IRVING, Texas -After one of the best seasons in program history, WKU Tennis garnered three all-conference awards and head coach Jonatan Berhane earned Conference USA Coach of the Year as announced by the league office Friday afternoon.
Senior Elpida Malamou was named singles first-team all-conference after racking up 14 wins, including a 1-0 mark against ranked opponents. The Greece native also won 26-straight matches, dating back to last year, which is a program record.
Freshman Monica Malinen, who enrolled in January and did not compete in fall action, transitioned well to the college ranks tallying an 11-6 record in singles play, earning second-team all-conference.
Following their 2-0 reading at the C-USA Championships in doubles play, the duo of Cindy Oest and Natalia De Ugarte earned doubles third-team all-conference. The tandem posted a 13-5 record when working together, primarily at the No. 2 spot.
Berhane, who is in his third year on The Hill, coached the Lady Toppers to their first win over rival Middle Tennessee since 1989, saw them advance to their first-ever semifinals match in a conference tournament and owned a .706 regular season winning percentage - the best since 2001. The Sweden native guided WKU to a 13-6 overall record, which is tied for the sixth-most wins in school history.
