April 22, 2009
ALBUQUERQUE - UNLV junior Kristina Nedeltcheva moved up to the No. 1 spot in the lineup this season and more than lived up to expectations as she was named first team all-conference in both singles and doubles for the third consecutive year as part of a trio of Lady Rebels who were honored by the Mountain West Conference during ceremonies Wednesday that were part of the annual league tournament.
Currently ranked 112th nationally, Nedeltcheva has gone 23-8 in singles, including a stellar 7-1 mark vs. MWC foes. Her only league loss came in a super-tiebreaker to 2009 conference player of the year Ola Abou-Zekry of New Mexico. Setting a school record with five player-of-the-week honors this semester, the native of Sofia, Bulgaria, heads into the conference tournament riding an eight-match winning streak after helping her team to an undefeated run through the MWC regular season..
Joining her on the singles team was a pair of seniors, which gave head coach Kevin Cory's program its most singles honorees since 2005. Four-year letterwinner Nikol Dimitrova, also a product of Sofia, earned her first all-conference nod since her freshman season in 2006. Playing the No. 2 spot in the lineup, the wily veteran stands 16-16 in singles but ripped off another stellar conference campaign, going 6-2 vs. MWC foes to close her career mark in league duals to 22-9. No. 3 player Katy Williams earned her first Mountain West honors after the former Long Beach State transfer had twice been named all-league while playing in the Big West Conference. As a senior, the native of Stevenage, England, has posted a 24-11 singles mark overall, which included a 6-2 record vs. MWC opponents.
Nedeltcheva, arguably the greatest doubles player to ever wear the Scarlet & Gray, was also named first team in doubles along with her partner Williams. The duo has gone 24-6 overall this season, including a shiny 7-1 vs. MWC foes.
That trio and the rest of the top-seeded Lady Rebels will open the conference championships by taking on eighth-seeded Wyoming on Thursday. The Cowgirls defeated ninth-seeded Air Force 4-3 on Wednesday in the opening round to advance.
2009 MWC WOMEN'S TENNIS AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAROla Abou-Zekry, New MexicoFRESHMAN OF THE YEARMcCall Jones, BYUCOACH OF THE YEARTBA
2009 ALL-MWC SINGLESOla Abou-Zekry, New MexicoKristina Doerr, Jr., BYUMcCall Jones, Fr., BYULaura Neal, Jr., Colorado StateOla Abou-Zekry, Sr., New MexicoMackenzie White, Sr., New MexicoHolly Bagshaw, Sr., San Diego StateKayla Duncan, Fr., TCUMacall Harkins, Sr.,TCUKatariina Tuohimaa, So., TCUNikol Dimitrova, Sr., UNLVKristina Nedeltcheva, Jr., UNLVKaty Williams, Sr., UNLVAnastasia Putilina, Fr., UtahErin Monson, Jr., UtahSarah Summerfield, Jr., Wyoming
2009 ALL-MWC DOUBLESMcCall Jones/Kristina Doerr, BYUMegan Price/Elle Carney, BYUOla Abou-Zekry/Emma Hayman, New MexicoHolly Bagshaw/Julia Trunk, San Diego StateKatariina Tuohimaa/Kayla Duncan, TCUKristina Nedeltcheva/Katy Williams, UNLVErin Monson/Andrea Maughan, Utah
