The Illinois State womens tennis team dominated the All-Missouri Valley Conference Tennis Team by placing five singles players and two doubles teams on the first-team. For the second straight year, the Birds have won the Freshman of the Year and the Coach of the Year, as well.
The Redbirds (21-5, 9-0 MVC) placed Alesia Mikalayeva, Liina Suurvarik, Zana Friganovic and Brigette Zarazee on the all-conference team at the No.1-3 and No. 6 singles positions, respectively. Mikalayeva and Suurvarik received all-conference recognition at No. 1 doubles while Zarazee and Shelby Lipson earned the distinction at No. 3 doubles.
Suurvarik, a native of Tallinn, Estonia, shares 2001 Freshman of the Year honors with Tana Trapani of Southern Illinois while head coach Chris Hoover claimed his second Coach of the Year honor in as many years.
Its nice to get the honor because the coaches vote, but all of the credit goes to the tam. They make me look great, Hoover said.
Mikalayeva, the 2000 Valley Freshman of the Year, finds herself on the all-conference squad in the No. 1 spot for the second year in a row. In league play this year, Mikalayeva has a flawless mark of 15-0 boosting her career record against Valley opponents to 25-1. She claimed the No. 2 singles title at the MVC Individual Championships in the fall season.
At the No. 2 spot, Suurvarik posted a conference record of 15-1 and 30-7 overall and was named the Valley Player of the Week twice (April 3-10 and April 30-May 7). In the fall, Suurvarik won the Valley No.1 singles title at the individual championships.
Friganovic went a perfect 9-0 in spring conference play and 13-1 on the year. The senior from Tucson, Ariz. has an overall record of 25-10 and a career mark of 75-55 to sit in eighth-place on ISUs top ten wins list.
Zarazee, a senior from Michigan City, Ind., went 9-2 in league play this season and 27-8 overall. With a career record of 94-48, Zarazee sits in third-place on the career win list, one win out of second. Winning two individual conference titles in the fall (No. 5 singles and No. 3 doubles) put Zarazees total at four, the most by any player at Illinois State.
At No. 1 doubles, Mikalayeva and Suurvarik swept conference opponents this spring and have an overall mark of 22-4. The No. 3 duo of Zarazee and sophomore Shelby Lipson, ranked as high as No. 39 in the nation, dropped one Valley match and have a stellar season record of 22-2.
The Redbirds return to action on May 12 when they travel to Stillwater, Okla. for a first-round match with Wake Forest in the NCAA Championships.
