LADY PANTHERS CLAIM 2002 SIAC TENNIS CROWN

After an impressive 13-4 regular season, the Lady Panther Tennis Team finished the regular season as the eighth ranked team in the South Region of the NCAA (Division II). In addition, the Lady Panthers finished ranked as the number one team in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) with a perfect 11-0 conference record.

With that number one ranking, the Lady Panthers entered the SIAC Tennis Championships during the weekend of April 19, 2002 with hopes of avenging last year's disappointing loss to Tuskegee University in the championship match. After receiving a first round bye, the Lady Panthers easily disposed of the Lady Wildcats of Fort Valley State University in the semi-final round on Friday (May 19, 2002) with a 5-0 win.

On Saturday (April 20, 2002), in the rematch for which the Lady Panthers had waited an entire year, they met the Tigerettes of Tuskegee for the conference title. For the Lady Panthers, the wait was well worth it. The Lady Panthers defeated the Tigerettes 5-0 and claimed Clark Atlanta University's first ever SIAC Tennis Championship. On their way to the title, Sophomore Lady Panther Chanel Brown was voted "SIAC Player of the Year" for the second year in a row while Head Coach Larry Nolley was named "Head Coach of the Year."

As conference champions, the Lady Panthers received their second consecutive bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament that was held in Pensacola, Florida at West Florida University on May 3-4, 2002. Despite being defeated in the first round by Harding University, the Lady Panthers posted the best season in the history of the school.