Player of the Week
Lilie Bizouerne, Queens
Junior | La Ciotat, France
Junior Lilie Bizouerne made history on Monday by capturing the ITA East Region Singles Championship with a flawless 6-0 record. Seeded #13, Bizouerne upset two ranked opponents, #2 Katarina Liedbeck in the Round of 16 and #12 Roisin Boyd in the Quarterfinals, en route to the title. She then dominated Wilmington University’s Yelyzaveta Sylka in the semifinals (6–2, 6–0) before defeating #3 seed Siana Macdonald (6–3, 6–1) to secure the championship. Bizouerne would become the first Knight to win the regional singles crown since Maja Makal in 2019. In doubles action, Bizouerne and teammate Sixtine Goubet, seeded #8, made a strong run to the finals, marking the program’s first appearance in the doubles final since 2013, when Aylin Mehter and Yevgeniya Plevako won the title.
Rookie of the Week
Erika Ismailova, D’Youville
Freshman | Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Erika made the deepest run for the Saints in the ITA East regional, cementing herself as a leader of this young DYU team. Erika reached the round of 16 in Singles play, defeating Jedidah Xu of Saint Michael's College by a score of 6-2, 6-3. She continued her run by defeating Chestnut Hill College's Claudia Romero 6-2, 6-0. That resulted in a Saints vs. Saints matchup where Erika (#4 singles) took on Nele Herbst (#2 Singles), with Ismailova taking a hard-fought match 6-3, 3-6, 10-8 in a tiebreak. In doubles, Erika and Nele ran into a tough matchup in the round of 32 as they faced an eventual championship doubles team from Queens, falling 8-2. Her performance showed the depth and growth of DYU tennis and is an example of things to come for a talented team.
ECC Weekly Honor Roll
Miranda Bosch, D’Youville
Freshman | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Miranda Bosch made history for the Saints as she picked up the first win in program history at the ITA East Regional, winning her first singles match against Genesis Beltran of Adelphi University. Miranda went on to drop her round of 64 match after winning the first set 6-0, losing in a 13-11 tiebreak in a highly competitive match. As a freshman, Bosch showed grit and resilience the entire weekend. In doubles play, Bosch and partner, Munisa Ashurbekova, were able to defeat STAC's Shreethika Vangala/Mar Caneves Bufi by a score of 8-6, advancing to the round of 16.
Sixtine Goubet, Queens
Junior | Lyon, France
Junior Sixtine Goubet delivered an outstanding debut performance at the ITA East Regional Tournament, reaching the semifinals in singles and finishing as runner-up in doubles. Seeded #9 in singles, Goubet battled through the draw with a standout three-set victory over #5 seed Irene Garbo in the quarterfinals to reach the semifinals. In doubles, Goubet teamed up with junior Lilie Bizouerne as the #8 seeds, and the pair put together an impressive run to the championship match, becoming the first Knights duo to reach the doubles final since Aylin Mehter and Yevgeniya Plevako won the title in 2013.
Ela Vasic, Queens
Freshman | Novi Sad, Serbia
Rookie Ela Vasic made a strong impression in her first appearance at the ITA East Regional Tournament, finishing with a 1-1 record in singles and a 2-1 mark in doubles. Vasic pulled off a major upset in her opening singles match, defeating #8 seed Ines Gabarro of Franklin Pierce University in a thrilling three-set battle, 6-1, 4-6, 10-8. In doubles, Vasic partnered with Lydia Zafeiri, and the unseeded pair advanced to the quarterfinals. Along the way, they notched a standout win over the #6 seeded duo of Zuzanna Witkowska and Oda Solevåg Halvorsen from Adelphi University.
ECC Women's Tennis Weekly Award Winners
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Sept. 23 - Mina Randjelovic, D’Youville
Sept. 30 - Lilie Bizouerne, Queens
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
Sept. 23 - Nele Herbst, D’Youville
Sept. 23 - Erika Ismailova, D’Youville
1. Queens - 22 points (4 first-place votes)
2. St. Thomas Aquinas - 19 points (1 first-place vote)
3. District of Columbia - 18 points
4. Daemen - 8 points
5. D'Youville - 8 points