SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU’s Laylo Bakhodirova has been named the Southern Conference women’s tennis player of the week for all matches played from Jan. 12-16, the conference announced on Tuesday. The weekly award is the first of the season.
 
Bakhodirova went a combined 4-0 in the Bucs’ opening week of play, picking up two wins each at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles in Hawaii.
 
In ETSU’s 5-2 win at Hawaii on Thursday, Bakhodirova paired with Mariya Shumeika at No. 1 doubles to down Nikola Homolkova and Klara Novakova, 6-3, clinching the point. At the top singles spot, Bakhodirova topped Ana Vilcek by a 6-4, 6-3 score, clinching the match.
 
The following day against Hawaii Pacific, the Tashkent, Uzbekistan, native rolled to a 6-2, 6-3 win over Shaline Pipa at No. 1 singles, while Bakhodirova and Shumeika earned a 6-3 win over Mihoki Miyahara and Elodie Busson at No. 1 doubles. The Bucs earned another 5-2 win in the neutral-site match, which was also played at the University of Hawaii Tennis Complex.
 
The weekly award is the fourth of Bakhodirova’s career.

ETSU (2-0) faces a pair of Southeastern Conference foes this week, visiting Kentucky on Friday at 10 a.m. and Ole Miss on Sunday at noon.
 
Also nominated: Marina de Diego Quinones (Mercer), Samantha Nanere (Samford) and Pippa Bosman (Chattanooga).
 
SoCon Women’s Tennis Players of the Week
Jan. 17          Laylo Bakhodirova, ETSU