By Berry Aldridge, Staff Writer @berryaldridge21

“When I was a freshman I didn’t realize what it meant to be a Pirate,” said senior Marlen Hacke. “Now, looking back, I can see that being a Pirate means a lot more than just getting your bachelorette and practicing a lot. I learned that you are always capable of doing more than you think you can. All of it showed me that hard work and dedication will bring you closer to your goals.”

The No. 2 nationally-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State University women’s tennis program won an amazing 11th straight Peach Belt Conference regular season championship April 14, at Bacon Park here in Savannah. It was also Senior Day for the lady Pirates and highly touted seniors Hacke, Aleksandra Filipovski, Barbora Krtickova and Olga Kalodzitsa were all honored.

The Pirates swept every single match on Sunday, to cruise to a 9-0 win, bringing their current regular season winning streak to 123 straight matches dating back to 2003.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better day. Our team knows what our focus is and what we need to do to get the championship title one more time,” Filipovski said.

Filipovski won a record ninth PBC Player of the Week earlier in the week. The Hungary native has won the award four times this season and two straight weeks. Her record surpassed former Pirates Zsofi Golopencza and Iuliia Stupak. Filipovski finished the 2014 duals season at 19-1 and the singles season 20-1.

The ladies finish the season No. 1 in the PBC going into the conference tournament on April 17 in Florence, S.C.

“It’s been great to be part of this team. Us four seniors and junior Clara Perez have spent the last three years together fighting for every point in every match to win two national championships,” Krtickova said. “I am very happy to be part of this group of girls who have the same goals and are always there for each other.”