Big South Announces 2023 Women's Tennis Annual Award Winners
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (
www.BigSouthSports.com) -- UNC Asheville senior
Ami Grace Dougah (Lawrenceville, Ga.) has been voted the Big South Conference Women’s Tennis Player of the Year by the league’s head coaches, it was announced today by the conference office. Asheville head coach
Lise Gregory was voted Coach of the Year, while the Bulldogs’
Elizabeth Tindera (Dana, Ind.) was voted Freshman of the Year by the group. Charleston Southern’s
Zoe Cauthen (Florence, S.C.) was voted Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the Big South’s Sports Information Directors.
Dougah becomes the first UNC Asheville Bulldog since 1990 to win Player of the Year honors. She was undefeated (6-0) in conference singles matches -- all at the No. 1 flight, and was 15-1 overall at the top flight. Dougah recorded 14 of her 15 singles victories in straight-sets, won a set by a 6-0 score nine times, and finished the regular-season on an five-match winning streak. She posted notable non-conference wins against Chattanooga, UNC Greensboro, Wofford, Davidson, UNC Wilmington and Western Carolina. A three-time Big South Player of the Week honoree this season, Dougah was 10-3 in doubles action -- including 4-0 in Big South matches -- on court one.
Tindera is the second Bulldog since 2019 to be voted Freshman of the Year. She went 13-1 during the regular-season playing mainly No. 3 singles (12-1), and was 5-1 in Big South singles matches. Tindera earned three Freshman of the Week honors, and won nine of her last 10 singles matches to close the regular-season. Eight of her singles victories were in straight-sets, including three conference contests, and she notched three 6-0 decisions. Tindera also recorded an 11-1 mark in doubles playing in the No. 2 position, which included a 5-0 record in Big South play.
Gregory earns her second Big South Coach of the Year award, and first since 2009. She led the Bulldogs to a perfect 6-0 Big South record and the outright regular-season championship -- the program’s first crown since 1989. Gregory’s squad defeated Charleston Southern, 4-3 in the regular-season finale that ended CSU’s 22-match win streak in regular-season Big South Conference contests that started in 2019. Asheville won four matches by a 7-0 score (two in the Big South), plus another six that were 6-1 decisions. The Bulldogs’ 15 overall wins were the most by a conference member in 2023, and their lone team defeat was by a score of 4-3.
Cauthen is a 3.86 student working on her master’s in biology, and she has earned multiple ITA Scholar-Athlete honors during her career. She had a winning season in singles play at 7-6, and teamed with Tiffany Pyritz to win 10 doubles matches in 2023.
2023 Big South Conference Women’s Tennis Award Winners
First Team All-Conference Singles
Ami Grace Dougah, UNC Asheville
Luiza Fullana, Charleston Southern
Linge Steenkamp, UNC Asheville
Amila Jusufbegovic, Charleston Southern
Mialy Ranaivo, Campbell
Elizabeth Tindera, UNC Asheville
Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb
Kassandra Di Staulo, Charleston Southern
First Team All-Conference Doubles
Ami Grace Dougah / Rosie Dickson, UNC Asheville
Luiza Fullana / Khyanna Singh, Charleston Southern
Ari Siegel / Linge Steenkamp, UNC Asheville
Manon Delsol / Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb
Second Team All-Conference Singles
Manon Delsol, Gardner-Webb
Rosie Dickson, UNC Asheville
Noa Boyd, Charleston Southern
Marina Skegro, Charleston Southern
Avery Sager, UNC Asheville
Abbie Tyler, Campbell
Valeria Lloclla, Gardner-Webb
Elise Semmartin, Gardner-Webb
Second Team All-Conference Doubles
Elizabeth Tindera / Valeria Centeno, UNC Asheville
Tiffany Pyritz / Zoe Cauthen, Charleston Southern
Noa Boyd / Amila Jusufbegovic, Charleston Southern
Mialy Ranaivo / Anna-Marie Kopecka, Campbell
All-Academic Team
Anna-Marie Kopecka, Campbell
Zoe Cauthen, Charleston Southern
Emilia Roslund, Gardner-Webb
Nina Hederich, Longwood
Valentina De Sousa, Presbyterian College
Emily Brandow, Radford
Rosie Dickson, UNC Asheville
Player of the Year
Ami Grace Dougah, UNC Asheville
Freshman of the Year
Elizabeth Tindera, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year
Lise Gregory, UNC Asheville
Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Zoe Cauthen, Charleston Southern