Catherine Kellner, Michaela Kissell and Dominika Zaprazna of the Marshall University tennis team have been selected as All-Conference USA performers, announced by league officials on Monday afternoon.
Kissell, a senior, landed on the singles All-Conference USA First Team for the second-consecutive year, while fellow senior Kellner and sophomore Zaprazna were All-Conference USA Third Team members. Kissell and Zaprazna earned All-Conference USA Second Team for doubles.
Playing from the No. 1 position for the Thundering Herd, Kissell put together a spring record of 15-5. Including fall competition, she played to an overall mark of 26-10 and was crowned the ITA Atlantic Region singles champion. She is currently the top ranked player in the region and will leave Marshall with over 100 combined wins in just two seasons. Kissell was also a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team. She is currently ranked No. 52 in the nation and should receive an at-large berth into the upcoming NCAA Tournament.
Kellner led the team in the wins this spring, compiling a record of 18-5. The Smithtown, N.Y., native had a mark of 5-0 on court two and went 13-4 on court three. She leaves the Herd with the third-highest singles winning percentage in program history (83-28 – .747). Her 134 combined victories ranks her 15th all-time at Marshall. This is the first All-Conference USA selection of her career.
For the first time in her young career, Zaprazna earned conference honors for singles. Playing to an overall record of 13-8 coming mostly from the No. 2 position, the native of Bratislava, Slovakia, proved she is just as strong in singles as she is in doubles.
MU’s top duo for doubles of Kissell and Zaprazna were selected to the All-Conference USA Second Team. The tandem was the first doubles pair in Marshall history to go through the regular-season undefeated. They played to an overall mark of 19-1, with their only loss coming at the C-USA Tournament to the SMU duo of Marta Lesniak and Aleksandra Malyarchikova who edged MU for first team honors. Kissell and Zaprazna recorded wins over No. 10 Virginia, No. 20 Vanderbilt and No. 29 VCU in the spring and currently hold a national ranking of No. 23. The two will try to capture a National Championship at the NCAA Tournament.
Specialty awards such as Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, among others, will be announced tomorrow.
All-Conference USA First Team:
Michaela Kissell – Marshall
Courtney Collins – Memphis
Rebekka Hanle – Rice
Marta Lesniak – SMU
Aleksandra Malyarchikova – SMU
Alexandra Kichoutkin – Tulsa
Doubles – Marta Lesniak/Aleksandra Malyarchikova – SMU
All-Conference USA Second Team:
Dominique Harmath – Rice
Edyta Cieplucha – SMU
Mariam Kurdadze – Tulane
Anastasia Erofeeva – Tulsa
Michelle Farley – Tulsa
Sam Vickers – Tulsa
Doubles – Michaela Kissell/Dominika Zaprazna – Marshall
All-Conference USA Third Team:
Catherine Kellner – Marshall
Dominika Zaprazna – Marshall
Mariya Slupska – Memphis
Heather Steinbauer – SMU
Emma Levy – Tulane
Ewa Szatkowska – Tulsa
Doubles – Alexandra Kichoutkin/Jo-Anne Karaitiana – Tulsa
Doubles – Anastasia Erofeeva/Ewa Szatkowska – Tulsa