Emily Thomas Named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year; Kyle, Abelson Named First Team All-Conference

NEW YORK - After a record breaking season for Xavier women's tennis, three Musketeers earned All-Conference honors, the league office announced on Wednesday. Freshman Emily Thomas was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, earning a spot on the All-BIG EAST Second Team. Sophomore Ahmeir Kyle and senior Sophia Abelson earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors.

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Thomas, originally from Cincinnati, played primarily in the No. 3 spot in singles, finished dual play at 19-4 overall, including a 7-1 mark in BIG EAST play. Thomas' 19 singles wins matches Kaitlin Ruether for team-high.

Thomas played 16 matches in No. 3 spot, going 14-2, but also played five matches between the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, going 2-0 in the No. 1 spot and 2-1 in the No. 2 spot. Thomas clinched Xavier's spot in the BIG EAST Championship match with a 6-4, 5-7, 7-5 win in the No. 3 spot against St. John's.

In doubles, Thomas paired with Ahmeir Kyle to play in the No. 1 spot, going 12-5 overall and 3-2 in BIG EAST play. The duo finished with a 9-5 record against No. 1s and 3-0 against No. 2s.

"I'm so proud of Emily. To be BIG EAST Freshman of the Year is an amazing accomplishment," said head coach Doug Matthews. "She has so much pride in Xavier and competed for her team and her city all year. She has a unique ability to find ways to win matches that you just don't see all that often. We are very lucky to get her for three more years and i am excited to see her continue to grow."

Thomas is the second Musketeer to earn the honor from the BIG EAST, joining Sydney Liggins, who was Freshman of the Year in 2014.

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Kyle, who was named Second Team All-BIG EAST in 2018 following her freshman season, earned a spot on the First Team after a sophomore campaign where she went 11-7 overall in singles, playing in the No. 1 spot as Xavier went 22-3 overall and 8-0 in the BIG EAST regular season, winning a school-record 20 straight matches on the way to the BIG EAST Championship match. Kyle finished with a 4-2 record in BIG EAST regular season matches.

Kyle played No. 1 doubles with Emily Thomas, going 12-5 overall and 3-2 in BIG EAST play. The duo finished with a 9-5 record against No. 1s and 3-0 against No. 2s.

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Abelson played the bulk of the singles season in the No. 2 spot, going 16-6 in dual matches, including a 7-1 record in BIG EAST matches as Xavier won a school-record matching 22 matches and earned the program's first No. 1 seed in a conference tournament. Abelson went 12-6 in the No. 2 spot, and 4-0 in the No. 1 spot, finishing the season on a three-match win streak.

Abelson partnered with Kaitlin Ruether in No. 2 doubles for the bulk of the season, going 13-5 in the No. 2 spot and 2-0 in the No. 1 spot, with a 6-2 record in BIG EAST matches. Abelson also partnered with Anna Letto for three matches, playing in the No. 1 spot, going 0-3.

"Ahmeir and Soph were both awesome for us all year," said Matthews. "It's so important to have a number 1 in Ahmeir that you believe can win any match. It just gives the rest of the team more belief. Sophia's leadership and consistency on a day to day basis were so valuable for us this year. Soph had an amazing career here and for Ahmeir we are excited to see her continued growth as a player and leader."

2019 BIG EAST Women's Tennis Awards
Player of the Year: Jessica Livianu, St. John's, Jr.
Freshman of the Year: Emily Thomas, Xavier
Coaching Staff of the Year: DePaul

All-BIG EAST First Team
Aspasia Avgeri, DePaul, Jr.
Keisha Clousing, DePaul, Sr.
Fleur Eggink, Marquette, Jr.
Jessica Livianu, St. John's, Jr.
Sophia Abelson, Xavier, Sr.
Ahmeir Kyle, Xavier, So.

All-BIG EAST Second Team*
Ashley Ishimura, Creighton, Sr.
Marija Jovicic, DePaul, So.
Alina Kuzmenkova, DePaul, So.
Milica Novakovic, Marquette, Jr.
Anicka Fajnorova, Seton Hall, Sr.
Regina Pitts, Seton Hall, Fr.
Emily Thomas, Xavier, Fr.

*A tie in voting resulted in a seven-member Second Team

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