May 11, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Kristy Frilling (Sidney, Ohio), a junior on the women’s tennis team, has been tabbed the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Year, it was announced by the league on Wednesday. Head coach Jay Louderback also has been named the BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
Frilling, who was named the conference’s Freshman of the Year in her first campaign with the Irish, has now garnered the BIG EAST’s most prestigious award each of the last two seasons. She shared the honor this season with USF senior Irene Rehberger. Frilling also made it three straight years in which an Irish player has received the honor, as Kelcy Tefft was named the conference Player of the Year in ’09.
This season, the junior has posted identical 18-3 records in singles and doubles while playing exclusively at the No. 1 court. She ranks fifth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) singles poll while checking in at 15th in the doubles poll, along with being the BIG EAST’s automatic qualifier in both the NCAA Singles and Doubles Tournament. Over her career, Frilling is 40-10 at No. 1 singles, while posting a dominant record of 69-8 at No. 1 doubles with three different partners.
Louderback, meanwhile, earned Coach of the Year honors for the ninth time since the Irish joined the BIG EAST and also has claimed the recognition for the second-straight year.
This season he helped guide a youthful team, featuring five freshmen on the roster, to a record of 16-9 and the No. 20 ranking in the ITA polls. The squad also put together another run in the BIG EAST Tournament, capturing the title for the fourth consecutive year. In addition, his team earned a berth to the NCAA Team Tournament for the 18th time in his 22-year tenure.
Along with being named the Player of the Year, Frilling also was named to the All-BIG EAST Team where she is joined by teammates Shannon Mathews (Birmingham, Mich.) and Jennifer Kellner (Smithtown, N.Y.). Mathews put together a 19-5 dual record this year, while also turning in three match-clinchers at the BIG EAST Tournament to earn Most Outstanding Player in the tournament. Kellner, a freshman who climbed up the Irish rotation to No. 3 singles by the end of the year, finished with a record of 18-5 this season while posting a winning record (4-3) against ranked opponents.
BIG EAST Player of the Year:Kristy Frilling, Jr., Notre DameIrene Rehberger, Sr., USF
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year:Julia Fellerhoff, Fr., Louisville
BIG EAST Coach of the Year:Jay Louderback, Notre Dame
All-BIG EAST Team:Gia McKnight, Jr., DePaulKatarina Milinkovic, Sr., DePaulStephanie Wetmore, Gr., GeorgetownJulia Fellerhoff, Fr., LouisvilleKristy Frilling, Jr., Notre DameShannon Mathews, Jr., Notre DameJennifer Kellner, Jr., Notre DameAmy Zhang, Sr., RutgersJanette Bejkova, Jr., USFIrene Rehberger, Sr., USFEcaterina Vasenina, So., USFEmily Harman, Jr., Syracuse
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