FLUSHING, N.Y. – On the heels of Thursday’s CUNYAC/HSS Women’s Tennis Championship, the City University of New York Athletic Conference is excited to announce its All-Star Teams for the 2021 women’s tennis season, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.

Thursday's championship features top-seeded Baruch and second-seeded Hunter in a rematch of the 2019 CUNYAC final. In the previous meeting, it was the Hawks that hoisted the trophy with a 5-2 victory.

Baruch reaches the final following a 5-0 victory over No. 4 Brooklyn in the semifinals, as the Bearcats are in pursuit of a seventh conference title in program history and first since 2016.

Hunter reaches the championship round for a third consecutive season after deafeating No. 3 John Jay in the semifinals, as the Hawks look to secure a conference-best 23rd CUNYAC championship. 
 
After earning the No. 1 seed in the tournament following an unbeaten regular season, Baruch earned two of the three major awards. Ava Deguzman was voted CUNYAC Player of the Year while Bearcats Head Coach Gregory Wyzykowski was named CUNYAC Coach of the Year. In addition, Lehman’s Viola Avdyli was voted the league’s Rookie of the Year. 
 
Player of the Year: Ava Deguzman, Fr., Baruch
Deguzman went unbeaten in the regular season in both singles and doubles. Competing at the No. 1 spot, Deguzman went 11-0 in singles and doubles, including an unblemished 5-0 record against league opposition.
 
“I am very excited to receive this award,” said Deguzman. “I would like to thank Coach Greg and Annie for helping me throughout the season and guiding me into college as a freshman. I would also like to thank all of my teammates for being supportive and cheering me on at my matches. I am excited to see how well we can do next season.”

Rookie of the Year: Viola Avdyli, Fr., Lehman
Avdyli was sensational in her first season with the Lightning. The rookie went 7-3 in No. 1 singles, with only one loss coming in conference play. A three-time CUNYAC Rookie of the Week honoree, Avdyil went 5-5 in doubles action with partner, Joanna Rosario.
 
“I want to thank all the coaches that voted for me,” said Avdyli. “I really appreciate all that my coaches have done for me and the rest of the team.  I’m already looking forward to next fall.”  
 
Coach of the Year: Gregory Wyzkowski, Baruch
In his fifth season at Baruch, Coach Wyzkowski earns his first-ever CUNYAC Coach of the Year citation on the women’s side. Wyzkowski guided the Bearcats to an unbeaten regular season (11-0, 5-0 CUNYAC) to capture their third regular season championship in program history and first since 2016.
 
“I feel honored to be chosen for this award,” said Wyzkowski. “All the credit goes to the players that I had the pleasure of coaching this year.” 
 
2021 CUNYAC Women’s Tennis All-Stars
First Team
Angelina Catania, Hunter
Liliko Chung, Hunter
Esther Benjamin, Baruch
Lauren Kraker, Baruch
Yana Rabkova, Hunter
Nikhar Rathi, John Jay

Second Team
Veronika Tsiko, Brooklyn
Joanna Rosario, Lehman
Geraldine Guese, York
Zaara Afida, Hunter
Regina Kelley, Baruch
Monica Capon Prado, Brooklyn
Dakota Himaya, John Jay
 
Player of the Year: Ava Deguzman, Fr., Baruch
Rookie of the Year: Viola Avdyli, Fr., Lehman
Coach of the Year: Gregory Wyzykowski, Baruch
Sportsmanship Winner: Monique James, Jr., York
Sportsmanship Team: Regina Kelley (Baruch), Julie Saadia (Brooklyn), Lily O’Heir (Hunter), Briana Schmidt (John Jay), Joanna Rosario (Lehman)