NORFOLK, Va. – For the second straight year, Old Dominion women's tennis head coach, Dominic Manilla, was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year. Holly Hutchinson earned Player of the Year honors, while a total of six different Monarchs garnered All-Conference accolades, which was the most by any league member.
Dominic Manilla – Coach of the Year
The highlights kept coming throughout the 2019-20 season, as Manilla's team finished with a No. 24 national ranking (the highest ranking of any C-USA team), while Yulia Starodubtseva and Alesya Yakubovich ended the year as the No. 7 ranked doubles tandem in the country, which is the highest doubles ranking in program history. Manilla was named the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) Virginia Member of the Year for his efforts. Over the past three years, Coach Manilla has been awarded the 2018 and 2019 ITA Atlantic Region Coach of the Year, the 2019 and 2020 Conference USA Coach of the Year and the 2018 and 2019 VaSID State Coach of the Year.
Holly Hutchinson – Player of the Year, Singles First Team
In the spring, Holly Hutchinson pulled off one of the biggest upsets for the college tennis year after taking down UNC's No. 2 nationally ranked singles player, Cameron Morra, in straight sets at the ITA Kickoff Weekend in Chapel Hill, N.C. Hutchinson was named the ITA Arthur Ashe Leadership & Sportsmanship Award Winner for the Atlantic region. She was selected to compete in the ITA All-American Championships in Tulsa, Okla. for singles, as well as doubles and also received an at-large bid to the Oracle ITA National Fall Singles Championships in Newport Beach, Cali. Hutchinson ended the year nationally ranked No. 38 in singles, which was the highest ranked student-athlete from Conference USA. The Middlesex, England-native also garnered First Team All-State honors for singles.
Yulia Starodubtseva – Singles First Team, Doubles First Team
Yulia Starodubtseva was named the C-USA Athlete of the Month twice in the fall and garnered C-USA Athlete of the Week honors once in the spring. Starodubtseva claimed the ITA Atlantic Region doubles crown with teammate Alesya Yakubovich, punching their ticket to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Newport Beach, Cali., where they downed three nationally ranked tandems to ultimately advance to the Semifinals. Starodubtseva and Yakubovich went from being unranked in doubles to finishing the year nationally ranked No. 7, which marks the highest ranked doubles tandem in program history. In the spring, Starodubtseva went 10-2 in singles and a perfect 5-0 in doubles. She was recently named to the All-State First Team for both singles and doubles. The Kakhovka, Ukraine-native was nationally ranked as high as No. 104 in singles by the ITA.
Alesya Yakubovich – Singles First Team, Doubles First Team
Alesya Yakubovich was named the Conference USA Athlete of the Week once earlier in the year. Yakubovich claimed the ITA Atlantic Region doubles crown with teammate Yulia Starodubtseva, earning an automatic bid to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships in Newport Beach, Cali., where they ultimately advance to the Final Four. Yakubovich/Starodubtseva finished the year nationally ranked No. 7, which marks the highest ranked doubles tandem in program history. For the spring season, Yakubovich went a perfect 5-0 in doubles and put together an 8-2 mark in singles action. The Minsk, Belarus-native was named to the First Team All-State for doubles. Yakubovich played the No. 3 slot in singles for the Monarchs and clinched the match with a nationally ranked win at LSU in Baton Rouge.
Shahar Biran – Singles Second Team, Doubles Second Team
Shahar Biran made it all the way to the Semifinals at ITA Atlantic Regional Doubles Tournament with teammate Alexandra Viktorovich. She also advanced to the Main Draw of the ITF 25k in Florence, S.C. During the spring season, the Hod Hahsaron, Israel-native went a perfect 7-0 in singles and 7-3 in doubles.
Alexandra Viktorovich – Doubles Second Team
Alexandra Viktorovich advanced to the Semifinals at ITA Atlantic Regional Doubles Tournament with teammate Shahar Biran. During her true freshman campaign, the Jonkoping, Sweden-native compiled an 8-3 record in doubles for the spring season and 6-2 mark in singles.
Tatsiana Sasnouskaya - All-Freshman Team
In her first (abbreviated) spring season in an Old Dominion uniform, Tatsiana Sasnouskaya put together an impressive 8-3 record in singles, while posting a 7-2 mark in doubles. The Minsk, Belarus-native was one of eight student-athletes named to the 2020 Conference USA All-Freshman Team.
2020 C-USA Women's Tennis Superlative Awards
Player of the Year presented by Ready Nutrition – Holly Hutchinson, Old Dominion
Freshman of the Year – Radka Buzkova, Florida Atlantic
Newcomer of the Year – Maria Ponomareva, North Texas
Coach of the Year – *Dominic Manilla, Old Dominion
All-Conference USA Singles
First Team
Kamila Umarova, FIU
Radka Buzkova, Florida Atlantic
Lidia Burrows, Middle Tennessee
*Holly Hutchinson, Old Dominion
*Yulia Starodubtseva, Old Dominion
Alesya Yakubovich, Old Dominion
*Anna Bowtell, Rice
*Priya Niezgoda, Rice
Jana Hecking, UAB
Second Team
Margaux Maquet, Charlotte
Rocio Safont, Charlotte
*Natalie Kallmunzerova, Florida Atlantic
Ana Jover, Louisiana Tech
*Anna Smith, Marshall
Maria Ponomareva, North Texas
Shahar Biran, Old Dominion
Jasmin Starr, UTSA
All-Conference USA Doubles
First Team
Liz Stefancic/Jutte Van Hansewyck, Marshall
Yulia Starodubtseva/Alesya Yakubovich, Old Dominion
*Anna Bowtell/Victoria Smirnova, Rice
*Priya Niezgoda/Anastasia Smirnova, Rice
Second Team
*Kamila Umarova/Basak Akbas, FIU
Martina Kudelova/May Kimhi, Florida Atlantic
Alexandra Heczey/Hala Khaled Badwy, North Texas
Shahar Biran/Alexandra Viktorovich, Old Dominion
*Repeat Honorees
C-USA All-Freshman Team
Margaux Maquet, Charlotte
Kaavya Sawhney, Charlotte
Kristina Miletic, FIU
Radka Buzkova, Florida Atlantic
Alexia Romero, Louisiana Tech
Tatsiana Sasnouskaya, Old Dominion
Sarah Medik, Southern Miss
Adela Wasserbauerova, UAB
Manilla & Hutchinson Highlight 2020 All C-USA Awards; Six Monarchs Named to All-League Teams
