DALLAS, Texas – The Conference USA announced the 2023 C-USA All-Conference Tennis Teams for the 2023 season on Wednesday, as FIU's Oyinlomo Quadre highlights numerous postseason awards for the Panthers as the Conference USA's Player and Freshman of the Year. Quadre marks the first freshman in program history to sweep both Player and Freshman of the Year honors and first to do so in the C-USA since 2012.
 
Additionally, FIU swept numerous postseason awards as Salma Loudili was named the C-USA's Newcomer of the Year, Yasmine Kabbaj was tabbed the Singles Player of the C-USA Championship and Ekaterina Khairutdinova and Kamila Umarova were named the Doubles Team of the C-USA Championship.
 
The Panthers were also well-represented amongst the C-USA All-Conference Teams, as Oyinlomo Quadre and Yasmine Kabbaj both collected All-C-USA Singles First Team recognition, in addition to earning All-C-USA Doubles First Team honors together. Khairutdinova and Umarova were also named to the All-C-USA Doubles First Team.
 
Salma Loudili and Katerina Mandelikova both earned All-C-USA Singles Second Team honors, as well All-C-USA Doubles Second Team recognition together.
 
Lastly, freshmen Oyinlomo Quadre, Katerina Mandelikova and Ekaterina Khairutdinova were tabbed to the C-USA All-Freshman Team – seeing FIU hold the most freshman honorees of any team.
 
Quadre becomes the second Panther all-time to earn Player of the Year and third all-time to win Freshman of the Year within the FIU women's tennis program – while marking the second straight year a Panther has earned C-USA Freshman of the Year honors (Yasmine Kabbaj).

The Lekki, Nigeria, native leads the team and is tied for the most singles wins overall with a 15-2 (3-0 C-USA) dual singles record, highlighted by a 12-1 mark and undefeated C-USA record at No. 3 singles. Quadre marks the lone freshman on the squad to hold double-digit singles victories, while currently riding a 13-match singles win streak with her last loss coming on Feb. 24. A two-time C-USA Tennis Athlete of the Week this season, 13 of Quadre's 15 singles wins came in straight sets, as the freshman swept singles play at the No. 3 position through each round of the C-USA Championship, highlighted by recording the match-clinching win to hand FIU its second-ever C-USA title in the championship match against Rice. 

In doubles, Quadre and Yasmine Kabbaj collect first team nods after recording a 16-5 (3-1 C-USA) dual doubles mark together, highlighted by a 14-5 mark at the No. 2 spot for the Panthers. Ranked as high as No. 56 together this season, the tandem currently ranks 89th nationally and hold a top-40 win against Texas A&M on thieir resume this season. Kabbaj and Quadre held streaks as long as nine matches together from Feb. 11 - Mar. 13, as the duo also collected a win in the C-USA Championship quarterfinals to aid the Panthers' title run in Denton. 

Salma Loudili marks FIU's first Newcomer of the Year since 2015 (Yana Koroleva) and second all-time in program history upon holding a 13-6 (3-1 C-USA) dual singles mark, highlighted by an 11-6 record at the No. 6 spot, in her first season with the Panthers to also claim second team singles honors. Loudili marks one of just three Panthers to hold double-digit singles wins as her 13 dual wins a good for second most among the squad. The junior has especially pivotal for the Panthers during the C-USA Championship title run, collecting a straight-set singles win in the C-USA semifinals versus LA Tech to help push FIU into the finals. 

Yasmine Kabbaj adds first team singles recognition upon a solid sophomore season at the No. 1 spot, holding an 11-5 (3-0 C-USA) dual singles mark as one of three Panthers with double-digit wins. She currently rides a six-match singles win streak, while having earned straight-set victories in 10 of 11 victories this year. The Morocco native was key for FIU during the C-USA Championship, collecting pivotal wins at the top spot in the quarterfinals versus UTSA and championship against Rice en route to earning the Singles Player of the Championship nod - FIU's first since 2018 (Andrea Lazaro). 

FIU's No. 1 doubles tandem of Ekaterina Khairutdinova and Kamila Umarova collect well-deserved first team recognition with a 9-3 (2-1 C-USA) dual mark together as the 87th-ranked pair in the nation. The duo was named the Doubles Team of the C-USA Championship after clinching the doubles point for the Panthers in both their semifinals matchup against LA Tech and finals matchup against Rice to spark FIU through the C-USA title run. The pair held numerous rankings throughout the season, ranked as high as No. 44, and earned a top-15 win against UCLA's then-11th-ranked duo en route to a 4-1 upset over the then-18th-ranked Bruins during ITA Kickoff Weekend. 

The pair of accolades mark the second occurrence in her career that Kamila Umarova has earned Doubles First Team and Doubles Team of the C-USA Championship recognition. 

FIU's No. 3 doubles tandem of Salma Loudili and Katerina Mandelikova notched second team honors with a 16-4 dual mark, including a top-50 ranked win this season over Maryland's then-45th-ranked duo on Mar. 4. The duo extended streaks as long as eight matches from Mar. 3 - Mar. 30, as they currently hold a four-match streak through a trio of wins during the C-USA Championship. Loudili and Mandelikova held their ground through the C-USA Championship, collecting wins to help secure the doubles point in the quarterfinals, semifinals and finals en route to seeing the Panthers bring home the C-USA title. 

Mandelikova, a freshman from Ropice, Czech Republic, earns all-freshman team and second team singles recognitin in her first year with the Panthers after going 9-5 in dual singles, including a 9-4 mark at the No. 5 position. The freshman has collected straight-set victories in seven of nine wins and hold a four-match streak currently. Mandelikova earned a pair of singles wins for the Panthers during the C-USA Championship, earning a win in the semifinals against LA Tech and tallying a pivotal win at the No. 5 spot in the finals against Rice to pace FIU to its second C-USA title. Overall, Mandelikova sits 10-4 in singles, while tied for most dual doubles wins on the team (16). 

Ekaterina Khairutdinova rounds out FIU's all-freshman honorees with first team doubles recognition upon a 9-3 mark and ranking of No. 87 in the nation. Khairutdinova sits 11-11 overall in singles and 7-8 in dual singles at the No. 2 position, though, having earned a number of impressive wins - highlighted by a top-50 win over UCLA's then-46th-ranked Kimmi Hance en route to the upset of the then-18th-ranked Bruins. Six of her seven singles wins have come in straight sets, as the freshman also contributed with a win during the C-USA quarterfinals against UTSA to propel FIU forward through the championship. 

UP NEXT
The 35th-ranked Panthers prepare for their NCAA First Round matchup against No. 19 Auburn in Coral Gables, Fla., on Friday, May 5. First serve is slated for 10 a.m. at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.

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