ST. LOUIS – After sweeping the regular season and earning the No. 1 seed in this weekend's Missouri Valley Conference Tennis Championship, Illinois State collected a slew of honors Thursday from the league office. Freshman Tijana Zlatanovic was named the league's Player and Freshman of the Year in the annual vote of league coaches and ISU head coach Maja Kovacek was named the MVC Coach of the Year among other honors.
With a stellar start to her collegiate career, Zlatanovic became the first student-athlete in league history to earn both the Player of the Year and the Freshman of the Year in the same season. A four-time MVC Player of the Week selection during the regular season, The Salzburg, Austria, native has dominated at the No. 1 spot for the Redbirds going 17-5 overall including a 5-0 mark in MVC action.
The MVC Women's Tennis Coach of the Year honor is the second for Kovacek in as many seasons (award was not given in 2020 due to COVID-19). Just as she did in 2019 when she was named MVC Coach of the Year, Kovacek led the Redbirds to an undefeated 5-0 mark during the 2021 regular season and has ISU in the No. 1 spot in the upcoming MVC Championship.
In addition to the "Of The Year" honors, Illinois State claimed three of the six singles spots on the 2021 MVC All-Conference team, as well as all three doubles pairings, with Zlatanovic taking home All-Conference honors at the No. 1 spot.
Senior Laura Arciniegas took home All-MVC honors at No. 4 singles, with her 17-1 overall record and 8-0 mark when playing in the No. 4 spot. The Bogata, Columbia, native has ripped off a streak of 15 straight wins for the Redbirds and was a perfect 5-0 in MVC singles action.
Newcomer Penelope Abreu was named MVC All-Conference at the No. 5 singles position, after posting a 13-7 overall record on the season with a 7-1 mark at the No. 5 spot. The Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native heads into the MVC Championship having won her last seven matches in a row and eight out of her last 10 overall.
Zlatanovic and partner Tara Damnjanovic were tabbed as the No. 1 doubles team in the conference, after being named the MVC Doubles Team of the Week three times during the regular season. The duo combined for a 13-7 mark during the regular season, including a 4-1 mark during MVC play. They head into the MVC Championship with four-straight wins under their belt, looking to keep that streak alive.
Abreu and partner Laura Fitzgerald earned MVC All-Conference honors at the No. 2 doubles spot. The pair posted a 7-1 mark overall on the season, including a 5-0 mark against Valley foes, and have won their last seven matches in a row.
The final team recognized was that of Jelena Karla Vujicic and Alicja Zduniak, who also earned MVC Doubles Team of the Week three times during the year. The tandem posted a 14-5 overall mark, including an 11-1 record at the No. 3 spot, and were 4-1 during MVC play with wins in their last four matches.
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