WOMEN'S TENNIS

Roster  |  Coaches  |  Schedule / Results  |  News

UB Women's Tennis Announces Awards

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo women’s tennis squad presented its team awards for the 2006-07 season at the annual Athletic Awards Banquet held at the Millennium Hotel on May 1.

Head coach Kathy Twist made the following presentations: Denise Harijanto (Jakarta, Indonesia) was selected as the Top Newcomer; Natalie Dean (Feilding, New Zealand/Palmerston North) earned the Most Improved Player Award; Katrin Fischer (Ternitz, Austria/Borg) received the Coaches’ Award; and Miglena Nenova (Rousse, Bulgaria/Eurointellect) was named Most Outstanding.

Denise Harijanto

The Top Newcomer Award is presented to the individual student-athlete who distinguishes herself as the most talented new player on the team or the individual who accomplishes the greatest achievements as a first-year player. Harijanto quickly made her presence felt on the UB courts with a 21-9 singles record and 25-6 doubles mark in her freshman campaign, leading the team in doubles victories and tying for the team lead for singles wins with Smaranda Stan (Stantu Gheorge, Romania/Economic). Harijanto saw action at the number one spot in the early spring, posting a 4-1 record, but spent much of the season at second singles where she went 5-3 against Mid-American Conference competition and 7-5 in all matches. The freshman was also recognized by the league as a second-team All-MAC selection in 2007.

Natalie Dean

The Most Improved Player Award is presented to the student-athlete who has made the greatest stride or improvement in her performance from the previous season or from the beginning of the season to the end of the season. Dean posted a 16-6 singles record and a 20-9 doubles mark in the 2006-07 season. Playing just two seasons for the Bulls after transferring from Delta State University, Dean collected 31 overall singles wins to place her ninth on UB's all-time victories list. She also moved into seventh place on UB's all-time doubles victories list with 31. She was named to the MAC's All-Tournament team as she helped the Bulls to their second straight appearance in the championship final and was also selected to the league's Academic All-MAC team.

Katrin Fischer

The Coaches’ Award is selected by the head coach and is given to the student-athlete who best exemplifies the team virtues as defined by the head coach. The recipient is one who stands out in dedication, commitment, unselfishness and enthusiasm towards helping the team improve. Fischer ended her four-year career at UB third on the Bulls' all-time singles wins list with 61. Fischer finished the 2006-07 campaign with a 19-4 singles record, winning her final 10 matches and 16 of her last 17. She was also 14-8 in doubles play this season and ended her career with 45 doubles victories, tied for fourth on UB's all-time list. Fischer won the MAC's LeAnn Grimes Davidge Sportsmanship Award and was selected to the All-Tournament team as her victory over Toledo's Jessica Azoulay in the semifinals put the Bulls into the championship match. Off the court, she was named to the Academic All-MAC team, a member of the UB Golden Key Honour Society and wrote for the student newspaper, The Spectrum. She also earned UB's Ideal Bull Distinguished Student-Athlete Leadership Award at the evening's banquet.

Miglena Nenova

The Most Outstanding Award is given to the student-athlete who makes the most significant contribution to the accomplishments of the team through her skills and leadership. Nenova, UB's all-time leader in singles and doubles victories, posted a 17-8 singles and 23-8 doubles record this season. In her four years with the program, Nenova collected 67 singles and 74 doubles victories. Nenova was 9-5 when playing in the first singles slot this season, was twice named the MAC's Player of the Week and was selected to the All-MAC First Team squad. Besides her three career selections to the All-MAC First Team, Nenova was a second-team All-MAC honoree in 2005 and was the league's Freshman of the Year in 2004.

The Bulls completed the best season in school history with a 17-3 overall record and 7-1 mark in MAC action, earning the number two seed in the championship tournament. The 17 wins was a school record. UB reached the championship match for the second consecutive season, falling to Western Michigan in the finals. The program was also cited with the Athletic Director's Team Award at the annual banquet as the top team in the 2006-07 school year. In the last two seasons, the Bulls have compiled a 33-8 overall record with a 13-3 ledger in MAC play.