West Lafayette, Ind. - Youngstown State Head Coach Mickael Sopel was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year while Marta Burak was named the conference's Player of the Year at the pre-championship banquet on Thursday night.
Sopel is the first YSU tennis coach to receive the honor while Burak is the just the second YSU tennis player to earn Player-of-the-Year accolades joining Paula de Man (2013). Burak joins Margarita Sadovnikova as YSU tennis players to receive first-team all-league accolades in four consecutive years.
This year YSU has won 15 matches, one shy of a school record, in its second season under Sopel. Sopel, who is 29-20 with the women's program, has guided the Guins on a current school record winning streak of nine entering Saturday's Horizon League semifinal match. The 15 wins are one shy of the school record set in 1998-99.
Burak recently capped off her third consecutive unbeaten conference season. She was 8-0 at No. 1 this spring and in dual matches she posted a 17-2 with one loss coming as a before-match injury defeat. She enters the Horizon League Championships having won 30 consecutive league matches since April 2011.
Joining Burak on the first team is Dominika Lackova. Lackova, who went unbeaten in the No. 2 spot this year, was a first-team honoree last season. Lackova has a team-high 23 wins and is 15-6 in dual play this year.
Earning all-conference recognition for the first time in her career was Annina Brendel. Brendel was named second-team all-conference this year after posting a 7-1 league mark. She went 17-5 this spring in dual matches.
