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Hurricane Tennis Earns Conference-High Eight All-Conference Selections
4/30/2015 4:08:00 PM | Women's Tennis
The men have two honorees; the women have six award winners including Dean Orford being tabbed as Coach of the Year
The University of Tulsa men's and women's tennis teams boasts a conference-high eight combined American Athletic All-Conference selections, six from the women's side, and two from the men, in TU's first season in its new league.
For the Hurricane women, Ksenia Laskutova was named Co-Freshman of the Year, Head Women's Tennis Coach Dean Orford was tabbed as Coach of the Year, while Marcelina Cichon, Renata Kuricova, Rongrong Leenabanchong and Saana Saarteinen were named to the All-Conference Team.
On the men's side, Alejandro Espejo and Or Ram-Harel were named to the All-Conference Singles Team.
Women's Awards
Orford earned the Coach of the Year award after leading the Hurricane to an American Athletic Conference Championship title, where the No. 3-seeded Hurricane defeated the top-seeded Houston Cougars, 4-3, in the championship match. The women finished the regular season with a 16-10 record and earned its ninth-straight trip to the NCAA Championship.
Laskutova earned Co-Freshman of the Year honors, after finishing the season with 10 singles wins along with 13 doubles victories. She played primarily from the No. 1 position for both singles and doubles for the Golden Hurricane.
Cichon had a stellar season for Tulsa, earning a 16-7 record in singles action, and was dominant in doubles play, finishing 14-4 on the year. She played primarily from the No. 3 and No. 4 singles spots, while doing most of her doubles damage from the No. 2 position. The sophomore earns her second all-conference selection in her career.
Kuricova, who has also earns her second-consecutive all-conference selection, was nearly flawless in singles action. The junior finished the season with a 13-2 record, going 11-1 from the No. 6 position. She also finished the year with 11 doubles wins, primarily playing from the top spot with Laskutova.
Leenabanchong won 10 dual singles matches for the Golden Hurricane, while going an impressive 10-4 in doubles action. This is the junior's second all-conference award in as many seasons, after being named to the C-USA second team a year ago.
Saarteinen finished her 2015 regular season with a 16-5 singles mark and 16-7 doubles record for the Hurricane. The junior, who earns her first all-conference award, played primarily the No. 5 singles, and the No. 3 doubles, with partner Mahitha Dadireddy.
Men's Awards
Tulsa's lone senior, Espejo, earned the award after finishing the season as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's No. 88-ranked singles player in the country. Espejo earned an 11-6 mark in singles action, while finishing the year with a 10-8 mark in doubles play. This is Espejo's third all-conference honor, in what has turned out to be a decorated career for the Spanish native.
No. 26-ranked singles player, Ram-Harel, earns his first postseason award as a Hurricane. The sophomore finished the year with a 13-8 singles mark as Tulsa's number one, including six wins against ranked competition, and earning nine wins from the top doubles spot. Ram-Harel led Tulsa to upset wins over then No. 1 USC and No. 10 Ohio State. The Israeli native has also just been selected as an at-large bid in the 2015 NCAA Singles Championships, beginning May 20 in Waco, Texas.
Both the men and women will play in the NCAA Team Championships, which begins May 8. The men open postseason play against North Carolina State in Fort Worth, Texas. The women will take on Rice in its first round matchup, which will take place on Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 a.m., in Waco, Texas.
For the Hurricane women, Ksenia Laskutova was named Co-Freshman of the Year, Head Women's Tennis Coach Dean Orford was tabbed as Coach of the Year, while Marcelina Cichon, Renata Kuricova, Rongrong Leenabanchong and Saana Saarteinen were named to the All-Conference Team.
On the men's side, Alejandro Espejo and Or Ram-Harel were named to the All-Conference Singles Team.
Women's Awards
Orford earned the Coach of the Year award after leading the Hurricane to an American Athletic Conference Championship title, where the No. 3-seeded Hurricane defeated the top-seeded Houston Cougars, 4-3, in the championship match. The women finished the regular season with a 16-10 record and earned its ninth-straight trip to the NCAA Championship.
Laskutova earned Co-Freshman of the Year honors, after finishing the season with 10 singles wins along with 13 doubles victories. She played primarily from the No. 1 position for both singles and doubles for the Golden Hurricane.
Cichon had a stellar season for Tulsa, earning a 16-7 record in singles action, and was dominant in doubles play, finishing 14-4 on the year. She played primarily from the No. 3 and No. 4 singles spots, while doing most of her doubles damage from the No. 2 position. The sophomore earns her second all-conference selection in her career.
Kuricova, who has also earns her second-consecutive all-conference selection, was nearly flawless in singles action. The junior finished the season with a 13-2 record, going 11-1 from the No. 6 position. She also finished the year with 11 doubles wins, primarily playing from the top spot with Laskutova.
Leenabanchong won 10 dual singles matches for the Golden Hurricane, while going an impressive 10-4 in doubles action. This is the junior's second all-conference award in as many seasons, after being named to the C-USA second team a year ago.
Saarteinen finished her 2015 regular season with a 16-5 singles mark and 16-7 doubles record for the Hurricane. The junior, who earns her first all-conference award, played primarily the No. 5 singles, and the No. 3 doubles, with partner Mahitha Dadireddy.
Men's Awards
Tulsa's lone senior, Espejo, earned the award after finishing the season as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's No. 88-ranked singles player in the country. Espejo earned an 11-6 mark in singles action, while finishing the year with a 10-8 mark in doubles play. This is Espejo's third all-conference honor, in what has turned out to be a decorated career for the Spanish native.
No. 26-ranked singles player, Ram-Harel, earns his first postseason award as a Hurricane. The sophomore finished the year with a 13-8 singles mark as Tulsa's number one, including six wins against ranked competition, and earning nine wins from the top doubles spot. Ram-Harel led Tulsa to upset wins over then No. 1 USC and No. 10 Ohio State. The Israeli native has also just been selected as an at-large bid in the 2015 NCAA Singles Championships, beginning May 20 in Waco, Texas.
Both the men and women will play in the NCAA Team Championships, which begins May 8. The men open postseason play against North Carolina State in Fort Worth, Texas. The women will take on Rice in its first round matchup, which will take place on Saturday, May 9 at 11:00 a.m., in Waco, Texas.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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