DALLAS – Old Dominion’s Holly Hutchinson became the first Monarch to be named the Conference USA Women’s Tennis Player of the Year after her stunning performance on the court in 2020. The senior headlines the all-conference teams and superlative award winners, voted on by the league’s 14 head coaches.
 
Hutchinson finished the season ranked No. 38 in the nation in singles, the highest among all C-USA athletes. The ITA Atlantic Region Arthur Ashe Leadership and Sportsmanship Award winner pulled off one of the biggest upsets in college tennis this spring when she defeated the No. 2 player in the country from UNC in straight sets. She was selected to compete in the ITA All-American Championships in singles and in doubles and also received an at-large bid to the Oracle ITA National Fall Singles Championships. Hutchinson was named First Team All-State for singles by the VaSID, as well.
 
Old Dominion’s Dominic Manilla received his second consecutive C-USA Coach of the Year nod after leading the Monarchs to a No. 24 ranking at the end of the season, the highest among all C-USA squads. He not only helped Hutchinson to a spot in the ITA singles rankings, Manilla also guided the Old Dominion doubles pairing of Yulia Starodubtseva and Alesya Yakubovich that ended the season as the No. 7 duo in the nation, the highest ranked tandem in program history. Manilla was named the Professional Tennis Registry Virginia Member of the Year for his efforts, as the Monarchs held an 11-2 record to wrap up the 2020 campaign.
 
North Texas’ Maria Ponomareva was tabbed Newcomer of the Year. The junior transfer led the Mean Green with nine dual match singles wins, going a perfect 5-0 against conference opponents and remaining undefeated on the road. She won seven straight and eight of her victories came in straight sets. In her region, Ponomareva compiled an 87.5 winning percentage. Along with doubles partner Nidhi Surapaneni, the Belgorod, Russia, native paced North Texas with a team-best nine dual match doubles victories, going 13-6 over the entire year. Seven of their victories were by three games or more.
 
Rounding out the 2020 superlative awards is Freshman of the Year Radka Buzkova. The Bohutin, Prague, product joined Florida Atlantic in the fall and tallied a 7-4 tournament record entering the spring portion of the season. Buzkova went 6-3 in dual match singles play, playing positions one through four. The freshman finished the 2020 campaign with a 2-1 record at the No. 1 spot. On the doubles court, she went 12-5 on the year and was undefeated in league action.
 
The entire list of 2020 all-conference selections are listed below. Seven schools are represented on first team, with Old Dominion and Rice leading with four spots apiece.
 
2020 C-USA Women’s Tennis Superlative Awards
Player of the Year presented by Ready Nutrition – Holly Hutchinson, Old Dominion
Freshman of the Year – Radka Buzkova, Florida Atlantic
Newcomer of the Year – Maria Ponomareva, North Texas
Coach of the Year – Dominic Manilla, Old Dominion
 
All-Conference USA Singles
First Team
Kamila Umarova, FIU
Radka Buzkova, Florida Atlantic
Lidia Burrows, Middle Tennessee
*Holly Hutchinson, Old Dominion
*Yulia Starodubtseva, Old Dominion
Alesya Yakubovich, Old Dominion
*Anna Bowtell, Rice
*Priya Niezgoda, Rice
Jana Hecking, UAB
 
Second Team
Margaux Maquet, Charlotte
*Rocio Safont, Charlotte
*Natalie Kallmunzerova, Florida Atlantic
Ana Jover, Louisiana Tech
*Anna Smith, Marshall
Maria Ponomareva, North Texas
Shahar Biran, Old Dominion
Jasmin Starr, UTSA
 
All-Conference USA Doubles
First Team
Liz Stefancic/Jutte Van Hansewyck, Marshall
Yulia Starodubtseva/Alesya Yakubovich, Old Dominion
*Anna Bowtell/Victoria Smirnova, Rice
*Priya Niezgoda/Anastasia Smirnova, Rice
 
Second Team
*Kamila Umarova/Basak Akbas, FIU
Martina Kudelova/May Kimhi, Florida Atlantic
Alexandra Heczey/Hala Khaled Badwy, North Texas
Shahar Biran/Alexandra Viktorovich, Old Dominion
 
*Repeat Honorees
 
C-USA All-Freshman Team
Margaux Maquet, Charlotte
Kaavya Sawhney, Charlotte
Kristina Miletic, FIU
Radka Buzkova, Florida Atlantic
Alexia Romero, Louisiana Tech
Tatsiana Sasnouskaya, Old Dominion
Sarah Medik, Southern Miss
Adela Wasserbauerova, UAB