Northampton, MA — For the week ending 1/19/2014, George Washington’s Anna Gabriela Porras and Drexel’s Mark Kauf have been named the women’s and men’s [hpow].
A [hpow] should have a significant impact on his or her team’s performance during the prior week and demonstrate sportsmanship. Coaches and Sports Information Directors may nominate players.
There were a number of deserving candidates this week, including several players who had come-from-behind wins that propelled their teams to victory.
Anna Gabriela Porras (George Washington University): It is very rare for a player to be recognized as player of the week when their team captures a match by an 8-1 margin, but Porras, George Washington’s top player, showed true sportsmanship. Down two games to Bates’ Nessrine Arrifin, she captured the third and fourth games both by a score of 17-15. In the fifth game, Arrifin’s calf cramped up. Without giving it a thought, Porras helped her opponent stretch. In the end, Porras won the match (10-12, 9-11, 17-15, 17-15, and 11-6) and George Washington defeated Bates.
Mark Kauf (Drexel University): Last week, Drexel, the 15th-ranked team in the nation, hosted Middlebury. With the match score tied at 4-4, and Kauf being down 0-2 in his match at #3 with Middlebury’s Andrew Cadienhead, the match seemed over. Kauf, a sophomore who usually plays #4, battled back. He captured the match in five games (8-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-3, and 11-4), giving Drexel the victory.