University of Delaware Athletics
Photo by: Jacob Kisamore
Vasilenko Named Co-Freshman of the Year; Three Blue Hens Earn All-CAA Honors
5/17/2022 2:02:00 PM | Women's Tennis
NEWARK, Del. – The Colonial Athletic Association announced its postseason awards on Tuesday and University of Delaware women's tennis freshman Alina Vasilenko has been named the CAA Co-Freshman of the Year. Additionally, the Blue Hens had individuals on all three All-CAA Teams for singles as well as one doubles team earn All-CAA First Team honors.
Vasilenko becomes just the second Blue Hen to be selected as CAA Freshman of the Year, joining Brooke Pilkington who earned the honor in 2017. Vasilenko was also named to the All-CAA First Team in singles as well as doubles with partner Dominika Sujova. Eliza Askarova earned All-CAA Second Team honors in singles while Sujova also was selected to the All-CAA Third Team for singles.
"This is a nice honor for our players to be recognized for their accomplishments this past spring," said Director of Tennis Pablo Montana. "I'm very proud of Alina to come in here this spring and make an immediate impact within our conference and region. Eliza has been our top player these last few years and I'm excited for her to continue leading us on and off the court. I'm so happy for Domi and the way she finished her career as a student-athlete."
Alina Vasilenko – CAA Co-Freshman of the Year; All-CAA First Team Singles
Vasilenko joined the Blue Hens prior to the spring season and had a tremendous rookie campaign. She won her first 15 collegiate matches and finished the season going 19-2 across the top three singles positions, including a 13-2 mark at No. 2. Her 19 wins are tied for the eighth-most in UD history for a freshman season and her .905 winning percentage is ninth-best overall in program history. The Moscow-Russia native won 12 matches in straight-set decisions and had a perfect 7-0 record in three-set matches.
Dominika Sujova / Alina Vasilenko – All-CAA First Team Doubles
The duo of Sujova and Vasilenko were nearly perfect in their 19 matches as a team, putting together an 18-1 record across all three positions in the lineup. The 18 wins are the eighth-most for a duo in Delaware history. Sujova and Vasilenko won their first 12 matches as a team and went 9-0 at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions before going 9-1 at UD's top spot. In 22 total contests, which included three matches that went unfinished, they outscored their opponents 124-50.
Eliza Askarova – All-CAA Second Team Singles
Askarova earns her second all-conference in singles and third overall after being named All-CAA First Team in singles and doubles following her sophomore campaign in 2020-21. As a junior, Askarova went 21-13 in singles including a 15-8 mark in dual matches, all at the top position in the UD lineup. The Philadelphia native put together a stretch of seven wins in eight matches, including three three-set victories and big nonconference victories over opponents from Navy, Rutgers and West Virginia.
Dominika Sujova – All-CAA Third Team Singles
In her first season with the Blue & Gold, Sujova put together a dominant season going 44-7 altogether, with a 21-5 mark in singles action. She went 19-4 in dual matches, playing at four different positions in the Delaware lineup including going 10-1 at No. 5. The Topolcany, Slovakia native had three different winning streaks of at least five matches, including finishing the season with seven-consecutive victories. Sujova went 5-0 against CAA opponents and won both of her matches in the 2022 CAA Championship with a pair of tiebreaker victories in her semifinal match.
Delaware finished the 2021-22 season with a 19-6 overall record, setting program records for wins, singles victories and doubles victories in a season. The Blue Hens advanced to the CAA Championship Semifinals for just the second time in program history.
For the latest on the Delaware women's tennis program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareWTEN and Instagram @Delawarewtennis.
Vasilenko becomes just the second Blue Hen to be selected as CAA Freshman of the Year, joining Brooke Pilkington who earned the honor in 2017. Vasilenko was also named to the All-CAA First Team in singles as well as doubles with partner Dominika Sujova. Eliza Askarova earned All-CAA Second Team honors in singles while Sujova also was selected to the All-CAA Third Team for singles.
"This is a nice honor for our players to be recognized for their accomplishments this past spring," said Director of Tennis Pablo Montana. "I'm very proud of Alina to come in here this spring and make an immediate impact within our conference and region. Eliza has been our top player these last few years and I'm excited for her to continue leading us on and off the court. I'm so happy for Domi and the way she finished her career as a student-athlete."
Alina Vasilenko – CAA Co-Freshman of the Year; All-CAA First Team Singles
Vasilenko joined the Blue Hens prior to the spring season and had a tremendous rookie campaign. She won her first 15 collegiate matches and finished the season going 19-2 across the top three singles positions, including a 13-2 mark at No. 2. Her 19 wins are tied for the eighth-most in UD history for a freshman season and her .905 winning percentage is ninth-best overall in program history. The Moscow-Russia native won 12 matches in straight-set decisions and had a perfect 7-0 record in three-set matches.
Dominika Sujova / Alina Vasilenko – All-CAA First Team Doubles
The duo of Sujova and Vasilenko were nearly perfect in their 19 matches as a team, putting together an 18-1 record across all three positions in the lineup. The 18 wins are the eighth-most for a duo in Delaware history. Sujova and Vasilenko won their first 12 matches as a team and went 9-0 at the No. 2 and No. 3 positions before going 9-1 at UD's top spot. In 22 total contests, which included three matches that went unfinished, they outscored their opponents 124-50.
Eliza Askarova – All-CAA Second Team Singles
Askarova earns her second all-conference in singles and third overall after being named All-CAA First Team in singles and doubles following her sophomore campaign in 2020-21. As a junior, Askarova went 21-13 in singles including a 15-8 mark in dual matches, all at the top position in the UD lineup. The Philadelphia native put together a stretch of seven wins in eight matches, including three three-set victories and big nonconference victories over opponents from Navy, Rutgers and West Virginia.
Dominika Sujova – All-CAA Third Team Singles
In her first season with the Blue & Gold, Sujova put together a dominant season going 44-7 altogether, with a 21-5 mark in singles action. She went 19-4 in dual matches, playing at four different positions in the Delaware lineup including going 10-1 at No. 5. The Topolcany, Slovakia native had three different winning streaks of at least five matches, including finishing the season with seven-consecutive victories. Sujova went 5-0 against CAA opponents and won both of her matches in the 2022 CAA Championship with a pair of tiebreaker victories in her semifinal match.
Delaware finished the 2021-22 season with a 19-6 overall record, setting program records for wins, singles victories and doubles victories in a season. The Blue Hens advanced to the CAA Championship Semifinals for just the second time in program history.
For the latest on the Delaware women's tennis program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareWTEN and Instagram @Delawarewtennis.
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