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University of Massachusets Athletics
Minutewomen Place Four On A-10 All-Conference Tennis Squads
April 27, 2015 | Tennis
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Freshman Ana Yrazusta was named the Atlantic 10 Tennis Most Outstanding Rookie Performer and Judy Dixon was named Coach of the Year to headline the league's postseason award list released Monday. The Minutewomen placed four members on all-conference teams after a runner-up finish and a 17-5 overall record.
Yrazusta led the honorees as she was named to the A-10 All-Conference First Team. Junior Carol Benito, junior Ariel Griffin and sophomore Anna Woosley earned A-10 All-Conference Second Team honors.
The four members earning all-conference accolades marks a program record. Yrazusta becomes just the fourth Minutewoman to be named Most Outstanding Rookie and the first since Magdalena Ploch in 2009.
For Dixon, this was the fifth time she has been named the Atlantic 10 Coach Of The Year including twice in the last four years. She also earned the honor following the 1998, 2001, and 2003 seasons. In 23 years at UMass, Dixon has a 290-212 record after the 2015 campaign.
Yrazusta and Woosley each posted 24 wins in single play this year which was tied for the second-most wins in a single season for the program. Benito, a transfer from Tulsa, was just behind that pair with 22 wins on the year including a 15-2 mark in dual matches. Griffin was 18-12 overall with an 11-4 record at No. 3 singles.
Doubles play was the strength of the team all season with Yrazusta and Benito turning in a dominant performance at the No. 1 position. The pair set a new single-season record for UMass with 27 wins and were ranked the No. 10 pair in the ITA Northeast Regional Rankings entering the Spring season.
Griffin and Woosley also found success in doubles play. Griffin paired with Aarzoo Malik for much of the year with a 15-12 overall record and a 9-6 dual match mark. Woosley played alongside senior captain Chanel Glasper where the duo posted a 17-6 record at No. 3 doubles.
UMass finished second at the 2015 Atlantic 10 Championship Tournament after a close loss to league champion VCU. It marked the second time in the last four years the Minutewomen made the championship title match and the fourth straight year UMass reached at least the semifinal round.
The 17 wins were the second most in school history with UMass averaging 15.5 wins over the last five seasons.
Most Outstanding Performer: Cindy Chala, VCU
Most Outstanding Rookie Performer: Ana Yrazusta, UMass
Coach of the Year: Judy Dixon, UMass
FIRST TEAM:
Anna Catherine Feaster, Davidson
Marlys Bridgham, Dayton
Kyle Isaacs, Duquesne
Sarah Ali, Fordham
Teodora Radosavljevic, GW
Ana Yrazusta, UMass
Gaby Rosales, Richmond
Aurora Davis, Saint Joseph's
Aspen Cervin, SLU
Cindy Chala, VCU
Salome Kvitashivili, VCU
Olga Barshcheuskaya, VCU
Second Team:
Laina Cummer, Davidson
Ava Todd, Davidson
Jackie Kawamoto, Dayton
Estelle Wong, Fordham
Carol Benito, UMass
Anna Woosley, UMass
Arielle Griffin, UMass
Taylor Holden, Rhode Island
Anna Abadias, Richmond
Fatya Amiri, St. Bonaventure
Kelsey King, Saint Louis
Darya Berezhnaya, VCU
All-Academic
Sarah Shashura, Duquesne
Megan Wasson, Duquesne
Lana Robins, GW
Emily Gitman, Richmond
Aspen Cervin, SLU
Salome Kvitashvilli, VCU
