By: MIAA Communications
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The league office announced today the 2020-21 MIAA Women’s Tennis Postseason Awards and All-MIAA Teams. Coach of the Year honors went to Central Oklahoma’s Jaron Maestas, Player of the Year accolades went to Central Oklahoma’s Adel-Byanu Abidullina and Freshman of the Year was awarded to Central Oklahoma’s Mae Canete. The Sportsmanship Award went to Nebraska Kearney’s Claire Neil.
The awards were nominated and voted on by all nine league head coaches sponsoring women’s tennis.
Coach Maestas has directed the Bronchos to a No. 4 national ranking in the lastest ITA Top 25 poll and a No. 1 seed in the upcoming MIAA Championship April 30 – May 1. Central Oklahoma won its first-ever MIAA regular-season championship with a perfect 8-0 record and 16-1 overall mark. In the first NCAA Central Regional Ranking, the Bronchos are listed amongst six other teams. Maestas has been the UCO head women’s coach since 2016.
Adel-Byanu Abidullina, a sophomore from Moscow, Russia, is ranked No. 7 in the latest national ITA ranking. She carries a 14-1 overall record, including 11-1 at No. 1 singles and 3-0 at No. 2 singles, into the MIAA Championship. She is riding a current 12-match singles win streak. She also has teamed up with doubles partner Isabella Dunlap to rank No. 4 nationally on the ITA list. The pair is 12-3 on the year at No. 1 doubles, including a 6-2 mark in the MIAA.
Canete, a freshman fromn Los Angeles, Calif., holds a pristine 15-0 singles record with 11 of those wins coming at the No. 2 position and other four victories at No. 1. She is ranked No. 11 in the latest national ITA ranking. Along with partner Paola Landin, Canete is ranked 11th nationally in the latest doubles listing by the ITA. The duo is 11-2 overall at No. 2 doubles and 7-1 in the MIAA.
Below is the complete list of the 2020-21 awards.
2020-21 MIAA Women’s Tennis Awards and All-MIAA Teams
- Player of the Year: Adel-Byanu Abidullina – Central Oklahoma
- Freshman of the Year: Mae Canete – Central Oklahoma
- Coach of the Year: Jaron Maestas – Central Oklahoma
- Sportsmanship Award: Claire Neil – Nebraska Kearney
First-Team
- No. 1 Singles – Adel-Byanu Abidullina – Central Oklahoma
- No. 2 Singles – Mae Canete – Central Oklahoma
- No. 3 Singles – Isabella Dunlap – Central Oklahoma, Maria Soler Valverde – Washburn
- No. 4 Singles – Paola Landin – Central Oklahoma
- No. 5 Singles – Blythe Buntrock – Central Oklahoma
- No. 6 Singles – Niki Boyar – Central Oklahoma
- No. 1 Doubles – Adel-Byanu Abidullina and Isabella Dunlap – Central Oklahoma
- No. 2 Doubles – Mae Canete and Paola Landin – Central Oklahoma
- No. 3 Doubles – Nikki Boyar and Blythe Buntrock – Central Oklahoma
Includes Ties In VotingSecond-Team
- No. 1 Singles – Vera Alenicheva – Northwest Missouri
- No. 2 Singles – Karolina Ström – Missouri Western
- No. 3 Singles – Julia Aliseda – Northwest Missouri
- No. 4 Singles – Anya Chavez – Missouri Western
- No. 5 Singles – Maja Jung – Washburn
- No. 6 Singles – Victoria Caster – Northwest Missouri
- No. 1 Doubles – Ionna Lathouri and Anya Chavez – Missouri Western
- No. 2 Doubles – Vera Alenicheva and Julia Aliseda – Northwest Missouri
- No. 3 Doubles – Maria Soler Valverde and Svea Crohn – Washburn
Honorable Mentions
- No. 1 Singles – Marta Torres Rodriguez – Washburn
- No. 2 Singles – Isabela Bifano – Newman, Maria Popova – Northeastern State, Svea Crohn – Washburn
- ?No. 3 Singles – Jazmin Zamorano – Nebraska Kearney
- No. 4 Singles – Antonia Ramos – Newman, Logan Morrissey – Washburn
- No. 5 Singles – Vera Carvalho – Northeastern State
- No. 6 Singles – Belinda Jayaprakash – Northeastern State, Cadence Lynn – Washburn
- No. 1 Doubles – Logan Morrissey and Marta Torres Rodriguez – Washburn
- No. 2 Doubles – Maja Jung and Kinsey Fields – Washburn
- No. 3 Doubles – Jazmin Zamorano and Pranathi Gannavaram – Nebraska Kearney, Mirella Cavalcanti and Lauren Esfeld – Newman, Tessa Kwakernaak and Kaylyn Chleborad – Northwest Missouri
Includes Ties In Voting