April 30, 2013
IRVING, Texas - Old Dominion University men's tennis sophomore earned first-team All-Conference USA honors and second-team doubles honors along with doubles partner, Can Cetinel, Conference USA announced on Tuesday. The voting was conducted by the league's head coaches.
A sophomore from Madrid, Spain, Lopez Villa is currently ranked No. 101 in the country, his highest ranking of the season. He is 18-1 on the year, with three wins over ranked opponents. He started the year winning his first 13 matches before losing to a top-60 opponent from Virginia Tech. He rebounded by winning his next five matches on the year. Lopez Villa currently has an 18-1 record in singles this season.
Cetinel and Lopez Villa partnered together for the first time this season, going 14-5 and were ranked most of the season and reached as high as No. 23. The duo won eight-straight and 11-of-12 matches at one point defeated the No. 59 team from Yale, 8-4, and the No. 83 team from SMU in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Championships.
The all-conference honor is the first for Cetinel, while Lopez Villa earned third-team singles honors and second-team doubles honors from the CAA last season.
ALL-CONFERENCE SINGLES
First Team
Joran Vliegen, East Carolina
Connor Glennon, Memphis
Carlos Lopez Villa, Old Dominion
Arturs Kazijevs, SMU
Japie De Klerk, Tulsa
Clifford Marsland, Tulsa
Second Team*
Joran Vliegen, East Carolina
Joe Salisbury, Memphis
Johnny Grimal, Memphis
Jonathan Chang, Rice
Dominik Koepfer, Tulane
Carlos Bautista, Tulsa
David Zimmerman, UAB
Jorge Blasco, UCF
*due to a tie the second team is eight members instead of six.
ALL-CONFERENCE DOUBLES
First Team
Joran Vliegen/Colin Roller, East Carolina
Joe Salisbury/David O'Hare, Memphis
Clifford Marsland/Alejandro Espejo, Tulsa
Second Team
Connor Glennon/Cedric De Zutter, Memphis
Can Cetinel/Carlos Lopez Villa, Old Dominion
Arturs Kazijevs/Mischa Nowicki, SMU
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Connor Glennon, Memphis
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Dominik Koepfer, Tulane
NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Francesc Aulina, UCF
COACH OF THE YEAR
Paul Goebel, Memphis
OUTSTANDING SINGLES PLAYER OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Johnny Grimal, Memphis
OUTSTANDING DOUBLES TEAM OF THE CHAMPIONSHIP
Joe Salisbury/David O'Hare, Memphis