straight conference contests on the road. USF finished the regular season with a mark of 14-13, matching last year's win tally.
"It's great to see the recognition for our players and program at the conference level," added Director of Tennis Peter Bartlett. "To have our student-athletes on the All-Conference teams in one of the toughest conferences in the nation should tell them and us we are moving in the right direction. One of our goals each year is to get that recognition. Both the men's and women's program have put together good seasons with some good results, and we definitely have some great players coming up on both sides who continue to prove themselves and get better each season."
The Dons prepare to compete at the WCC Championships this week, with matches slated to begin Wednesday and culminate Saturday from San Diego, Calif.
2014 WCC Men's Tennis Award Winners
Player of the Year: Alex Sarkissian, Pepperdine
Freshman of the Year: Miguel Diaz, Pacific
Coach of the Year:Aaron Gross, Portland
2014 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE TEAM
SINGLES - FIRST TEAM
| Player | School | Year |
| Francis Alcantara | Pepperdine | Sr. |
| Michael Hu Kwo | Portland | Sr. |
| John Lamble | Santa Clara | Sr. |
| Bernardo Saraiva | San Francisco | Jr. |
| Alex Sarkissian | Pepperdine | Sr. |
| Clarke Spinosa | San Diego | Sr. |
2014 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE TEAM
SINGLES - SECOND TEAM
| Player | School | Year |
| Ilya Osintsev | Santa Clara | Jr. |
| Uros Petronijevic | San Diego | So. |
| Francis Sargeant | BYU | Jr. |
| David Sofaer | Pepperdine | Sr. |
| Sem Verbeek | Pacific | So. |
| Todd Volmari | Loyola Marymount | Jr. |
HONORABLE MENTION - SINGLES: Miguel Diaz, Pacific; Andrey Goryachkov, BYU; Romain Kalaydjian, San Diego; Nick Kamisar, Gonzaga; Ashot Khacharyan, Santa Clara; Reid deLaubenfels, Portland; Tuomas Manner, Saint Mary's; Cristobal Rivera, Loyola Marymount; Daniel Simko, Loyola Marymount; Filip Vittek, San Diego
2014 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE TEAM
DOUBLES - FIRST TEAM
| Player | Player | School |
| Francis Alcantara | Alex Sarkissian | Pepperdine |
| John Lamble | Ilya Osintsev | Santa Clara |
| Clarke Spinosa | Filip Vittek | San Diego |
2014 ALL-WEST COAST CONFERENCE TEAM
DOUBLES - SECOND TEAM
| Player | Player | School |
| Daniel Alameh | Marlon Brand | Pacific |
| Alex Ferrero | Ratan Gill | Portland |
| Bernardo Saraiva | Nils Skajaa | San Francisco |
HONORABLE MENTION - DOUBLES: Tuomas Manner/James Markiewicz, Saint Mary's; Ciaran Fitzgerald/Andrew Raphaelson, San Diego
2014 WEST COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TENNIS
CHAMPIONSHIP SEEDING
1. San Diego
2. Pepperdine
3. Portland
4. Santa Clara
5. Loyola Marymount
6. BYU
7. Pacific
8. San Francisco
9. Saint Mary's
10. Gonzaga
Monday, May 11
Monday, May 11
Monday, May 11
Saturday, May 09
