April 23, 2004
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. - Old Dominion senior Nataly Cahana (Qiriat Bialik, Israel) and William & Mary sophomore Megan Muth (Covington, La./Covington) were selected as 2004 Colonial Athletic Association co-women's tennis Players of the Year in a vote of the league's head coaches.
Others receiving top honors from the conference include Virginia Commonwealth sophomore Olga Borisova (Minsk, Belarus) as the CAA Rookie of the Year and William and Mary's Kevin Epley as the CAA Coach of the Year.
Cahana is the first women's tennis player in CAA history to earn the league's Player of the Year honor four times. The senior is currently ranked 31st nationally in singles in the latest ITA Rankings. As Old Dominion's number one player, she posted a singles' record of 28-7 this season and was the ITA East Region singles champion. Cahana posted victories over 11 players who were ranked among the top 125 nationally this season, including four in the top 50. Cahana was the CAA Player of the Year in 2003, Co-Player of the Year in 2002 and was the CAA's Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Tournament Outstanding Performer in 2001.
Muth is the first William & Mary player to earn CAA Player of the Year honors since 2000. The sophomore is ranked 24th nationally in singles in the latest ITA rankings, recording an impressive 25-12 mark as the Tribe's number one singles player. Muth has posted 12 victories over players who are currently ranked nationally, including #10 Amber Liu of Stanford who is the defending NCAA singles champion. Muth, who was chosen as the CAA Rookie of the Year in 2003, is also ranked 34th nationally in doubles with partner Amy Wei.
Borisova is the first VCU player since 2000 to receive CAA Rookie of the Year honors. The sophomore is ranked 53rd nationally in singles in the latest ITA rankings, posting a 16-5 overall record at the number one and two positions. Borisova has recorded wins over four nationally ranked opponents this season in singles. She is also ranked 53rd nationally in doubles with partner Silvia Urickova and 59th nationally in doubles with partner Cristina Arribas.
Epley guided William and Mary to a 16-12 overall record and a perfect 3-0 mark in CAA action in his first season at the College. The Tribe, which is ranked 36th in the latest ITA Tennis Rankings, posted nine victories over ranked opponents this season. Epley was a two-time Western Athletic Conference Coach of the Year (2002, 2003) during his three seasons as head coach at Fresno State before coming to W&M.
Joining Cahana, Muth and Borisova on the All-CAA first team in singles were VCU senior Silvia Urickova (Trnava, Slovakia) and juniors Lena Sherbakov (Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos) and Amy Wei (Marietta, Ga./New Braunfels (TX) of William & Mary. The W&M team of Muth and Wei and the VCU duo of Borisova and Urickova were also named first-team All-CAA in doubles along with the Rams' team of Borisova and sophomore Cristina Arribas (Madrid, Spain).
The awards were presented Thursday night prior to the quarterfinals of the 2004 CAA Women's Tennis Championship, which resumes Friday at the Busch Courts on the campus of William & Mary. The tournament runs through Sunday, with the women's championship match set for 1:00 p.m. on April 25.
2004 ALL-CAA WOMEN'S TENNIS TEAM
First Team
Singles
Nataly Cahana, Old DominionSr.Qiriat Bialik, Israel
Megan Muth, William & MarySo.Covington, La./Covington
Olga Borisova, Virginia CommonwealthSo.Minsk, Belarus
Silvia Urickova, Virginia CommonwealthSr.Trnava, Slovakia
Lena Sherbakov, William & MaryJr.Mountain View, Calif./Los Altos
Amy Wei, William & MaryJr.Marietta, Ga./New Braunfels (TX)
Doubles
Megan Muth, William & MarySo.Covington, La./Covington
Amy Wei, William & MaryJr.Marietta, Ga./New Braunfels (TX)
Olga Borisova, Virginia CommonwealthSo.Minsk, Belarus
Silvia Urickova, Virginia CommonwealthSr.Trnava, Slovakia
Cristina Arribas, Virginia CommonwealthSo.Madrid, Spain
Olga Borisova, Virginia CommonwealthSo.Minsk, Belarus
Second Team
SinglesCristina Arribas, Virginia CommonwealthSo.Madrid, Spain
Lindsey Hess, UNC WilmingtonSo.Fayetteville, N.Y./Saddlebrook Prep
Kerstin Endlich, Old DominionSo.Neustadt, Germany
Margie Zesinger, James MadisonSr.Erie, Pa./McDowell
Emily Mowery, William & MaryFr.Bradenton, Fla./Texas Tech Univ. HS
Cristina Gago, Virginia CommonwealthSr.Carbonera, Spain
DoublesNataly Cahana, Old DominionSr.Qiriat Bialik, Israel
Kerstin Endlich, Old DominionSo.Neustadt, Germany
Silvia Urickova, Virginia CommonwealthSr.Trnava, Slovakia
Cristina Gago, Virginia CommonwealthSr.Carbonera, Spain
Sallie Kiser, UNC WilmingtonJr.Stoneville, N.C./Morehead
Lindsey Hess, UNC WilmingtonSo.Fayetteville, N.Y./Saddlebrook Prep
2004 CAA CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:Nataly Cahana, Old Dominion
Megan Muth, William & Mary
2004 CAA ROOKIE OF THE YEAR:Olga Borisova, Virginia Commonwealth
2004 CAA COACH OF THE YEAR:Kevin Epley, William and Mary