NIU's three all-league selections marks the first time since 2014 that the Huskies have had a trio of All-MAC honorees while Vollbach becomes the seventh Huskie to earn MAC Freshman/Newcomer of the Year recognition.
Playing at number one throughout the season, Muzar posted a 14-7 overall record, including a 5-4 mark in conference play. In doubles, the Crnomelj, Slovenia native earned 12 wins, all playing alongside Vollbach, with the pair posting a 7-4 mark at number one. Since joining the Huskies in 2016-17, Muzar has earned 78 singles victories, just two shy of the program's career top-10, and 62 doubles wins. This is the second all-conference honor for Muzar as he was named to the All-MAC Second Team in 2018.
Ortega was named to the All-MAC First Team for the second time in his career, having first claimed the honor in 2018. The Homer Glen, Ill., native tallied a 15-7 singles record this season, playing between one and three in the lineup. Ortega won eight of his singles matches at number two and posted a 5-4 mark in conference matches. Ortega paired with Valentinsson throughout the season in doubles and the duo recorded an 18-4 overall mark, including 7-2 in the MAC.
Valentinsson joined NIU this season as a transfer from Incarnate Word, making an immediate impact as he tied for the team-high with 19 singles wins. Valentinsson earned seven wins at number four and seven at number five, while also posting a perfect 4-0 mark at number three. In conference matches, the Malmo, Sweden, native had a 7-2 singles record. Combined with his 18 doubles wins alongside Ortega, Valentinsson tallied a team-best 37 total wins during the 2021 campaign.
Vollbach had a team-best 19-1 record in singles matches, including an 8-1 mark in conference. Vollbach won his first 18 decisions of the season and dropped just seven sets all year in singles matches. The freshman from Finland added 12 more wins in doubles, playing with Muzar, with seven of those victories coming at number one.
The seventh Huskie to earn MAC Freshman/Newcomer of the Year honors, Vollbach joins: Eric Martinez (2002), Brian Livingston (2006), Pawel Poziomski (2009), Maksym Bartiuk (2010), Axel Lagerlof (2011) and Ortega (2018).
NIU finished the 2021 season with a 21-3 mark, tied for the most wins for the program since the 1988-89 season, and was ranked as high as 37th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division I Team Rankings.
All-MAC First Team
Danilo Kovacevic, Ball State
Thibault DeNegri, Ball State
Bor Schweiger Muzar, NIU
Kristopher Ortega, NIU
Jannik Opitz, Western Michigan
Peter Kuszynski, Western Michigan
All-MAC Second Team
Chris Adams, Ball State
Bjoren Petersen, Buffalo
Oliver Valentinsson, NIU
Thawin Suksathaporn, Toledo
Krzysztof Wetoszka, Toledo
Fynn Lohse, Western Michigan
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jannik Opitz, Western Michigan
COACH OF THE YEAR: Dave Morin, Western Michigan
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Mikael Vollbach, NIU
JACK VREDEVELT SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD: Thawin Suksathaporn, Toledo
"four" - Google News
May 18, 2021 at 12:31AM
https://ift.tt/3eSzEha
Four Huskies Earn Conference Honors - Northern Illinois University Athletics
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment