Women's Tennis

MIAC announces 2024-25 Women’s Tennis awards

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) announced the 2024-25 MIAC Women's Tennis Awards on Tuesday.

Carleton senior Amelia Asfaw was the recipient of the MIAC Women's Tennis Singles Player of the Year award, while the Gustavus duo of Kaya De Bruijn and Karina Elvestrom received the conference's Doubles Team of the Year honor. Elvestrom was also named the recipient of the Women's Tennis Rookie of the Year award, and her coach, Jon Carlson, was named Coach of the Year for women's tennis.

St. Olaf senior Olha Zubarieva was also selected as the 2024-25 MIAC Chris Evert Award winner. The award annually recognizes a senior women's tennis student-athlete who exhibits outstanding sportsmanship and exemplary athletic, academic, and humanitarian accomplishments.

| 2024-25 MIAC Women's Tennis Awards |

Asfaw (Seattle, Wash. | Seattle Prep) was selected as the MIAC Singles Player of the Year for the second consecutive season after going a perfect 9-0 against conference opponents this season. Asfaw played every match at No. 1 singles for the MIAC runner-up Knights and finished with a 13-2 overall record for the season.

De Bruijn (Maasland, Netherlands | Stedelijk Gymnasium) and Elvestrom (Minnetonka, Minn.) received Doubles Team of the Year honors after posting a 9-0 record in conference action at the top of the lineup. The tandem went 17-5 overall at No. 1 doubles in 2024-25.

Elvestrom also received MIAC Rookie of the Year honors after going 5-2 in conference play at No. 1 singles for the MIAC champion Gusties. Elvestrom went 13-9 overall in dual matches during her debut season, all at the top singles spot.

Carlson (35th season) led the Gusties to an undefeated regular season and the 31st regular season MIAC title in program history in 2025. Carlson is now an eleven-time recipient of the award, having been previously recognized in 1994, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2015, 2018, and 2022.

Zubarieva (Kyiv, Ukraine | Research School Basis) was selected as the recipient of the prestigious MIAC Chris Evert Award. The senior finished her career at St. Olaf as a two-time All-MIAC Doubles honoree, a one-time All-MIAC singles competitor, and a two-time honorable mention singles selection.

"Extremely smart, organized, kind, driven, and accountable," assessed St. Olaf coach Joey Kronzer. "Olha's life as an international student has not always been easy, as she has worked many jobs while finding ways to stay active in her community. Even though her family life was thrown upside down back in Ukraine, Olha was always a stable presence to our team."

Zubarieva has spent the last four seasons at the top of the Oles lineup, but has been equally impactful in her campus community. She has represented her team on the St. Olaf Student-Athlete Advisory Board, organized initiatives for National Women and Girls in Sports Day, and facilitated service events with Special Olympics and Laura Baker Services Association. After graduation, the math and chemistry double-major with a 3.98 GPA will begin work on her Ph.D. in chemistry at Yale University, a pursuit she is well-prepared for thanks to her career on the court.

"Tennis taught me patience and perseverance, as perfecting a shot only comes with hitting it hundreds, if not thousands, of times, and those skills are directly applicable to various life scenarios where things don't work out exactly as planned," Zubarieva said.

The 2024-25 MIAC Women's Tennis All-Conference Singles and Doubles teams were also recognized. The All-Conference team is selected based on performance during conference dual matches, with the top 18 players (including ties) recognized for both singles and doubles. Coaches also voted on honorable mention selections. 

Awards are nominated by and voted on by the MIAC head women's tennis coaches, and statistics from MIAC matches are considered for conference honors; any nominated player not selected as All-Conference but still receiving votes from at least three coaches was named honorable mention.

The MIAC also announced the All-Playoff Team for women's tennis, which recognized the top nine performers from the conference tournament, as selected by playoff-participant head coaches.

| 2024-25 MIAC Women's Tennis Awards |