IRVINE, Calif.—University of Hawai'i women's tennis player Petra Melounova was named the Big West Athlete of the Week for the week of Feb. 25-March 3. It was the first time this season that she has earned the weekly award. It marked the sixth time in her career that she's been the Player of the Week which ties her with five others in the Big West record book.
 
This past Sunday, Melounova, UH's No. 1 player, upset 34th-ranked Salma Ewing of USC on the road at the Marks Tennis Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif. Melounova fell by a break in the first set, but roared back to blank Ewing in the second set and then she held off Ewing in the third set for a 4-6, 6-0, 6-0 win. It marked Melounova's fourth-straight singles win and her fifth win of the season. It marked Melounova's fourth win over a ranked player in her dual match career.
 
On Tuesday, Melounova entered the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) rankings for the first time this season at #119.
 
On Wednesday, Melounova was named UH's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. She and Stijn Van Tilburg will be honored at a special banquet on Thursday, March 14 at the Marriott Suites hotel in Garden Grove, Calif.  Each institution selected its own honorees. An electrical engineering major, Petra is scheduled to graduate in Spring 2020.  She plans to play tennis professionally and to ultimately become an astronaut.