Orange Duo Named All-BIG EAST Tournament
4/26/2007 9:19:43 AM | Tennis
Providence, R.I.-Junior Olga Votavova and sophomore Maria Vasilyeva were both named to the BIG EAST Women’s Tennis All-Tournament team, released by the conference on Tuesday. The BIG EAST coaches voted on the tournament’s most outstanding player, 10 best singles players and six best doubles tandems. Votavova was honored as a singles player; and she and Vasilyeva were chosen as a doubles team.
In four matches at the BIG EAST Championship, Votavova lost one and had her other three go unfinished. At the BIG EAST Championship, once a team earns four points in a match, any matches still underway are halted. In her final two matches against Rutgers and DePaul, she led in the third set when play was suspended. Votavova led the Orange with a 13-4 dual match singles record during the regular season, including eight-straight victories to close out the year, during which she didn’t lose a set. She was 6-1 against BIG EAST opponents as well.
Votavova and Vasilyeva went 2-2 in doubles action at the BIG EAST Championship. They earned wins against St. John’s in the Orange’s tournament-opening win and DePaul in the fifth place match. The duo posted a team-best 11 doubles wins in doubles play, including a 5-2 record in the BIG EAST, all at No. 1. The Orange was 6-2 in its last eight matches of the regular season. Votavova and Vasilyeva were 6-2 during that stretch, picking up a doubles win in every Syracuse victory.
Syracuse was last honored at the BIG EAST Championship in 2005 when Victoria Vaynberg and Catherine Zawadzki were both named to the all-tournament team as singles players.
Shadisha Robinson of South Florida was named the BIG EAST Outstanding Women’s Player and Notre Dame head coach Agustin Moreno was tabbed as coach of the year. South Florida upset Notre Dame in the final match of the championship to earn the BIG EAST’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Pairings for the tournament will be announced on Tuesday, May 2 on ESPNEWS.
