Lamar’s Lapayeva Lands Southland Women’s Tennis Player of the Year Honors
Southland Conference
FRISCO, Texas – Katya Lapayeva of Lamar has been named the Southland Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, the league announced Wednesday. The conference also announced the 2017 All-Conference teams.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s Steve Moore won his second consecutive Coach of the Year award as the Islanders’ Louise Trigona was selected as the league’s Freshman of the Year. Stephen F. Austin’s Kaja Ljubic earned Newcomer of the Year.
Lapayeva, a senior from Mogilev, Belarus, went 10-1 in league play at the top flight to take the individual superlative, paired with a 19-3 individual record overall. Her play at the top slot led the Cardinals to an 8-3 conference record and a No. 2 seed heading into this weekend’s league championship at their home court. This is Lamar’s first Player of the Year honors since 2010 when Mariayeni Gutierrez claimed the award.
The Islanders’ Steve Moore picked up back-to-back coach’s accolades by leading his Islander squad to its second consecutive regular season championship and third championship in four years. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi went 10-1 in league play and 17-2 overall. Moore had four players earn first team all-conference this season.
Louise Trigona captured 10 No. 4 singles victories in league play for the Islanders to win Freshman of the Year. The Bourges, France, native was 14-4 overall on the year. Trigona is the second Islander in program history to win the Southland freshman honors.
After a year spent at Northwest Missouri State, Kaja Ljubic joined Stephen F. Austin and dominated in singles and doubles play to win the Lady Jacks their second Newcomer of the Year award in three years. The sophomore from Ljubljana, Slovenia, compiled a 7-2 Southland record at the No. 6 slot and 7-2 league record at No. 3 doubles. Ljubic was named second-team All-Conference and first-team doubles.
The Islanders made up two-thirds of the first-team singles: Jelena Dzinic (No. 2; 8-2 Southland record), Trigona (No. 4), Maria Maldonado (No. 5; 8-1) and Marina Vicens Miquel (No. 6; 9-0). Lapayeva claimed the No. 1 slot and McNeese’s Hannah Brett joined the team at the No. 3 flight following a 7-2 year.
Abilene Christian’s Lucile Pothier and Whitney Williams went an undefeated 6-0 at No. 1 doubles to earn a first-team all-conference selection. Central Arkansas’ QiLi Ma and Rada Manataweewat (No. 2; 10-1) and Stephen F. Austin’s Liza Aginskaya and Ljubic (No. 3; 7-2) round out the top doubles team.
The 2017 All-Southland Conference women's tennis teams are comprised of six first-team, six second-team singles members and six honorable mention members along with three first-team, three second-team and three honorable mention doubles squads. Teams are chosen by vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Recipients are placed on the teams by the number of votes received. Voting panelists are not permitted to vote for their own student-athletes.
First serve of the 2017 Southland Women's Tennis Tournament is set for 10 a.m. at the Beaumont Municipal Tennis Center in Beaumont, Texas. The championship match has a 2 p.m. start for Sunday. More information can be found by visiting the tournament homepage at
southland.org/tennis17.
2017 All-Southland Conference Women's Tennis Teams and Individual Awards
Player of the Year: Katya Lapayeva, Lamar
Freshman of the Year: Louise Trigona, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Newcomer of the Year: K. Ljubic, Stephen F. Austin
Coach of the Year: Steve Moore, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
First-Team Singles
No. 1 Katya Lapayeva, Lamar
No. 2 Jelena Dzinic, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 3 Hannah Brett, McNeese
No. 4 Louise Trigona, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 5 Maria Maldonado, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 6 Marina Vicens Miquel, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
Second-Team Singles
No. 1 Trang Dao, New Orleans
No. 2 Anna Spengler, Lamar
No. 3 Khee Yen Wee, Sam Houston State
No. 4 Amiru Shimoguchi, Central Arkansas
No. 5 Marli Van Heerden, Central Arkansas
No. 6 Kaja Ljubic, Stephen F. Austin
Singles Honorable Mention
No. 1 Hortense Boscher, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
No. 2 Lucile Pothier, Abilene Christian
No. 3 QiLi Ma, Central Arkansas
No. 4 Sarah Adams, Abilene Christian
No. 5 Judit Castillo Gargallo, Northwestern State
No. 6 Hanna Elfving, Lamar
First-Team Doubles
No. 1 W. Williams/L. Pothier, Abilene Christian
No. 2 Q. Ma/R. Manataweewat, Central Arkansas
No. 3 L. Aginskaya/K. Ljubic, Stephen F. Austin
Second-Team Doubles
No. 1 S. Jurakova/H. Brett, McNeese
No. 2 C. Erlandsson/V. Borbely, McNeese
No. 3 J. Buchta/H. Elfving, Lamar
Doubles Honorable Mention
No. 1 M. Milanovic/C. Casey, Sam Houston State
No. 2 I. Vardanian/J. Gargallo, Northwestern State
No. 3 J. Henry/A. Crossnoe, Abilene Christian