Yuliya Kizelbasheva Named to All-BIG EAST First Team
5/3/2023 1:15:00 PM | WOMEN'S TENNIS
Kizelbasheva grabs honors for third straight season
CHICAGO -Â Yuliya Kizelbasheva has earned First Team All-BIG EAST honors, as announced by the conference on Wednesday. This is Kizelbasheva's second straight First Team accolade and third straight season earning BIG EAST honors.Â
Kizelbasheva played solely at the No. 1 position in singles throughout dual play and finished with a 5-4 record against conference opponents and 9-13 overall record.Â
The Armavir, Russia native earned three BIG EAST honors during the season, being named as Doubles Team of the Week twice with Lenka Antonijevic. The duo earned the nod for their wins over Drake, Marquette and Georgetown. Kizelbasheva also earned Singles Player of the Week after sweeping the No. 1 courts against Seton Hall and St. John's.Â
The senior earned wins over non-conference opponents, such as a three-set victory over Iowa's Schmidt on the No. 1 court in the upset over the then-No. 40 Hawkeyes. Kizelbasheva also defeated Cincinnati's Pendergast in three-sets.Â
The Blue Demons concluded the 2023 season with an overall record of 12-10 and was highlighted by an eight-match win streak and the team's first ranking from 2016.Â
Kizelbasheva was a large part of the team's success throughout the 2023 dual season, helping lead the team to their first ITA ranking since 2016. Additionally, she aided in the eight-match win streak, the longest since 2015.
BIG EAST Women's Tennis Player of the Year: Imani Graham, Xavier
BIG EAST Women's Tennis Freshman of the Year: Abby Nugent, Xavier
BIG EAST Women's Tennis Coaching Staff of the Year: Creighton
First Team All-BIG EAST
Natalie Boesing, Butler
Maria Constantinou, UConn^
Imani Graham, Xavier^
Yuliya Kizelbasheva, DePaul
Emilija Kojcic, Marquete
Malvika Shukla, Creighton
Mouna Bouzgarru, St. John's
Lalita Devarakonda, St. John's
Yesica de Lucas, St. John's
Kat Lyman, Xavier
Valerie Negin, Creighton
Abby Nugent, Xavier
Players Mentioned
