For the second consecutive year, Tulane’s Jenny Kuhn was named the Conference USA Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, while her coach, David Schumacher, received his third Coach of the Year accolade, as the 2004 All-Conference USA Teams and individual awards were announced on Tuesday.

DePaul’s Gergana Ganeva was named Freshman of the Year, after leading the Blue Demons to a 19-10 record, including a 6-0 C-USA mark. Kuhn also earned the Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship honor, while TCU’s tandem of Saber Pierce and Ana Cetnik claimed the league’s Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship accolade.

Kuhn becomes only the second women’s tennis player in league history to win back-to-back Player of the Year honors. UAB’s Mirela Vladulescu also won the award in 1998, 2000 and 2001. Kuhn is 19-4 this spring in dual match play and is currently ranked No. 104 nationally by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. She is also part of the No. 56 doubles tandem with teammate MARIA IVANOV, posting a 12-1 mark, while also earning a No. 35 ranking with partner JULIE SMEKODUB.

Kuhn captured the Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship accolade after leading the Green Wave to the 2004 C-USA team title on April 18 in Louisville, Ky. She posted a 3-0 singles record in championship play including a 6-3, 6-2 victory over TCU’s Jenn Chay in the finals. The Horned Frog duo of Pierce and Cetnik, who are currently ranked 28th by the ITA, were named the Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship. During the Frogs’ tournament run, Pierce and Cetnik notched a perfect 3-0 mark at the No. 1 spot. In the finals, the tandem claimed a 9-8 victory over Tulane’s 46th-ranked team of Smekodub and DARYA IVANOV of Tulane, helping the Horned Frogs to a runner-up finish at the C-USA Championship.

In his fifth season at Tulane, Schumacher guided the 12th-ranked Green Wave to a 25-1 mark this season, including a 16-1 record against ranked foes, while also claiming their third C-USA Championship and an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Tennis Championship. Schumacher, who earned his second consecutive Coach of the Year honor and third in his career as the Wave’s head coach, is 85-38 (.620) during his tenure in New Orleans.

Ganeva becomes the first DePaul player since Szilvia Kelemen (2000) to claim the league’s Freshman of the Year award. She went 10-2 as the No. 1 singles player for DePaul, posting three victories over nationally-ranked opponents this season. Ganeva also partnered with teammate MARINA PARASHKEVOVA to notch an 8-4 mark at the No. 1 doubles spot.

Joining Kuhn and Ganeva on the First Team All-Conference USA were Houston’s MIRANDA FOLEY, TCU’s PATY ABURTO, Tulane’s MARIA IVANOV and USF’s GABRIELA DUCH.

Named to the Second Team All-Conference were Louisville’s MICHELE SPIESS, TCU’s Cetnik and Pierce, Tulane’s DARYA IVANOV, DOROTTYA MAGAS and Smekodub. DePaul’s MARINA PARSHINKOVA, Memphis’ MARLENE DIRNSTORFER, Houston’s BILJANA DIMOVSKA, Marquette’s VERONICA GARCIA BRISENO, Southern Miss’ NICOLA SLATER and Tulane’s NANCY KOCKOTT were selected as members of the third team.

Tulane led all Conference USA teams with six all-league selections, followed by TCU with three. DePaul and Houston each had two selections apiece.

2004 Conference USA Women’s Tennis Awards

First Team All-Conference
Gergana Ganeva, DePaul
Miranda Foley, Houston
Gabriela Duch, USF
Paty Aburto, TCU
Maria Ivanov, Tulane
Jenny Kuhn, Tulane

Second Team All-Conference
Michele Spiess, Louisville
Ana Cetnik, TCU
Saber Pierce, TCU
Darya Ivanov, Tulane
Dorottya Magas, Tulane
Julie Smekodub, Tulane

Third Team All-Conference
Marina Parashkevova, DePaul
Biljana Dimovska, Houston
Veronica Garcia Briseno, Marquette
Marlene Dirnstorfer, Memphis
Nicola Slater, Southern Miss
Nancy Kockott, Tulane

Coach of the Year
David Schumacher, Tulane

Player of the Year
Jenny Kuhn, Tulane

Freshman of the Year
Gergana Ganeva, DePaul

Outstanding Singles Player of the Championship
Jenny Kuhn, Tulane

Outstanding Doubles Team of the Championship
Saber Pierce and Ana Cetnik, TCU