PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Houston sophomore Despoina Vogasari was named American Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year in a vote of the conference’s head coaches, as announced by the conference office Thursday.
 
Vogasari, who was The American Freshman of the Year in 2014, helped lead No. 29 Houston to a 22-5 mark leading into the NCAA Championship. The No. 81 singles player in the ITA rankings, Vogasari went 18-5 in singles play at No. 1 as the Cougars advanced to the final of The American Championship before earning an at-large bid into the field of 64.
 
Two players will share Freshman of the Year honors as Temple’s Alina Abdurakhimova and Tulsa’s Ksenia Laskutova tied in voting for the award. Abdurakhimova recorded a 19-5 singles mark while playing at No. 1 for the Owls in 2015, while Laskutova went 10-14 at No. 1 for a No. 46 Golden Hurricane team that won The American Championship.
 
Tulsa’s Dean Orford earned Coach of the Year honors after leading the third-seeded Golden Hurricane to The American Championship on its home courts in Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane will enter the NCAA Championship at 16-10 on the year.
 
Vogasari and Abdurakhimova were part of a 14-player women’s all-conference team. Vogasari was one of three Houston players on the team along with Elena Kordolaimi and Tina Rupert. Tulsa led the way with four players on the list - Marcelina Cichon, Renata Kuricova, Rongrong Leenabanchong and Saana Saarteinen.
 
Nine of 11 teams were represented on the team, as one player each from UCF, Cincinnati, UConn, Memphis, SMU and Tulane joined the Houston, Temple and Tulsa honorees.
 
Tulsa and Houston qualified for the NCAA Women’s Tennis Championship, which will begin with regional play May 8 as the teams set their sights on the final rounds in Waco, Texas, the following week.
 
2015 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE WOMEN’S TENNIS AWARDS
Player of the Year
Despoina Vogasari, So., Houston
 
Freshmen of the Year
Alina Abdurakhimova, Fr., Temple
Ksenia Laskutova, Fr., Tulsa
 
Coach of the Year
Dean Orford, Tulsa
 
All-Conference Team*
Caroline Eberhart, Jr., UCF
Kelly Poggensee-Wei, Jr., Cincinnati
Srna Stosljevic, Jr., UConn
Elena Kordolaimi, Sr., Houston
Tina Rupert, So., Houston
Despoina Vogasari, So., Houston
Anki Wind, So., Memphis
Hristina Dishkova, Jr., SMU
Alina Abdurakhimova, Fr., Temple
Naz Karagoz, Fr., Tulane
Marcelina Cichon, So., Tulsa
Renata Kuricova, Jr., Tulsa
Rongrong Leenabanchong, So., Tulsa
Saana Saarteinen, Jr., Tulsa
 
* There are 14 players on the all-conference team due to a tie in the voting