Monday, May 21, 2007

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (May 21, 2007) - Senior women's tennis standout Masha Ilina (Kyiv, Ukraine) was recently awarded the ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship in the Southeast Division.

The Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship goes to a women's player who displays inspiring dedication and commitment to her team, which has enhanced her team's performance and exemplified the spirit of college tennis. National winners will be announced May 22 in Athens, Ga. Regional award winners are finalists for the national awards.

"I am extremely proud of Masha. This award shows all the hard work she has put into her tennis and her dedication to her team. She has performed well over her four years here.  As the new career singles wins leader, she has set the bar very high for years to come. It is hard to replace a player like her," said head coach Steve Brooks.

This past season, Ilina compiled a 22-18 overall record, was 17-9 in dual play, and was 9-3 in conference play. She also holds the ETSU record for career singles wins with 103 victories. She is the first Lady Buc to ever reach 100 wins and is only one of four ETSU tennis players to ever reach that mark.

A complete listing of the finalists for the national ITA/Cissie Leary Award for Sportsmanship is listed below.