SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – With the long-awaited tennis regular season coming to an end, league officials announced the annual all-league awards Thursday ahead of Friday and Saturday’s 2021 Summit League Tennis Championships presented by the U.S. Air Force Special Warfare.
 
On the men’s side, Oral Roberts freshman Volodymyr Zakharov took home two individual awards notching the Player of the Year and Newcomer of the Year accolades. Zakharov won four singles matches all at the top spot of Oral Roberts’ line up and finished the season with a 9-4 overall record. In doubles, he earned a 6-6 overall record, going 5-6 from the No. 1 court throughout the season.
 
He is the first Golden Eagle to earn the player of the year honor since 2009 and the first since 2016 to take home the newcomer of the year accolade. The last time a men’s tennis athlete took home both honors was in 2018 when Illinois State’s Igor Kolaric achieved the feat.
 
Denver men’s head coach Ricardo Rubio took home the third Coach of the Year award of his career after helping the Pioneers to their sixth regular-season title since joining the league. Rubio’s team finished league play undefeated and arrive at the championship with an overall record of 14-3 and ranked No. 45  in the ITA Computer rankings and No. 44 in the ITA Coaches’ Poll.
 
For the women, Denver senior Anna Riedmiller claimed the Player of the Year award, while North Dakota freshman Sapir Sela took home the Newcomer of the Year honor. Riedmiller is tied for the league lead in singles victories with a perfect 5-0 record. She is currently ranked No. 123 in the country in the latest ITA Computer rankings and holds an overall singles record of 13-1 and a 9-2 doubles mark.
 
Sela is the first athlete from the Fighting Hawks to win an annual award. Heading into the championship, she holds an 11-6 overall singles record and a 4-2 record in league competition. In doubles action, She is 9-8 overall and 3-3 in league play.
 
Denver’s head coach Christian Bass secured her fifth-straight Coach of the Year accolade after guiding the Pioneers to their seventh-straight Summit League regular-season championship crown. Bass’ squad logged its seventh-consecutive perfect league winning percentage with a 5-0 record. The Pioneers currently hold a 12-3 overall record and enter the championship ranked No. 49^th in the country in the latest ITA Coaches’ Poll.
 
On the men’s all-league team, the Pioneers had four honorees headlined by Matt Summers who earned a spot on the team for the third consecutive season. Fellow teammate James Davis earned his second career honor while Nicolas Herrero Cuesta and Ignacio Rivero Crespo made their first appearance on the team.
 
Drake and Omaha each had three individuals represented. The Bulldogs saw Oliver Johansson, Benedek Herman and Evan Fragistas earn a spot on the team for the first in their careers. Omaha’s Abdoul Ouattara earned his third career award while teammates Matt Hulme and Davis Lawley picked up their first.
 
Rounding out the men’s selections are North Dakota’s Edmond Aynejian and ORU’s Zakharov.
 
The Pioneers had seven individuals earn all-league honors on the women’s side headlined by three-time honorees Riedmiller, Camille Verden-Anderson and Hada Chang. Tatum Burger took home her second consecutive honor while teammates Taylor Melville, Toni Nelson and Britt Pursell earned the honor for the first time.
 
Completing the women’s all-league team were Kansas City’s Grace Ball, North Dakota’s Andrea Jansson, Nina Zdravkovic and Sapir Sela along with Oral Roberts’ Oleksandra Nahurska.
 
Men’s Individual Awards
Player of the Year
Volodymyr Zakharov, Oral Roberts
 
Newcomer of the Year
Volodymyr Zakharov, Oral Roberts
 
Coach of the Year
Ricardo Rubio, Denver
 
2021 All-League Men’s Tennis Team
Oliver Johansson, Drake
Benedek Herman, Drake
James Davis, Denver
Edmond Aynedjian, North Dakota
Nicolas Herrero Cuesta, Denver
Ignacio Rivero Crespo, Denver
Matt Hulme, Omaha
Aboul Ouattara, Omaha
Volodymyr Zakharov, Oral Roberts
Matt Summers, Denver
Evan Fragistas, Drake
Davis Lawley, Omaha
 
 
Women’s Individual Awards
Player of the Year
Anna Riedmiller, Denver
 
Newcomer of the Year
Sapir Sela, North Dakota
 
Coach of the Year
Christian Bass, Denver
 
2021 All-League Women’s Tennis Team
Anna Riedmiller, Denver
Taylor Melville, Denver
Andrea Jansson, North Dakota
Grace Ball, Kansas City
Hada Chang, Denver
Toni Nelson, Denver
Britt Pursell, Denver
Oleksandra Nahurska, Oral Roberts
Camille Verden-Anderson, Denver
Tatum Burger, Denver
Sapir Sela, North Dakota
Nina Zdravkovic, North Dakota