April 25, 2007

COLORADO SPRINGS - UNLV junior Elena Gantcheva has become just the second woman in program history to win at least a share of more than one league MVP award when she was named the Co-Mountain West Conference Women's Tennis Player of the Year in a vote of the league's nine head coaches. The MWC tennis awards were announced Wednesday at the Air Force Academy on the eve of the annual tournament.

Currently ranked 66th nationally, Gantcheva was also named the league's MVP a year ago. She joins former All-American Marianne Vallin as a multiple winner from the school as the Swedish star took the honor three times (Big West in 1994 and '96 and WAC in 1997). Two other Lady Rebels have ever been named their league's MVP: Jolene Watanabe was tabbed the Big West Conference Player of the Year in 1990 and Katarina Malec was the Mountain West's first-ever honoree in 2000.

Playing at the No. 1 position in the lineup, Gantcheva is currently 18-7 overall and 17-5 in dual matches. She lost only two sets en route to posting a 7-1 record vs. Mountain West opponents and her only defeat came at the hands of the other Co-Player of the Year, Anastasia Surkova of BYU. That upset loss earlier this month broke Gantcheva's stunning 16-match winning streak in MWC play dating back to 2005. After limited action in the fall, she went on to win two of her school-record five career conference player-of-the-week awards this spring while improving to 82-24 overall, which ranks her third all-time at the school for singles victories.

Joining Gantcheva on the 2007 All-MWC singles team was freshman and fellow Bulgarian Kristina Nedeltcheva who stands 20-8 overall and 16-6 in duals. The pair was also part of the all-league doubles team while challenging to become the school's best tandem in school history. Ranked 20th this week, Gantcheva and Nedeltcheva sit 21-2 overall and 19-2 in duals, including a sparkling 5-0 record vs. ranked opponents.

The duo and the rest of the third-seeded Lady Rebels (18-6) will open the conference event by taking on sixth-seeded Utah (13-10) on Thursday beginning at 9 a.m. PT in Colorado Springs. The winner of the tournament, which runs through Saturday, earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Championships in May.

Also, TCU rookie Nina Munch-Soegaard was named MWC Freshman of the Year while BYU's Craig Manning was tabbed MWC Coach of the Year.

2007 MWC WOMEN'S TENNIS AWARDS
CO-PLAYERS OF THE YEARElena Gantcheva, UNLVAnastasia Surkova, BYUFRESHMAN OF THE YEARNina Munch-Soegaard, TCUCOACH OF THE YEARCraig Manning, BYU
2007 ALL-MWC SINGLESLauren Jones, BYUAnastasia Surkova, BYUOla Abou-Zekry, New MexicoSandra Zmak, New MexicoEliska Krausova, San Diego StateAlesya Vidov, San Diego StateAna Cetnik, TCUNina Munch-Soegaard, TCUKewa Nichols, TCUAnna Sydorska, TCUElena Gantcheva, UNLVKristina Nedeltcheva, UNLVElizabeth Ferris, UtahSarah Summerfield, Wyoming
2007 ALL-MWC DOUBLESLauren Jones/Dolly Chang, BYUAnastasia Surkova/Jennifer Miccoli, BYUEmily Kirchem/Hilary Tyler, Colorado StateSandra Zmak/Lucy Scott, New MexicoAna Cetnik/Anna Sydorska, TCUElena Gantcheva/Kristina Nedeltcheva, UNLVElizabeth Ferris/Leigh Walsh, Utah