DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Cleans Up With BIG EAST Postseason Awards
5/1/2019 3:59:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS
Clousing, Avgeri, Jovicic, Kumenkova All-BIG EAST and Blue Demons take home coaches honor
CHICAGO – After guiding DePaul to its fourth BIG EAST Championships title in the last six years, coach Mark Ardizzone was recognized Wednesday along with assistant coach Yuliya Shupenia with the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year award.
The Blue Demons also cleaned up on individual awards as Keisha Clousing and Aspasia Avgeri were voted All-BIG EAST First Team by the conference coaches while BIG EAST Championships Most Outstanding Player Marija Jovicic and title-match heroine Alina Kuzmenkova made All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Ardizzone did a masterful job and turned in perhaps the best coaching performance of his career as he and the Blue Demons navigated their way around a series of injuries.
It got to a point where the short-handed program had to forfeit a doubles match and a singles match during the dual season.
Despite losing a talented freshman to a season-ending injury, Ardizzone's team gradually regained its health and rallied around their coach to win its final five matches heading into the NCAA Championships. DePaul takes on Kentucky in Friday's first round at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Ardizzone has won the BIG EAST's top coaching award in 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019. This was the first coaching honor for Shupenia, who was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2015 while starring for Ardizzone at DePaul.
Clousing excelled at No. 1 singles all season compiling a 13-5 record in dual competition including 6-1 against BIG EAST opponents. Avgeri was even better with a 7-1 mark against BIG EAST teams.
Jovicic earned the MVP recognition after going 5-0 at the BIG EAST Championships. Kuzmenkova trailed 3-0 in the third set of the defining match before rallying for a 6-3 victory to lift the Blue Demons past Xavier 4-3 in the title showdown.
2019 BIG EAST Women's Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Jessica Livianu, St. John's, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Emily Thomas, Xavier
Coaching Staff of the Year: DePaul
All-BIG EAST First Team
Aspasia Avgeri, DePaul, Jr.
Keisha Clousing, DePaul, Sr.
Fleur Eggink, Marquette, Jr.
Jessica Livianu, St. John's, Jr.
Sophia Abelson, Xavier, Sr.
Ahmeir Kyle, Xavier, So.
All-BIG EAST Second Team*
Ashley Ishimura, Creighton, Sr.
Marija Jovicic, DePaul, So.
Alina Kuzmenkova, DePaul, So.
Milica Novakovic, Marquette, Jr.
Anicka Fajnorova, Seton Hall, Sr.
Regina Pitts, Seton Hall, Fr.
Emily Thomas, Xavier, Fr.
*A tie in voting resulted in a seven-member Second Team
The Blue Demons also cleaned up on individual awards as Keisha Clousing and Aspasia Avgeri were voted All-BIG EAST First Team by the conference coaches while BIG EAST Championships Most Outstanding Player Marija Jovicic and title-match heroine Alina Kuzmenkova made All-BIG EAST Second Team.
Ardizzone did a masterful job and turned in perhaps the best coaching performance of his career as he and the Blue Demons navigated their way around a series of injuries.
It got to a point where the short-handed program had to forfeit a doubles match and a singles match during the dual season.
Despite losing a talented freshman to a season-ending injury, Ardizzone's team gradually regained its health and rallied around their coach to win its final five matches heading into the NCAA Championships. DePaul takes on Kentucky in Friday's first round at Ann Arbor, Mich.
Ardizzone has won the BIG EAST's top coaching award in 2009, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019. This was the first coaching honor for Shupenia, who was named the BIG EAST Player of the Year in 2015 while starring for Ardizzone at DePaul.
Clousing excelled at No. 1 singles all season compiling a 13-5 record in dual competition including 6-1 against BIG EAST opponents. Avgeri was even better with a 7-1 mark against BIG EAST teams.
Jovicic earned the MVP recognition after going 5-0 at the BIG EAST Championships. Kuzmenkova trailed 3-0 in the third set of the defining match before rallying for a 6-3 victory to lift the Blue Demons past Xavier 4-3 in the title showdown.
2019 BIG EAST Women's Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Jessica Livianu, St. John's, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Emily Thomas, Xavier
Coaching Staff of the Year: DePaul
All-BIG EAST First Team
Aspasia Avgeri, DePaul, Jr.
Keisha Clousing, DePaul, Sr.
Fleur Eggink, Marquette, Jr.
Jessica Livianu, St. John's, Jr.
Sophia Abelson, Xavier, Sr.
Ahmeir Kyle, Xavier, So.
All-BIG EAST Second Team*
Ashley Ishimura, Creighton, Sr.
Marija Jovicic, DePaul, So.
Alina Kuzmenkova, DePaul, So.
Milica Novakovic, Marquette, Jr.
Anicka Fajnorova, Seton Hall, Sr.
Regina Pitts, Seton Hall, Fr.
Emily Thomas, Xavier, Fr.
*A tie in voting resulted in a seven-member Second Team
Players Mentioned
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