Pac-12 announces 2022 women's tennis all-conference honors

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 announced today postseason honors and all-conference teams for the 2022 women's tennis season, as determined by a polling of the league's coaches. Washington State's Michaela Bayerlova was voted Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year, Stanford's Connie Ma was tabbed Pac-12 Freshman/Newcomer of the Year, Stanford's Angelica Blake and Connie Ma earned Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year accolades and Arizona State head coach Sheila McInerney was selected by her peers as Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

PAC-12 SINGLES PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Michaela Bayerlova, 5th, Washington State (Krumbach, Germany)

Also the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's tennis, Michaela Bayerlova has compiled a 17-2 record this season, including a 12-2 mark while playing at the No. 1 position. She was 7-1 in conference, is 6-1 against nationally-ranked players, and is currently ranked No. 36 in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association poll. On Tuesday, the fifth-year senior was selected to the 2022 NCAA Singles Championship field and will be making her third individual postseason trip (2018, 2019). She posted a first-round victory in 2019 to become the first player in school history to win a singles round at the NCAA Championship. Now a three-time All-Pac-12 first team selection, Bayerlova is the second Cougar to be named Pac-12 Singles Player of the Year and first in 29 years. In 1993, when the league was split into two divisions, Katherine Costain was recognized as the Pac-12 North Singles Player of the Year.

PAC-12 FRESHMAN/NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Connie Ma, Fr., Stanford (Dublin, Calif.)

The No. 26 singles player in the ITA rankings, Connie Ma has posted a 26-8 singles record in her debut season, including a 14-5 mark in duals all at No. 1, and is 9-3 against ranked opponents. She is 23-5 at No. 1 doubles with Angelica Blake, 11-3 in duals, and the pair went 8-1 against Pac-12 opponents. Late last month in Ojai, Ma led the Cardinal to its fourth Pac-12 Women's Tennis Championship tournament title in five opportunities and on Monday, Stanford earned the No. 15 national seed when the NCAA bracket was announced. Ma is the sixth from Stanford to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, joining Michaela Gordon (2018), Kristie Ahn (2011), Mallory Burdette (2010), Hilary Barte (2008) and Amber Liu (2003).

PAC-12 DOUBLES TEAM OF THE YEAR: Angelica Blake, Jr., (Boca Raton, Fla.) & Connie Ma, Fr., (Dublin, Calif.), Stanford

The record eighth pairing from Stanford to win Pac-12 Doubles Team of the Year, Angelica Blake and Connie Ma have won eight of their last nine and are 23-5 overall this season, including 4-2 against nationally-ranked pairings. No. 19 in the ITA rankings themselves, the duo secured its highest-ranked victory of the season when it knocked off then-No. 21 Patricija Spaka and Domenika Turkovic of Arizona State, 6-4, to help the Cardinal earn the doubles point in the Pac-12 Championship final on April 23. Blake and Ma are the first Stanford winners since Emily Arbuthnott and Michaela Gordon in 2018, which is also the last time the Cardinal won an NCAA title as the No. 15 seed.

PAC-12 COACH OF THE YEAR: Sheila McInerney, Arizona State

Arizona State's Sheila McInerney has been voted Pac-12 Coach of the Year for the third time following a run to the program's first Pac-12 Women's Tennis Championship final. On back-to-back days, the Sun Devils toppled then-No. 17 USC and then-No. 8 California to advance to the event's last day for the first time since the tournament's inception in 2017. Seeded No. 5, ASU became the lowest seed to ever reach the final. Ranked a season-best No. 17 in the latest ITA team poll, the Sun Devils are 16-7 overall this season and will be making their 34th consecutive NCAA appearance when they face San Diego on Friday, May 6, in Norman, Okla. McInerney was previously chosen as Pac-12 Coach of the Year in 2016 and Pac-12 South Coach of the Year in 1997.

2022 PAC-12 WOMEN'S TENNIS ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS

FIRST TEAM

SECOND TEAM

HONORABLE MENTION: Antonia Balzert, COLO; Angelica Blake, STAN; Naomi Cheong, USC; Megan Forster, COLO; Sedona Gallagher, ASU; Anastasia Goncharova, UTAH; Snow Han, USC; Kimmi Hance, UCLA; Linda Huang, UTAH; Cali Jankowski, ASU; Savanna Ly-Nguyen, WSU; Sarah-Maude Fortin, WASH;  Myah Petchey, ORE; Caroline Pozo, COLO; Erin Richardson, CAL; Julia Rosenqvist, CAL; Patricija Spaka, ASU; Domenika Turkovic, ASU;  Hannah Viller Moeller, CAL; Katja Wiersholm, CAL; Kayla Wilkins, ARIZ; Karin Young, ORE; Salma Ziouti, ARIZ; Nika Zupancic, WASH.