The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Blazers Earn All-Conference Awards
5/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Tennis
IRVING, Texas – The UAB men’s tennis team has earned four awards, the conference office announced Monday. Both Mitchell Martell and Eric Komati earned spots on the All-Conference USA Singles team, while the Blazer duo of Luiz Felipe Pinto and Christian Coetzee garnered a spot on the All-Conference USA Doubles team, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
Martell, who was named to the All-C-USA First Team in singles, secured 10 wins for the Green and Gold in singles in the top spot for UAB. He earned key victories over Rice, Georgia State, Middle Tennessee and Southern Miss. The Tyler, Texas, native secured nine wins in just two sets, while three of his wins came over singles foes on ranked teams, including then-No. 26 Rice, No. 44 North Alabama and No. 58 Georgia State. The last Blazer to earn a spot on the league’s first team was now-assistant coach Chris Helliar, in 2014.
Komati, a junior, was named to the All-C-USA Second Team. The Brazil native boasted an overall record of 13-3 in singles action, primarily on court two. He kicked off the 2016 campaign with a seven-game win streak as he earned crucial wins over South Alabama, Stetson, No. 55 East Tennessee, UT San Antonio, Lipscomb, Southern Miss, No. 67 UNC Wilmington and No. 40 Alabama. Komati took down four of five ranked-team singles players in two sets, while managing a comeback in the fifth match.
Pinto and Coetzee became the first Blazer duo to be recognized on an all-conference team as they earned a spot on the All-C-USA Doubles Second Team. The pair earned nine wins in doubles and closed out the season 5-2. In the top seed, they posted an overall mark of 9-4. Pinto and Coetzee earned decisive wins over Stetson, Alabama State, Alabama A&M, UT San Antonio, Lipscomb, Southern Miss, and No. 67 UNC Wilmington. In the fall, they won the regional championships after beating the No. 4 duo. They also qualified for the ITA Indoor Championships, where they fell to the eventual champions.
All-Conference USA Singles
First Team
Adam Moundir, Old Dominion
Tommy Bennett, Rice
Adam Gustafsson, Rice
Jordi Massallé Ferrer, Charlotte
Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore, Middle Tennessee
Mitchell Martell, UAB
Second Team
Ayed Zatar Cordero, Middle Tennessee
Jamie Malik, Rice
Michael Weindl, Old Dominion
Aziz Kijametovic, Old Dominion
Remi Chancerel, Florida Atlantic
Jake Hansen, Rice
David Warren, Rice
Eric Komati, UAB
All-Conference USA Doubles
First Team
No. 29 Tommy Bennett/David Warren, Rice
No. 66 Adam Moundir/Aziz Kijametovic, Old Dominion
Ayed Zatar Cordero/Gonzalo Morell Raschiatore, Middle Tennessee
Second Team
Adam Gustafsson/Jamie Malik, Rice
Luiz Felipe Pinto/Christian Coetzee, UAB
Vikram Hundal/Jordi Massallé Ferrer, Charlotte
Superlative Awards
Player of the Year: Adam Moundir, Old Dominion
Freshman of the Year: Jake Hansen, Rice
Newcomer of the Year: Jacob Nicolussi, Old Dominion
Singles Player of the Championship: Adam Moundir, Old Dominion
Doubles Team of the Championship: Adam Gustafsson/Jamie Malik, Rice
Coach of the Year: Efe Ustundag, Rice
Players Mentioned
