LAS VEGAS (UNLVRebels.com) – Three UNLV women's tennis players earned honors Friday from the Mountain West as part the league's annual awards.
 
Zita Kovacs (Tarnamera, Hungary) was named the MW Co-Freshman of the Year after turning in a 12-2 singles record playing primarily at the No. 3 position in the lineup. Kovacs went 6-1 in conference play and enjoyed an 11-match winning streak at one point during the spring. She also went 11-5 in doubles, including 6-3 in league competitions.
 
Kovacs is the seventh Rebel to take home the award and the first since Izumi Asano in 2018.
 
As for All-MW honors, Asano (Kasugai, Japan) earned her fourth straight all-league nod in singles after going 9-5 at the No. 1 spot in dual matches. She was named the MW Player of the Week on April 7, which marked her fourth career honor. Asano is the eighth Rebel to earn All-MW in singles four times.
 
Senior En-Pei Huang (Kaohsiung City, Taiwan) was voted to the singles team for the third consecutive season after leading the team in wins with a 15-2 mark, including 9-1 vs. MW opponents, coming primarily at the No. 2 position. She was tabbed the league's player of the week on April 14 for her fourth career honor. She leaves ranked ninth in Rebel history in singles victories.
 
The duo also once again led the All-MW doubles list as Asano and Huang teamed up for a 14-2 overall record, including 8-1 in MW action. Ranking as high as No. 13 in the nation during the season, they would go on to set the school record for single-season win percentage at .875.
 
It marked the second doubles honor for Asano while Huang became the first Rebel to earn a spot on the team five times, made possible by playing a Super Senior season because of the NCAA's COVID-19 eligibility guidelines. Huang ranks No. 1 in UNLV history in doubles winning percentage and leaves with the second-most doubles wins in school history.
 
As a team, UNLV finished in a tie for second place in the league with an 8-2 mark, including handing league champion San Jose State its only loss of the season.
 
2021 MW WOMEN'S TENNIS AWARDS
PLAYER OF THE YEAR:
Dalia Ahmed, Fresno State
 
CO-FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR:
Zita Kovacs, UNLV and Irena Muradyan, San Jose State
 
COACH OF THE YEAR:
Chad Skorupa, San Jose State
 
ALL-MW SINGLES
Sydney Fitch, Air Force
Meredith Jones, Air Force
Joana Baptista, Boise State
 
Pauline Ernstberger, Boise State
Priscilla Palermo, Colorado State
Dalia Ahmed, Fresno State
Yue Lin "Polly" Chen, New Mexico
Nnena Nadozie, San Diego State
Alba Pedrero Galindo, San José State
Irena Muradyan, San José State
Izumi Asano, UNLV
En-Pei Huang, UNLV
Carolina Millan, Utah State
Zara Ryan, Utah State
Maria Oreshkina, Wyoming
Sophie Zehender, Wyoming
Tamara Arnold, San Diego State
 
ALL-MW DOUBLES
Joana Baptista/Shauna Heffernan, Boise State
Chunxi Guo/Priscilla Palermo, Colorado State
Dalia Ahmed/Deniza Marcinkevica, Fresno State
Natasha Munday/Hsuan Huang, New Mexico
Nnena Nadozie/Alicia Melosch, San Diego State
Savannah Sendar/Lara Marco Mas, San Jose State
Izumi Asano/En-Pei Huang, UNLV
Ana Fernandez/Sophie Zehender, Wyoming
 
UNLV ALL-TIME FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR HONOREES
2021 — Zita Kovacs (Co-) (MW)
2018 — Izumi Asano (Co-) (MW)
2016 — Aiwen Zhu (MW)
2011 — Lucia Batta (MW)
2005 — Elena Gantcheva (MW)
2002 — Gyorgyi Zsiros (MW)
2001 — Agnieszka Abram (MW)