LAKE CHARLES – McNeese women's tennis player Hannah Brett is in the midst of the longest winning streak in the nation with 17 consecutive victories in singles play dating back to last spring.
 
The streak is one of the most impressive in collegiate athletics at the moment with women's tennis powerhouses such as Stanford, Oklahoma and USC not able to sport a streak that similar. Western Kentucky's Elpida Malamou stands second with 13 straight matches won.
 
Brett, a native of Wokingham, Berkshire, England, was quite impressed about the streak when finding out that it was one of the longest in the country following the Cowgirls match with Baylor last Sunday.
 
"I was so surprised when I found out last weekend," said Brett. "We had just lost our match against Baylor and finding out from coach after the match about having the longest winning streak in the nation definitely lifted my spirits. I felt very proud of myself. The girls also were very happy for me, which made it even better."
 
However, Brett has had her share of challenges along the way and has face off against some of the top talent around the country.
 
"I would say the toughest opponent was during last season," said Brett. "We played Northwestern State and I had a tough three set match against Polina Ivanova. I managed to come back after being one set down and that was the only set I dropped during last season."
 
Brett lost the first set, 2-6, but bounced back to take the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 and defeat Ivanova for the win in the fourth position. During the span of the win streak, Brett is 11-0 in matches against Southland Conference opponents.
 
There have been moments of pure joy that Brett and the rest of her Cowgirl teammates have experienced during the winning streak. One of those moments came in a showdown against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
"I would say the most memorable match was the very last match I played last season against A&M-Corpus Christi," said Brett. "I finished my last match strong and confident and I was very pumped at the end. Especially when I saw my teammate Sarah had won at the same time as I did, which gave us a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately we just came short as a team but I will never forget how bad I wanted to win that match, not only for myself but for my team too."
 
Despite holding the longest streak in the nation, Brett credits her success to hard work alone.
 
I don't really have any superstitions when it comes to my matches," said Brett. "I just play my game and fight until the very end and that's all I can do. Some days will obviously be better than others, although when you play with your heart and give it all you got then I know I could not have done any more, win or lose.
 
Brett is encouraged each and every day by both her coaches and her teammates. At the end of the day, that recipe calls for success.
 
"My teammates know that I will give 100% every time I am on the court and to have them there supporting me makes this experience even better," said Brett."