KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Western Michigan women's tennis and head coach Ryan Tomlinson announced its team award winners on Monday afternoon, following the conclusion of the season.

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Amy Yeast MVP: Denise Azcui & Melina Lyubomirova
Named after the WMU Hall of Famer, this award is voted on annually by team members and presented to the player who has demonstrated the most dedication, hard work, sportsmanship and team work.

Azcui finished with a team-high 19 wins during the season at 19-11 in singles and an impressive 6-2 record at No. 3 in Mid-American Conference play. She concluded the season winning eight of her last 10 matches all while holding the most wins in doubles play with freshman Jeryn Jack. She also received the Robert E. Boughner Engineering Student-Athlete Award back on Feb. 20 after carrying a 3.94 overall GPA in Industrial and Entrepreneurial Engineering.

Lyubomirova led the Broncos during the season with a 19-12 overall record including a 16-7 dual match record to go along with an impressive 7-1 record during MAC play. The captain went 6-4 at No. 1 and 10-3 at No. 2 in singles for the Broncos and led all WMU players with a 10-match winning streak from March 15 – April 20.  After dropping three straight matches in late January, the junior turned it around to win 14 of her next 17 matches to conclude the season and earn All-MAC Second Team honors.

Tomlinson on Azcui/Lyubomirova - "Denise and Melina couldn't be more deserving of sharing this award. They have been great leaders for us on the court and in the classroom. They both had tremendous season for us."

Coaches Award: Barbare Eristavi
The Coaches Award, also known as the "Unsung Hero Award," is given to the player who makes incredible contribution to her team's success, yet would otherwise go unnoticed.

Eristavi wrapped up her Bronco career playing at No. 1 during the conference season going 4-4 overall against her MAC opponents to earn All-MAC Second Team honors. She ended at 16-13 overall in singles including 14-9 in dual matches. During Feb. 24-March 30, Eristavi went a perfect 8-0 with four of those victories coming at one. The Tbilisi, Georgia native finished her career with a three set victory on Senior Day over her Bowling Green opponent. In doubles, she went 4-4 at No. 1 in doubles play during the season. Eristavi concludes her lustrous career tied in 17th on the Bronco all-time wins list with 170 total victories and is No. 8 on the all-time singles wins list with a total of 94.

Tomlinson on Eristavi - "Bako showed up every day and put in her time in a quiet way. She was one of our most consistent performers this past season. I couldn't think of a more deserving individual than Bako. She had a great senior season playing higher in the lineup than she ever has."

2018-19 Team Captains: Melina Lyubomirova & Denise Azcui
After being named captains during the 2017-18 season, these two juniors will lead the Broncos during their senior year.

Tomlinson on Lyubomirova/Azcui – "They did an unbelievable job leading this group this past season. With a team of 12 players competing next season for us they will be leaned on from the coaching staff even more. I have no doubts that they will be up to the task. These are two great representatives of our university and this program."