ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The Missouri Valley Conference has announced the 2009 men's and women's tennis All-Conference teams, with regular-season champions Drake and Wichita State tallying an impressive portion of the league honors.
The Drake Bulldogs captured their third consecutive outright Missouri Valley Conference title after another perfect 6-0 season, winning their 22nd straight MVC regular-season match. Drake also garnered a full slate of honorees on the men’s all-conference squad, nabbing four of six singles positions and two of the three doubles slots. League runner-up Southern Illinois and Wichita State split the remainder of the hardware, tallying two all-conference selections each.
Drake’s Maor Zirkin becomes the first-ever two-time Valley Player of the Year honoree, also taking home the award in 2007, after running through the league opponents at the No. 1 singles position. Southern Illinois’ Eric West is the league’s Freshman of the Year, becoming the first Saluki to don this honor, after tallying a perfect 6-0 MVC records at No. 3 singles. The men’s Coach of the Year honor was split between Drake’s Chase Hodges and Southern Illinois’ Dann Nelson, as Hodges led his Bulldogs to another perfect Valley regular-season and Nelson led the Salukis to their best-ever 5-1 league record.
After going unscathed with a perfect 8-0 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season, Wichita State, tallied the largest part of the student-athletes honored on the women's tennis all-conference team, earning five of six singles positions and at least a share of the three doubles positions. Southern Illinois’ Fadzai Mawisire was named the women’s Valley Player of the Year, after registering a 7-1 record at No. 1 singles.
Wichita State’s Lutfiana Budiharto took home the women’s Freshman of the Year honors, following a 7-0 MVC record at the No. 2 singles position. Budiharto becomes the first-ever Shocker to be awarded Freshman of the Year. Wichita State’s Chris Young was selected as the women’s Coach of the Year, his third such honor in four years, after leading the Shockers to a perfect Valley regular-season.
2009 Men's All-Conference
Drake senior Maor Zirkin earned the league's No. 1 singles all-conference honor after finishing the season with an impressive team-best 30-5 (6-0 MVC) record. Zirkin becomes the Valley’s eighth four-time all-conference honoree and the league’s first-ever two-time Player of the Year. He has never lost a regular-season singles match to a Valley opponent, and has not suffered a setback in MVC Tournament play since his freshman campaign. Zirkin is Drake’s all-time leader in victories with a 224-53 career combined singles/doubles record.
Last season’s MVC Freshman of the Year, Drake’s Mauricio Ballivian, earned all-conference honors at the No. 2 singles position. Ballivian compiled a combined 14-8 (6-0) record in singles action this season.
This season’s Valley Freshman of the Year, Eric West of Southern Illinois, also takes home No. 3 singles all-conference honors. West tallied an impressive 17-3 (6-0 MVC) record as a freshman this spring.
The No. 4 singles position is shared by Hugo Vidal of Southern Illinois and David Cavalcanti of Wichita State. Vidal registered a perfect 6-0 league record and finished 13-6 overall, while Shocker freshman Cavalcanti tallied 18 total wins and was 5-1 in MVC action.
Bulldog teammates Guilherme Marsiglia and Ricardo Lau round out the remaining all-conference singles positions this season, earning league honors for the first time. Marsiglia earned honors at the No. 5 slot and was 14-8 (5-1 MVC) this season, while Lau took home all-conference at the No. 6 position with a 12-6 (4-0 MVC) record this spring.
Drake’s Maor Zirkin and Cesar Bracho take home the award at the No. 1 doubles position. Zirkin and Bracho were 4-1 in league action this season. Bulldog teammates Mauricio Ballivian and Ivan Mendoza received the No. 2 doubles honor, finishing 11-7 (5-1 MVC) this spring.
Wichita State’s duo of Jonathan Obrist and David Cavalcanti earned the No. 3 doubles all-conference honor, finishing the season 7-1 (5-0 MVC).
Earning at-large spots on the Valley all-select conference squad are Wichita State’s Vlad Marinescu and Adrian Chermaci, Felipe Villasenor of Southern Illinois and Illinois State’s Timon Reichelt, Filip Miljevic and Skip Span.
Marinescu tallied a 13-7 (5-1 MVC) record at the No. 1 position for the Shockers, while Chermaci earns his first all-select honor after finishing 12-9 (4-2 MVC) as the Shockers No. 2 player.
Villasenor registered a 15-6 (3-3 MVC) record at the Salukis’ No. 1 position this season.
Reichelt was the No. 1 player for the Redbirds (7-12, 3-3 MVC), earning his first all-select honor, while Miljevic finished the season 9-10 (3-3 MVC) at Illinois State’s No. 2 position. Skip Span is the Redbirds’ final all-select honoree, after registering a 11-8 (4-2 MVC) record in his freshman season.
2009 Women's All-Conference Team
Senior Fadzai Mawisire of Southern Illinois earned the league's No. 1 singles all-conference honor after finishing the season with an impressive 20-1 (7-1 MVC) record. Her 20 victories put her fourth all-time in Saluki history in wins in a spring season. She was named the women’s Valley Tennis Athlete of the Week on two occasions this season.
Along with being named MVC Freshman of the Year, Wichita State's Lutfiana Budiharto earned all-conference honors at the No. 2 singles position. Budiharto compiled a combined 16-1 (7-0) record in singles action this season.
Shocker senior Torrie Browning captured all-conference honors at the No. 3 singles position, tallying a 16-2 (8-0 MVC) record this spring. Browning is a three-time all-conference honoree, also taking home the award in 2006 and 2007.
The No. 4 singles position belongs to Wichita State junior Stephanie Dalmacio, also a three-time all-conference member (2007 and 2008), following a 13-7 (6-0 MVC) record this season.
Shocker teammates Lenore Lazaroiu and Florentina Hanisch round out the remaining all-conference singles positions this season, earning league honors for the second time. Lazaroiu earned honors at the No. 5 slot and was 17-3 (7-0 MVC) this season, while Hanisch took home all-conference at the No. 6 position with a 15-4 (7-0 MVC) record this spring.
Splitting the hardware at the No. 1 doubles position are Ame Blacketer and Fadzai Mawisire of Southern Illinois and Anna Egorova and Stephanie Dalmacio of Wichita State. Blacketer and Mawisire combined for 19 total wins this spring and were a perfect 8-0 in league play, while Egorova and Dalmacio finished the season 11-7 (4-1 MVC).
The No. 2 doubles honor went to the Shocker due of Lutfiana Budiharto and Lenore Lazaroiou, registering a 13-4 (3-1 MVC) record this season, while Wichita State’s Florentina Hanisch and Torrie Browning take home the No. 3 doubles award. Hanisch and Browning also teamed up as an all-conference duo in 2008.
Earning at-large spots on the Valley all-select conference squad are Indiana State’s Sarah Meghoufel and Anna Morgina, Wichita State’s Anna Egorova, Veronika Leszayova of Drake, Creighton’s Tess Reddin and Julia Zubkova of Illinois State.
Meghoufel tallied a 12-7 (7-1 MVC) record at the No. 1 position for the Sycamores and was an all-conference selection in 2008 at the No. 2 spot, while Morgina earns her first all-select honor after an impressive 16-3 (7-1 MVC) freshman season as the Sycamores No. 2 player.
Egorova registered a 14-8 (5-3 MVC) record at the Shockers’ No. 1 position this season, and was a member of the all-conference squad in both 2007 and 2008. Leszayova was the No. 1 player for the Bulldogs (11-11, 4-4 MVC), also earning previous honors in 2007 and 2008.
Reddin receives her first all-select award after leading the Bluejays at the No. 1 position (13-8, 3-5 MVC), while Zubkova, the Redbirds’ top player, finished the season 13-9 (4-4 MVC).
The all-conference team is comprised of one individual from each of the six singles flight classes, as well as three doubles teams from each of the doubles flight classes. In addition, six other individuals are chosen regardless of flight distinction and are named to an "All-Select" Team. Individuals earning selection to the all-conference team via the flight-selection process are not eligible for the at-large select team. The all-conference team is chosen by a vote of the coaches.
MEN'S SINGLES ALL-CONFERENCE:
Pos. Name
No. 1 – Maor Zirkin, Drake
No. 2 – Mauricio Ballivian, Drake
No. 3 – Eric West, Southern Illinois
No. 4 – David Cavalcanti, Wichita State and Hugo Vidal, Southern Illinois
No. 5 – Guilherme Marsiglia, Drake
No. 6 – Ricardo Lau, Drake
MEN'S ALL-SELECT TEAM:
Vlad Marinescu, Wichita State
Felipe Villasenor, Southern Illinois
Adrian Chermaci, Wichita State
Filip Miljevic, Illinois State
Skip Span, Illinois State
Timon Reichelt, Illinois State
MEN'S DOUBLES ALL-CONFERENCE:
No. 1 – Maor Zirkin/Cesar Bracho, Drake
No. 2 – Mauricio Ballivian/Ivan Mendoza, Drake
No. 3 – Jonathan Obrist/David Cavalcanti, Wichita State
MEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Maor Zirkin, Drake
MEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Eric West, Southern Illinois
MEN'S CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR:
Dann Nelson, Southern Illinois
Chase Hodges, Drake
WOMEN'S SINGLES ALL-CONFERENCE
No. 1 – Fadzai Mawisire, Southern Illinois
No. 2 – Lutfiana Budiharto, Wichita State
No. 3 – Torrie Browning, Wichita State
No. 4 – Stephanie Dalmacio, Wichita State
No. 5 – Lenore Lazaroiu, Wichita State
No. 6 – Florentina Hanisch, Wichita State
WOMEN'S ALL-SELECT TEAM:
Sarah Meghoufel, Indiana State
Anna Egorova, Wichita State
Anna Morgina, Indiana State
Veronika Leszayova, Drake
Tess Reddin, Creighton
Julia Zubkova, Illinois State
WOMEN'S DOUBLES ALL-CONFERENCE:
No. 1 – Ame Blacketer/Fadzai Mawisire, Southern Illinois and Anna Egorova/Stephanie Dalmacio, Wichita State
No. 2 – Lutfiana Budiharto/Lenore Lazaroiu, Wichita State
No. 3 – Florentina Hanisch/Torrie Browning, Wichita State
WOMEN'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Fadzai Mawisire, Southern Illinois
WOMEN'S FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Lutfiana Budiharto, Wichita State
WOMEN'S COACH OF THE YEAR:
Chris Young, Wichita State