Sagyndykova Headlines Women’s Tennis All-GNAC Selections

BOSTON – For the first time in GNAC women's tennis history, the same person has won the GNAC Player of the Year award three times as Suffolk's Aidiana Sagyndykova is the first to have that honor to headline the Rams' four all-conference selections the league office announced Tuesday afternoon. 

Sagynydkova is the second Suffolk student-athlete to be named the conference's best player across the season in his or her sport three times following softball's Jess Ferreira BS '09, MEd '10. 

Sagyndykova went 14-1 in singles in her senior campaign including a perfect 14-0 dual record with a 9-0 mark as the Rams' ace and a 5-0 ledger in the second spot. She was the lone player across the GNAC to play in all six conference matches and go unbeaten. Her 6-0 league ledger earned her a spot on the singles first-time for the fourth time in her career, which marks another first for the Almaty, Kazakstahn, native as she is the only Ram to pick up four singles first team nods throughout their careers. 

Joining Sagyndykova on the singles first team is Valentina Medina. For the second consecutive year Medina went unbeaten in singles dual action, 14-0, splitting time on the first (7-0) and second (7-0) courts, respectively, to earn first-team honors for the second straight season. 

Medina, who hails from San Andres, Colombia, also was an essential ingredient to the Rams' most successful doubles tandems this season and garnered a spot on the doubles second team with partner Isabel Rathlev. Exclusively as the top tandem, Medina and Rathlev went 9-0, 2-0 in conference action en route to all-conference honors. 

Elena Cisneros Garcia represented Suffolk on the GNAC All-Sportsmanship Team. The all-sportsmanship team was established to honor one player from each team in the conference for outstanding dedication to sportsmanship and for their portrayal of good sportsmanship, fair play and a positive attitude. 

The four Rams on the all-conference team are the most by Suffolk since four student-athletes garnered all-league accolades in 2008.   

Eugenia Skorobogatova played her way to conference accolades in the postseason tournament. The graduate student notched two singles victories, including a golden singles match in the quarterfinals over Mount Ida's Katlyn Jesse in the third position and the Rams' lone singles win in the semifinals against Simmons' Jessica Schroedl on the first court to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. 

2016 ALL-GNAC WOMEN'S TENNIS

First Team Singles
Nina Cohen, Johnson & Wales
Luiza Silva Simoes, Johnson & Wales
Morgan Thompson, Johnson & Wales
Jessica Schroedl, Simmons
Valentina Medina, Suffolk
Aidiana Sagyndykova, Suffolk

First Team Doubles
Morgan Thompson / Luiza Silva Simoes, Johnson & Wales

Second Team Singles
Jessica Gautieri, Anna Maria
Lauren Torre, Johnson & Wales
Jenna Jarman, Mount Ida
Sakinah Abdulsalam, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Rebecca Mauri, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Nickie Nguygen, Simmons

Second Team Doubles
Valentina Medina / Isabel Rathlev, Suffolk

Player of the Year – Aidiana Sagyndykova, Suffolk
Rookie of the Year – Nina Cohen, Johnson & Wales
Coach of the Year – Devin Kitterick, Johnson & Wales
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Mount Ida College

All-Sportsmanship Team
Kelsea Wildman, Albertus Magnus
Laura Cabral, Anna Maria
Morgan Thompson, Johnson & Wales
Yuliana Chairez, Mount Ida
Lucy Roberge, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Olivia Lakes, Simmons
Elena Cisneros Garcia, Suffolk

All-Tournament Team
Sakinah Abdulsalam, Saint Joseph (Conn.)
Eugenia Skorobogatova, Suffolk
Olivia Lakes, Simmons
Jessica Schroedl, Simmons 
Luiza Simoes, Johnson & Wales
Morgan Thompson, Johnson & Wales
Nina Cohen (MVP), Johnson & Wales