Highest OVC tennis honors go to champion Golden Eagles
PADUCAH, Ky. -- Syrym Abdukhalikov was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and Kenny Doyle received Coach of the Year honors when the league announced the 2013 tennis awards Thursday at the tournament dinner.
Click here to view the complete all-OVC teams (PDF)
PADUCAH, Ky. -- Going unbeaten in conference play two consecutive years has led to multiple honors being bestowed upon the Tennessee Tech tennis team, with the league's top awards pinned to the Golden Eagles Thursday at the Ohio Valley Conference Tennis Tournament Awards Dinner.
Tech senior Syrym Abdukhailikov was selected as the 2013 Ohio Valley Conference Men's Player of the Year, as voted on by the league's head coaches, and Golden Eagle head coach Kenny Doyle earned the men's Coach of the Year honor for the second consecutive year.
In addition to those top honors, Abdukhalikov and Alejandro Augusto were named first-team all-OVC and Vasily Eremeev was named second-team all-OVC.
Abdukhailikov went 9-0 in league play and 14-2 overall at the No. 1 singles spot. The Almaty, Kazakhstan native hasn't lost a singles match since March 20. He teamed up with Alejandro Augusto to post a 9-0 league mark and a 10-6 overall record at the No. 1 doubles spot. Abdukhailikov, a first-team All-OVC selection, is the eighth Golden Eagle to win this award.
Previous Golden Eagles to win OVC Player of the Year include David Brent (1975), Jaun Escudero (1986, 1987), Chris Hedman (1989, 1990), Mirza Duranovic (2000), Gernot Fisher (2003), Borja Zarco (2008) and Dean O'Brien (2009).
Doyle earns his second straight OVC Coach of the Year honor, marking the ninth time a Tennessee Tech coach has won the award. The Golden Eagles won their second straight and fifth overall regular-season title after going 9-0 in OVC play and 9-9 overall. Tech enters the tournament having won its last nine matches.
Previous Tech coaches to receive the honor include Larry Ware (1969), Bill Worrell (1986), Randy Smith (1989, 1990, 1999, 2006), and Barry Lewis (2008).
Joining Abdukhalikov on the men's All-OVC first team are Austin Peay senior Sean Bailey (Manitoba, Canada), junior Jasmin Ademovic (Sarajevo, Bosnia) and sophomore Dimitar Riskovski (Skopje, Macedonia); Jacksonville State senior Igor Santos (Campo Grando, Brazil); and Tennessee Tech sophomore Alejandro Augusto (Madrid, Spain). In addition to Alvaro, making up the second team were Belmont senior Henrique Norbiato (Londrina, Brazil); SIUE sophomore Marten Jonsson (Pitea, Sweden); Austin Peay sophomore Alekas Tverijonas (Lithuania); Eastern Kentucky sophomore Juanjo de Llera (Barcelona, Spain); and Tennessee Tech junior Vasily Eremeev (Krasnoyarsk, Russia).
2013 All-Ohio Valley Conference Men's Tennis Teams
(voted on by the league's head tennis coaches)
FIRST TEAM
Sean Bailey, Austin Peay
Syrym Abdukhalikov, Tennessee Tech
Igor Santos, Jacksonville State
Alejandro Augusto, Tennessee Tech
Jasmin Ademovic, Austin Peay
Dimitar Riskovski, Austin Peay
SECOND TEAM
Henrique Norbiato, Belmont
Marten Jonsson, SIUE
Alekas Tverijonas, Austin Peay
Juanjo de Llera, Eastern Kentucky
Vasily Eremeev, Tennessee Tech
Alex Alvaro, Eastern Kentucky
OVC PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Syrym Abdukhalikov, Tennessee Tech
OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Alex Alvaro, Eastern Kentucky
OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Kenny Doyle, Tennessee Tech
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