IRVING, Texas – TheOld Dominion women’s tennis team placed five different players on All Conference USA teams, as well as garnered the Freshman of the Year award and placed one double’s duo on the Third Team. Only Rice placed more student-athletes on the all conference teams than ODU.
Borislava Bothusharova was named Conference USA Freshman of the Year, as well as earned First Team All Conference USA honors. She was the No. 6 ranked Newcomer/Freshman in the entire NCAA entering her first semester at ODU, and followed that up by compiling an astonishing 18-2 singles record for Old Dominion this season, while playing in the number one slot as a true freshman. Botusharova won 15 of her 18 matches in straight sets, while raking in three C-USA Player of the Week awards and being nationally ranked throughout the season. At one point this year, Botusharova won 14 matches in a row, knocking off multiple nationally ranked opponents.
Also making First Team All Conference USA for singles was Ingrid Vojcinakova. Not even a year removed from a major knee injury/surgery, Vojcinakova proved her perseverance and resiliency by completing this season with an impressive 17-5 singles record as Old Dominion’s primary No. 3. The Slovakia-native went a five-match winning streak on three different occasions throughout this past season. At one point this year, Vojcinakova claimed victory in 15 of her 17 matches. She has been a Dean’s List recipient 3 out of 3 semesters. Vojcinakova has been named to the C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll and earned a C-USA Commissioner’s Academic Medal as well. She tied for second on team with most wins in singles play.
Nikol Hristova made Second Team All C-USA for singles after winning matches in three different positions (No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3) for Old Dominion this season. She never lost in the No. 1 slot during the regular season. At one point this year, Hristova tallied up a five-match winning-streak.
Also making Second Team All Conference USA for singles was Marijana Novakovic. Novakovic had herself quite a season for Old Dominion this season, tallying a 17-4 overall mark in singles play, which tied for second on the team for most victories this year. At one point this season, Novakovic claimed victory in 16 out of 18 matches. She started the season on a five-match winning-streak before her first loss. Marijana then reeled off five more consecutive wins before losing just her second match of the season. After that loss, she went ahead and won six straight matches, which was her longest streak of the season.
Ivana Vukovic was the fifth Old Dominion player to make an All C-USA singles squad, as she ended the season on a nine-match winning-streak, which indicated she played her best tennis when it was needed the most. Vukovic started the season going just 2-3, before going 12-1 the rest of the way to finish with a 14-4 overall record. She also had three matches end ‘unfinished’, in which she was leading all three matches when before they eventually got called off due to the clinch rule. She also went a perfect 2-0 at the C-USA Tournament.
ODU’s double tandem consisting of Borislava Botusharova and Nikol Hristova garnered Third Team All Conference USA honors. Botusharova and Hristova tag-teamed to play No. 1 doubles for a lot of the season for Old Dominion and compiled an impressive 8-6 record while doing so. Perhaps their biggest win came against the No. 40 ranked tandem in the NCAA, which was Georgia State’s Linn Timmerman and Tarani Kamoe, who Botusharova/Hristova eventually shutout, 6-0, helping lead ODU to a team victory in the process. ODU’s duo won three of their last four matches together.
Conference USA Release
Building on her established collegiate career as a four-time All-Conference USA first-team selection, Rice senior Natalie Beazant was named the 2015 C-USA Women's Tennis Player of the Year for the second time of her career (2012). The 29th-ranked player nationally finished the spring season with a 17-3 mark in singles at the No. 1 position. For her career, Beazant's 112 career victories rank third in school history as she became just the fourth Owl to reach 100 wins. The Leigh, England, native was a two-time C-USA Women's Tennis Athlete of the Week recipient on the season before leading Rice to its third straight C-USA Championship title.
Earning her fourth consecutive Coach of the Year honor is Rice's Elizabeth Schmidt, the first coach in league history to do so. In her seventh year, Schmidt has guided the Owls to a No. 28 national ranking and the coveted three-peat to earn the league's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Championship. Rice boasts six all conference singles selections, with Beazant, sophomore Katherine Ip and freshman Savannah Durkin landing on the first team. The duo of freshman Lindsey Hodge and sophomore Alison Ho took the Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship award by clinching the doubles point in two of three wins at the conference tournament.
FIU senior Yana Koroleva made an immediate impact in her first season with the Panthers to claim Newcomer of the Year honors. The Clemson transfer totaled an overall record of 25-7 and a perfect 3-0 mark at the C-USA Championship to be named Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship and All-C-USA First Team. The Russian finished with an 8-0 mark versus conference opponents and was an integral part of FIU registering the most wins (13) in a season since 2011. Koroleva also teamed with sophomore Nina Nagode to be tabbed All-C-USA First Team in doubles as the duo ranks 88th in the April 21 ITA Rankings, while Panthers' junior Carlotta Orlando was also named to the first team in singles.
No. 59 Old Dominion freshman Borislava Botusharova stepped right into the No. 1 spot in her debut season, compiling an astonishing 18-2 singles record to be named C-USA Freshman of the Year. Spending most of her season in the national polls, the debutant won 15 of her 18 matches in straight sets and earned three C-USA Player of the Week accolades along the way. Botusharova is joined on the first team by sophomore teammate Ingrid Vojcinakova.
No. 55 Marshall and Middle Tennessee both placed multiple singles players on All-C-USA First Team. Sophomores Derya Turhan and Anna Pomyatinskaya represent the Herd, while senior Tiffany William and junior Daria Shulzhanok are the Blue Raiders' honorees. Rounding out the All-C-USA Singles first team is Alexandra Starkova of Louisiana Tech, North Texas senior Kseniya Bardabush and UTSA sophomore Miriam Rosell Canudas.
The entire 2015 All-Conference USA Women's Tennis selections and Specialty Awards can be seen below:
Player of the Year
Natalie Beazant, Rice
Freshman of the Year
Borislava Botusharova, Old Dominion
Newcomer of the Year
Yana Koroleva, FIU
Coach of the Year
Elizabeth Schmidt, Rice
Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship
Yana Koroleva, FIU
Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship
Lindsey Hodge/Alison Ho, Rice
All-Conference USA First Team Singles
Yana Koroleva, FIU
Carlotta Orlando, FIU
Alexandra Starkova, Louisiana Tech
Derya Turhan, Marshall
Anna Pomyatinskaya, Marshall
Tiffany William, Middle Tennessee
Daria Shulzhanok, Middle Tennessee
Kseniya Bardabush, North Texas
Borislava Botusharova, Old Dominion
Ingrid Vojcinakova, Old Dominion
Natalie Beazant, Rice
Katherine Ip, Rice
Savannah Durkin, Rice
Miriam Rosell Canudas, UTSA
All-Conference USA Second Team Singles
Nina Nagode, FIU
Bianca Biglione, Florida Atlantic
Maddie Silver, Marshall
Brittany Huxley, Middle Tennessee
Giulia Squadrin, Middle Tennessee
Anastasiya Shestakova, North Texas
Nikol Hristova, Old Dominion
Marijana Novakovic, Old Dominion
Lindsey Hodge, Rice
Liat Zimmerman, Rice
Davina Meza, UTEP
Tereza Hejlova, WKU
All-Conference USA Third Team Singles
Macy Vonderschmidt, Charlotte
Nerma Caluk, FIU
Jazmin Britos, Louisiana Tech
Kai Broomfield, Marshall
Rachael Morales, Marshall
Nayara Moraes, Middle Tennessee
Ivana Vukovic, Old Dominion
Solo Zinko, Rice
Carolin Dreshcer, Southern Miss
Pardis Kianoush, UAB
All-Conference USA First Team Doubles
Yana Koroleva/Nina Nagode, FIU
Natalie Beazant/Liat Zimmerman, Rice
Alison Ho/Lindsey Hodge, Rice
All-Conference USA Second Team Doubles
Derya Turhan/Anna Pomyatinskaya, Marshall
Kseniya Bardabush/Franziska Sprinkmeyer, North Texas
Savannah Durkin/Solo Zinko, Rice
All-Conference USA Third Team Doubles
Giulia Squadrin/Jesse Grace, Middle Tennessee
Borislava Botusharova/Nikol Hristova, Old Dominion
Adreanna Christopoulou/Emilia Granstrom, WKU