May 17, 2010

LAS VEGAS - UNLV men's tennis standout Mehdi Bouras has earned a regional award from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association, which is the sport's governing body.

Bouras, a sophomore, was named ITA Mountain Region Player to Watch after a vote by a committee made up of coaches. The honor annually goes to a player who has turned in an outstanding season and is expected to perform at a high level the rest of his career. Bouras is the fourth Rebel to earn the award, joining Elliot Wronski (2007), Asaf Tishler (1997) and Roger Pettersson (1994).

The Paris, France, product earned his first career national singles ranking this season, reaching as high as high 108th, and was named All-Mountain West Conference in both singles and doubles. Last year's MWC Freshman of the Year moved up to No. 1 in the lineup for the Rebels and finished with a record of 26-16 in singles and 21-13 in doubles. He was also named UNLV's 2009 Most Outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

"Player to watch shows that Mehdi is someone who we expect will make a big impact in college tennis next year," said UNLV head coach Owen Hambrook. "Not only is he a great athlete but also a fantastic student and is very deserving of the award."